The Bucket Busters Story
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 as I gazes at the TV monitor while 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 (pictured).
Bucket Busters originated in 2002 as a request by worship leader and friend, Mark Collier, who asked me to put together a “bucket drumming group” for a program at church. We performed on only three occasions, but I never heard the end of it and I knew we were on to something. Being the dedicated drummer that I am, I wasn't sure if I should to take this thing too seriously, but some reason the desire to re-form this unique band of drummers never faded. I believe that God put it on my heart to continue, but it took six years to start again.
Finally in 2008, with as much hoopla as I could muster up, we started rehearsal on an October Saturday. Only two guys showed up, and so did a heart full of doubt, but on my way home I stopped at a garage sale. The lady there took one look at me and said, “Hey, aren't you that bucket drumming guy (from six years ago)?” Ah, confirmation, and away we went. 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 surpassed expectations.
I knew that people would like this group and it would be a whole lot of fun. That had already been proven. What I didn’t expect was the lives that it would be changed forever, including my own. These funny, quirky, creative adolescents, who I have grown to love as my own kids, never cease to amaze. Some of them... us, have serious challenges and family issues, and frankly just being at the age of eleven to sixteen can sometimes be mysterious and confusing. For many, Bucket Busters has literally given them something to live for and they have made Bucket Busters their own. Needless to say, I am very proud of them all.
In September 2010, we released our first album/CD, “Buckets Of Fire!”, that was a year and a half in the making. It is sold at our performances, through our website, and online downloads to help raise money for music lesson scholarships that will benefit kids who otherwise would not have the opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument.
God bless those Busters!
-Steve Hilstein, director
