Bucket Busters

It all started in the mid 90’s as I watched a video of Larry Wright, the first Buddy Rich Memorial Scholarship recipient as he performed on three 5 gallon plastic buckets. I stood there in the middle of my drum shop, surrounded by thousands of dollars worth of drums, gazing at the TV monitor as this young man made poetry on a bucket. I was moved to tears. Suddenly I realized that you didn’t need an expensive set of drums to make incredible music. By chance, I met Larry on a street in New York City a couple years later.

Bucket Busters originated in 2002 as a request by a friend who asked me to put together a “bucket drumming group” for a program at church. Although we performed on only three occasions, I never heard the end of it. Being the dedicated drummer that I am, I wasn't sure if I should to take this thing too seriously, and it sat dormant for 6 years, but some reason the desire to re-form this unique band of drummers never faded.

Fast forward to 2008. I was determined. With as much hoopla as I could muster up, we started rehearsal on an October Saturday with only two guys. Feeling doubtful about whether or not I should put any more effort into this, I stopped at a garage sale on my way home from that very first day of practice. A lady there took one look at me and said, “Hey, aren't you that bucket drumming guy (from six years ago)?” I knew we were on to something. From there we grew, rehearsed, and then performed our first official gig on March 7, 2009 in front of two-hundred people waiting to hear us before a drumstick struck the first bucket! This was the beginning of surpassing my expectations.

I knew that people would like this group and it would be a lot of fun. That had already been proven. What I didn’t expect was the lives that it would change, not only within the group, but also those affected by our effort. These funny, quirky, creative adolescents, who I have grown to love as my own kids, never cease to amaze. Needless to say, I am very proud of them.

-Steve Hilstein, Director