Dear readers, it is a real honour for me to be able to offer you in this article an interview with an artist who has played with Guns’n’Roses, Sons Of Apollo, Whom God Destroy among others, as well as curating his solo career. Please welcome Ron ‘Bumblefoot’ Thal.
Hi, welcome to our pages, how are you?
“I’m well, thank you! Hope you’re having a great 2025 🙂“
You are an eclectic guitarist and composer, how did your passion for music and guitar in particular come
about?
“I grew up in the boroughs of New York City. At age 5 my family moved from Brooklyn to Staten Island, to a neighborhood full of kids my age. I’d go over their house and their older siblings would have albums all around the house. We’d pick them up randomly, ‘drop the needle’ and listen – The Beatles, Elton John… there was a new album, it had monster-like performers with painted faces. It was KISS “Alive!” As soon as I heard it, I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I started learning music, writing, playing, recording, performing, and never stopped… 🙂“
Regarding this what were your main sources of inspiration?
“Living an eventful life is the inspiration. The stories, the experiences, that you want to share… all the highs and lows, they become songs.“
The new album “Bumblefoot…Returns” has just been released, how did this work come about and how would you describe the sound of the record?
“This album began at the start of the 2020 pandemic, being off the road and in the studio every day, suddenly being able to do the things there was never time to do. The record is like a photo album of the experiences during those years, all with a guitar in hand…“
Many world-class artists are participating in the album, what did they bring to the sound?
“They all brought something I couldn’t. Something that makes them special, and unique, that elevated the songs to a better place. 🙂 Kyle Hughes is my drummer for 10 years and he’s incredible, he did all the drums on the album except for the song “Once in Forever”, that has Jerry Gaskill (King’s X), he’s a dear friend and great drummer. Derek Sherinian, my Sons of Apollo / Whom Gods Destroy bandmate laid keys on that song, and Brian May laid a guitar solo, giving the song exactly what it needed. 🙂 “Monstruoso” needed a solo that sounded like it came from an alien world, Steve Vai did exactly that. 🙂 “Funeral March” needed a crying violin playing the main melody, Ben Karas of the great band Thank You Scientist did this beautifully. And my old friend Guthrie Govan was perfect to trade soloing with in the song “Anveshana”. 🙂“
You released a great single “Simon In Space,” do you have any plans to extract more singles from this album?
“I may do more videos, but I’m focusing now on the album in its entirety, doing as much for the album as I can. It’s on vinyl with a lot of art, on CD, even cassette… there’s the animated Simon in Space music video (https://youtu.be/ahh-Q0gveWM?si=ew8pgRSxcLPz1oK5), a Simon in Space video game (https://bumblefoot.com/blogs/news/simon-in-space-video-game)… I’m releasing a very detailed transcription book, releasing all the guitar sound presets used on the album at https://bit.ly/bf-6, will release a new hot sauce (https://bumblefoot.com/pages/hot-sauces) for the album, and will start working on a Bumblefoot comic book with the good folks at Deko Records who also distribute the album (https://www.dekoentertainment.com/inthesquare/bumblefoot) 🙂“
I have always been impressed not only by your technique, but also by your instrumentation, what equipment did you use to record this album?
“Thank you! For this album, nearly everything was the Vigier fretted/fretless doubleneck guitar and the Line 6 Helix pedal for electric guitar tones, with all custom presets. I used a talkbox with the fretless on the solo for “Griggstown Crossing”. The acoustic guitar was a Cort A8 Gold series, used on “Andalusia”, “Funeral March”, and “Griggstown Crossing”.“
Many of your fans and our readers are wondering if there will be a chance to hear this work live, do you have plans in this regard for the near future?
“I’m doing a lot of teaching and producing, much less touring. This year I’m counseling at a lot of Rock n Roll Fantasy Camps, and doing some festivals. Will be playing at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, and the Canary Islands, both in April with Derek Sherinian, Tony Franklin, and Vinny Appice. 🙂“
You have worked in many big projects, including Guns’n’Roses, what memories do you have of those experiences?
“So many fond memories during the time with Asia, GNR, Sons Of Apollo, and more… playing with Nancy Sinatra in 2004, she’s wonderful 🙂 Saw beautiful parts of the world, many friendships made… anything that supported a greater cause, that’s what meant the most – playing the Bridge School Benefit concert in support of children with physical and communication challenges. They were on stage with us, I’d take their hands and have them strum my guitar, I’ll never forget their smiles. 🙂“
You’ve also worked with several Progressive Metal projects and artists, how has your sound evolved over time?
“I started with a progressive rock/metal sound in early Bumblefoot albums, the music became a bit more ‘normal(?)’ for a while, but found my way back to progressive music – prog always feels like ‘coming home’ 😉“
Music is constantly evolving, how do you see today’s scene for those with more revered sounds like yours?
“Music should evolve. It doesn’t erase the past, it’s built on top of it, a new level added to the house, a new rung of the tree. I enjoy hearing the new approaches, evolving styles, new music 🙂“
What advice would you give to young artists approaching music with sounds like yours?
“Be genuine, express yourself with honesty, give the best of yourself. We’re the sum of our experiences, our inspirations, there’s only one of each of us. Don’t be shy about what makes you unique, different, individual, don’t hide it. And have FUN, enjoy it all, as much as you can. 🙂“
Technology can be an added value or be overused taking away space from artists, how do you see these
technological developments in music?
I love technology, I embrace it. I love my Line 6 Helix pedal, I couldn’t have made the guitar sounds on my album without it! It can do things that can’t be done in the ‘analog’ world. There are so many different guitar sounds in the song “Simon in Space”, as an example, without those tones and FX, the song couldn’t be what it was born to be. I look forward to the continuing developments in music technology. 🙂“
Do you have any other activities or artistic passions outside of music?
“I’ve had a hot sauce company for years, I looooooove spicy food! Other than music, and science… HOT SAUCE!! I’ll be making a new hot sauce named after one of the songs on the “…Returns!” album 🙂“
I thank Bumblefoot for the interview and wish him all the best for the release of his album and the continuation of his artistic career.
“Thank YOU!! A pleasure chatting with you! 😀“
Purchase the new album here: https://bumblefoot.com/
