There are many great musicians in this world, some well-known, some not, but there is far from a talent shortage. Many of us rock and metal listeners tend to lend an ear to the guitar players. That is why there are so many “top guitar players” lists throughout the years. It is not uncommon to see a musician make multiple lists, and Bumblefoot is one of those musicians.
Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal is a phenomenal guitar player who has made a name for himself, both with fans and with other insanely talented musicians. He has worked with a long list of some of the other greats, and somehow after all of these years, remains incredibly humble and kind. This musician, songwriter, producer, among many other things, has continually created music with bands like; Sons of Apollo, Whom Gods Destroy, and solo work, to name a few. He has also toured with Asia and Guns n’ Roses, as well as others.
Bumblefoot Returns! is his second instrumental solo release, which will be out on January 24th, 2025, following The Adventures of Bumblefoot, which he released 30 years ago. Bumblefoot Returns! pays some homage to his cat, Simon, and involves some of the other great musicians, i.e. Steve Vai, Guthrie Govan, and Brian May, on this release.
The album is full of instrumental surprises and twists and turns. From heavier, to bluesy, to folksy, to electronic, and everything in between. My favorite track so far has been, “The Thread”, which has a very interesting story behind it that Bumblefoot was kind enough to share.
He sat down with Metal Nation and we spoke about many topics. (If you are viewing from your phone, please scroll to the bottom of the page and click, “View Desktop Version” to gain interview and video access).