Bot Bones
Metal Bones for Adventurous Players
Genuine die-stamped Bot Bones
Get cool Bot Bones paraphernalia at Rattlebrained Designs
Why So Many Choices?
Even if you can find a shop that sells this product, there's no telling what you will see when you open the box. That's what sets Bone Dry Music apart from the rest. We do our best to avoid surprises when you open the box. That's why we offer you so many choices...so you have more control over what you get.
Our Goal:
Here's what we want you to say when you open the box, "Yep, that's pretty much what I was expecting." |
Can't Decide Which Bones to Choose? Check out this handy guide: Bone FAQs
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What are Bot Bones?
The name is short for Robot Bones. That's what four-time Grammy Award winning multi-instrumentalist David Holt calls them. The idea for the name came about in the summer of 2009 when I saw David Holt and Doc Watson perform live at the Sheldon Auditorium here in Saint Louis.
David Holt comes from five generations of bone players. In fact, David started his musical career as a bone player. (David is also a gifted teacher whose popular Folk Rhythms dvd shows you how to play 5 folk instruments: Spoons, Hambone, Washboard, Bones and the Paper Bag.) Fortunately, I arrived at the Sheldon early enough to stop backstage and visit David before the show. I brought along a pair of experimental aluminum bones for David to try and as luck would have it, he played them on stage during his performance with Doc. He called them "Robot Bones," which I thought was a good descriptive name. This evolved into Bot Bones.
The Unusual Story Behind Bot Bones
Bot Bones are dedicated to the ingenuity and vision of Rhythm Bones Society member Parker Waite. Parker first introduced me to metal bones in 2003 at Bones Fest VII which was held that year at the historic Kentucky Theatre (now gone) in downtown Louisville.
The Bot Bones design is modeled after Parker's legendary aluminum bones. His aluminum bones helped me win the National Traditional Country Music Association (NTCMA) bones contest in 2004. The metallic sound was absolutely perfect for the Cajun tune "Jambalaya," which was one of three tunes in my set.
The next time I saw Parker was during the summer of 2006 at Bones Fest X in New Bedford, Massachusetts. I asked if he was interested in producing his aluminum bones for my future online bones store. Parker replied that he was no longer making them for health reasons.
Parker produced just 18 sets of aluminum bones. In January 2008, Parker's aluminum bones became a topic of the Rhythm Bones online forum. So Parker explained what inspired him to create them.
"They were developed accidentally in June 1993 while I was chopping tone bars for a sculpture by Patrick Zentz, at the entrance to the Snake River Correctional Facility amidst the irrigated alfalfa fields that sweep down to the river north of Ontario, Oregon. A couple of short pieces fell off the table & rattled together mid-air on their way to the floor. The sounds were melodious so I snatched them up & started to play. Ultimately 6 inches seemed like the right length so I made 18 sets."
Parker went on to list every set he made including the name of each person he sent them to, adding, "I hope Scott starts manufacturing these aluminum bones for others if the demand is there for them." Two years later I finally went into production. Time will tell if a demand exists or not.
Parker Waite at Bones Fest III Parker is pictured on the back deck of the home of Russ and Wilma Myers of Brightwood, VA in September 25, 1999. The Rhythm Bones Society was founded at Bones Fest III on that very same deck.
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