This summer marks the return of one of punk’s most unpredictable voices to the stage. Gibby Haynes, co-founder and iconic frontman of the Butthole Surfers, announces his first tour in many years—this time with an unexpected and thrilling twist. Backed by a powerhouse band of highly trained teenage musicians from the Thunes Institute of Musical Excellence (TIME), the tour offers a fresh and faithful take on Butthole Surfers classics, deeper cuts, and other sonic oddities.
While anticipation builds for the release of the upcoming full-length documentary on Butthole Surfers—debuted earlier this year at SXSW—Haynes is embracing the live stage once again with a format that’s as daring as the music itself. At the heart of the tour is a bold collaboration with Scott Thunes, best known as Frank Zappa’s longtime bassist and Clonemeister (rehearsal leader) throughout the 1980s.
“As a lifelong fan, I am beyond psyched to tour with Gibby Haynes and see this incredible group of kids play these true classics,” says Thunes.The student band, ranging in age from 13 to 19, has trained under Thunes for the past two years. As a unique capstone to their musical education, they’ll serve as Haynes’ backing band onstage—offering a rare blend of professional-level performance and youthful vitality.
Haynes, himself admits: “Hello to my fine brothers and sisters…Gibby Haynes and a musical group containing some dang good teenage players who are also talented multiinstrumentalists will be performing in your town soon. You should attend this concert. Come as you are! It might be the craziest thing you’ve ever seen.” – Haynes stresses: “I’m so stoked to be going back to Europe and the UK. We are going to jam the surfers’ classics and give you one hell of a show. These students are on fire and they’re gonna blow you away! See you there.”
The live show unfolds in three parts: an opening set by the TIME students playing classic punk cuts, followed by a solo performance from Evicshen—the acclaimed San Francisco-based noise artist known for her visceral, unclassifiable sets—and finally the main act: Gibby Haynes performing Butthole Surfers material, backed by this next-generation ensemble. The result is a boundary-pushing night of music, spectacle, and deep reverence for punk and experimental tradition.
Gibby Haynes is the legendary frontman of Butthole Surfers, a band that defined a subversive, psychedelic strand of American punk in the 1980s and ’90s. Beyond music, Haynes has acted in independent films, collaborated with artists such as Johnny Depp and Flea, released a YA novel, DJed across the country, and exhibited paintings internationally.
Scott Thunes played bass in Frank Zappa’s band from 1981–1988, serving as Clonemeister during Zappa’s final years of touring. His career includes work with The Waterboys, Fear, and Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa. Today, he is a dedicated music educator based in the Bay Area.
The Thunes Institute of Musical Excellence (TIME) is a one-of-a-kind program led by Thunes, offering advanced musical training to a small cohort of passionate students. The Gibby Haynes tour marks the culmination of their two-year study.
Evicshen (Victoria Shen) is an experimental sound artist and inventor whose performances fuse handmade electronics, noise, and raw physicality. She’s an electrifying presence in the underground music scene and brings an essential counterpoint to this tour’s eclectic bill.
