Travis Dickerson is an American musician and producer best known for his work with
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...
and
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen Jr. R (; born October 20, 1958) is an American actor, writer, director, producer, musician, and multimedia artist. Born and raised in the State of New York to a Danish father and American mother, he also lived in Argenti ...
. He also runs TDRS music, a recording studio with its own record label that has released albums by
Bill Laswell
William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, ...
,
Jethro Tull,
Linda Ronstadt
Linda Maria Ronstadt (born July 15, 1946) is a retired American singer who performed and recorded in diverse genres including rock, country, light opera, the Great American Songbook, and Latin. She has earned 11 Grammy Awards, three American ...
, and
Vince DiCola. Dickerson can be heard playing keyboards on many albums he has recorded and produced.
Career
Dickerson built his first recording studio in Michigan, where he began writing and recording songs. Soon after, he moved the studio to
Chatsworth, Los Angeles
Chatsworth is a suburban neighborhood in the City of Los Angeles, California, in the San Fernando Valley.
The area was home to Native Americans, some of whom left caves containing rock art. Chatsworth was explored and colonized by the Spanis ...
, where he met the punk band
X and helped them record a number of albums. Vocalist
Exene Cervenka
Exene Cervenka (born Christene Lee Cervenka; February 1, 1956) is an American singer, artist, and poet. She is best known for her work as a singer in the California punk rock band X.
Music career
The 21-year-old Cervenka met 23-year-old ...
introduced Dickerson to Viggo Mortensen, starting a long friendship. Nearly all of Mortensen's albums since then have been recorded or distributed by TDRS.
In 1994, Dickerson recorded and played keyboards on ''County Fair 2000'', an album by Phil Alvin of
the Blasters
The Blasters are an American rock band formed in 1979 in Downey, California, by brothers Phil Alvin (vocals and guitar) and Dave Alvin (guitar), with bass guitarist John Bazz and drummer Bill Bateman. Their self-described " American Music" ...
. Throughout the 1990s, he worked with the Plimsouls, Vince Dicola, Jethro Tull, Linda Ronstadt, L7, Eliza Gilkyson, Top Jimmy, the Negro Problem, and many others. In 1998, he produced and played on ''Shocking Pink Banana Seat'' by singer–songwriter Susan James.
Buckethead
Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative electric guitar playing. His music spans severa ...
and Dickerson met in San Francisco, and the guitarist found a new home at TDRS. Dickerson produced and played keyboards on several Buckethead recordings and in 2001, they formed Thanatopsis, a band combining progressive and rock styles. Released in 2004 as a Buckethead album, ''
Population Override'' likewise featured a large contribution from Dickerson in both composition and performance. In 2006, ''Chicken Noodles'', a series of jams, followed, with ''Chicken Noodles II'' being released a year later. Additionally, Dickerson remastered the early
Cornbugs
Cornbugs was an American avant-garde metal band formed in 1995. Comprising vocalist Bill "Choptop" Moseley, guitarist Buckethead, drummer Pinchface and keyboardist Travis Dickerson, the band released five albums, two DVDs, and three compilatio ...
albums, a project Buckethead was involved in with actor
Bill Moseley
William Moseley (born November 11, 1951) is an American actor, primarily known for his performances in horror films. His best-known roles include Chop Top in '' The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2'' (1986), Otis B. Driftwood in Rob Zombie's ''Firefl ...
.
In 2008, Dickerson, Buckethead, and
Brain
The brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It consists of nervous tissue and is typically located in the head ( cephalization), usually near organs for special ...
formed the band The Dragons of Eden and released an album of the same name.
In 2009, Dickerson released his debut solo album, ''Iconography''. Guest musicians on the record included his brother Lindy on guitar, Buckethead, Paul Ill on bass,
DJ Bonebrake, Brain, Ramy Antoun, and
Doane Perry
Doane Ethredge Perry (born June 16, 1954) is an American musician, composer and author. From 1984 to 2011 he was drummer and percussionist with the band Jethro Tull and has also appeared on hundreds of recordings spanning multiple genres on r ...
on drums,
Scarlet Rivera
Donna Shea, better known as Scarlet Rivera is an American violinist. She is best known for her work with Bob Dylan, in particular on his 1976 album ''Desire'' and as part of the Rolling Thunder Revue.
Career
Bob Dylan is said to have discover ...
on violin, Cameron Stone on cello, and
Vince DiCola on keyboards.
