Cheap Trick's Bun E. Carlos has opened up about his recently released debut solo album Welcome to Bunezuela!

The new album features a bevy of guest vocalists that includes original Cheap Trick singer Randy "Xeno" Hogan, Soul Asylum frontman Dave Pirner, and Guided by Voices leader Robert Pollard.


"Every time I'd get a song back and every time we were in the studio and a singer did a track, I'd be sitting there with a big grin on my face."

"Because the singers were the guys that I really hadn't worked with a lot.

I'd worked with the musicians that are in the two different bands that are on the record, but when the singers turned in their performance or sent a song back, I'd just be sitting there with a big grin on my face, because it was always better than I expected.

I'd sit there thinking to myself, 'I could have done a whole record with this guy.'"


He adds, "When I put it together, I was like, "Yeah, I'll kind of use the same band."

And then I ended up using two different bands," he continues.

"I used the Chicago guys on about eight tracks and then the Rockford guys on four or five tracks.

I figured that they'd all have a certain similarity, because it would be the same drummer."

Welcome to Bunezuela! was released on June 24.