Bun E. Carlos

On June 24, 2016, Carlos issued his first-ever solo album, Greetings From Bunezuela!, with Jon E Brant.

Carlos appeared with Cheap Trick on April 4, 2016 when the band was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He spoke about the band's early days during his part of the acceptance speech. He gave thanks to many of those involved with various aspects of the band, including the three other original members plus bass player Jon Brant, who was with the band during the 1981 to 1987 absence of Tom Petersson. He also thanked his parents for buying him his first drum kit he received as a youth.

In June 2016, Carlos released his first solo album, Greetings From Bunezeula!.

On February 26, 2015, Robin Zander announced that the lawsuit was over. "We've settled our differences. Bun E.'s a member of the band but he's not touring. We've had our differences but we're all settled up now and hopefully we can forget about that era. These decisions that Cheap Trick makes, Bun E. is part of." Carlos is a business partner in the Cheap Trick merchandising business and remains involved in their releases of older material which he participated in the recording of: having curated the first of 'The Epic Archive' series releases, gathering a number out-takes, single edits and live rarities on CD.

On August 21, 2014, he filled in for drummer John Cowsill on a sold out Beach Boys concert in Princeton, Illinois.

In 2013, Carlos filed a lawsuit against his former Cheap Trick bandmates, claiming that although they said he was still a band member, he was not being allowed to participate in band-related activities. The remaining three members of Cheap Trick filed a countersuit, seeking an affirmation of their removal of Carlos. Their lawsuit was thrown out by a Delaware judge in late 2013.

In 2011, Carlos once again debuted a band at SXSW in the form of his new project Candy Golde. The other members of Candy Golde are Nicholas Tremulis, John Stirratt (Wilco, the Autumn Defense) and Rick Rizzo (Eleventh Dream Day). Mark Greenburg (The Coctails) was added to the band when they started to play live shows. Their 5-song EP was mastered by Ivan Julian of Richard Hell and the Voidoids. The EP contains four originals and a cover of Paul Simon's "Boy in the Bubble", issued for limited edition 10" vinyl and download on Ten O Nine Records.

On March 19, 2010, Cheap Trick issued a statement that Carlos had stopped touring with Cheap Trick but that he still remained a band member. Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen's son Daxx was named in the statement as the touring drummer.

In 2009, Carlos, together with Hanson singer Taylor Hanson, current Smashing Pumpkins guitarist James Iha, and Fountains of Wayne bassist Adam Schlesinger, formed a new band, Tinted Windows. This new project ran alongside each of the artists' main bands. Tinted Windows played its first publicized gig at SXSW in Austin, Texas on March 20, 2009, and appeared on late-night network TV shows. Their album was released on April 21, 2009.

Carlos is left-handed and plays a right-handed drum kit, but he is also ambidextrous. He has several writing credits, the most notable of which is the drum solo track "Who D'King", from the album All Shook Up, and Bun E. in a Box (2004), a drum sample CD.

In the late 1990s, Carlos introduced his own line of coffee. At one point, he offered a Special Limited Edition hand-signed numbered bags of coffee.

Brad M. Carlson (born June 12, 1950), better known by the stage name Bun E. Carlos, is the original drummer for American rock band Cheap Trick. He was the band's chief setlister and archivist, and maintained recordings of all the band's shows, some of which have been released under the title 'Bun E's Bootlegs'. Carlos has two side bands with former Cheap Trick bassist Jon Brant: The Bun E Carlos Experience, and the Monday Night Band.