In 2012, he issued his second album, titled ''
The Owl Dives Through the Crescent Moon
''The Owl Dives Through the Crescent Moon'' is the second studio album, by keyboardist Travis Dickerson. The album was released in February 2012.
The album features the collaborations of bassist Paul Ill, guitarist Lindy Dickerson, and drummer DJ ...
''. This recording also included contributions from Lindy Dickerson, DJ Bonebrake, and Paul Ill.
Discography
Solo
* ''Iconography'' (2009)
* ''
The Owl Dives Through the Crescent Moon
''The Owl Dives Through the Crescent Moon'' is the second studio album, by keyboardist Travis Dickerson. The album was released in February 2012.
The album features the collaborations of bassist Paul Ill, guitarist Lindy Dickerson, and drummer DJ ...
'' (2012)
As sideman (partial)
* ''County Fair 2000'' – Phil Alvin (1994)
* ''One Less Thing to Worry About'' – Viggo Mortensen (1997)
* ''Recent Forgeries'' – Viggo Mortensen (1998)
* ''Shocking Pink Banana Seat'' – Susan James (1998)
* ''The Other Parade'' – Viggo Mortensen (1999)
* ''Tunnel'' –
Death Cube K
Buckethead is an American guitarist and singer. The Buckethead discography currently includes 47 studio albums , 1 live album, 4 special releases, 388 extended plays as Bucketheadland , 5 demo tapes, 3 solo DVD video releases, 2 DVD video release ...
(1999)
* ''
13th Scroll'' – Cobra Strike (1999)
* ''One Man's Meat'' – Viggo Mortensen (1999)
* ''
Cobra Strike II'' – Cobra Strike (2000)
* ''Thanatopsis'' – Thanatopsis (2001)
* ''
Somewhere Over the Slaughterhouse'' – Buckethead (2001)
* ''Funnel Weaver'' – Buckethead (2002)
* ''Axiology'' – Thanatopsis (2003)
* ''
Pandemoniumfromamerica'' – Viggo Mortensen (2003)
* ''Please Tomorrow'' – Viggo Mortensen (2004)
* ''Carry Me Away'' – Lindy Dickerson (2004)
* ''Brain Circus'' –
Cornbugs
Cornbugs was an American avant-garde metal band formed in 1995. Comprising vocalist Bill "Choptop" Moseley, guitarist Buckethead, drummer Pinchface and keyboardist Travis Dickerson, the band released five albums, two DVDs, and three compilatio ...
(2004)
* ''Donkey Town'' – Cornbugs (2004)
* ''
Population Override'' – Buckethead (2004)
* ''This, That, and the Other'' – Viggo Mortensen (2004)
* ''Gorgone'' – Gorgone (2005)
* ''Intelligence Failure'' – Viggo Mortensen (2005)
* ''Anatomize'' – Thanatopsis (2006)
* ''
Crime Slunk Scene'' – Buckethead (2006)
* ''
3 Fools 4 April
''3 Fools 4 April'' is the first CD/DVD by actor Viggo Mortensen, released in 2006. The album was recorded at Beyond Baroque Literary Arts Center in Venice, California (like his two live albums ''Live at Beyond Baroque'' and ''Live At Beyond Bar ...
'' – Viggo Mortensen (2006)
* ''Chicken Noodles'' – Buckethead & Travis Dickerson (2006)
* ''Chicken Noodles II'' – Buckethead & Travis Dickerson (2007)
* ''
Time Waits for Everyone
''Time Waits for Everyone'' is the ninth studio album by actor and musician Viggo Mortensen, released in 2007. It is Mortensen's first release to only feature himself playing piano without the collaboration of anyone else. All tracks are improvis ...
'' – Viggo Mortensen (2007)
* ''At All'' – Viggo Mortensen (2008)
* ''Running After Deer'' – Alix Lambert & Travis Dickerson (2008)
* ''The Dragons of Eden'' – The Dragons of Eden (2008)
* ''Albino Slug'' – Buckethead (2008)
* ''Left Hanging'' – Travis Dickerson & Buckethead (2010)
* ''Requiem'' – Thanatopsis (2015)
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickerson, Travis
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Musicians from Detroit
Record producers from Michigan
American jazz keyboardists
American rock keyboardists
Jazz musicians from Michigan
Cornbugs members
21st-century American keyboardists