INTERVIEW: Buckcherry is roaring like thunder across North America
Buckcherry, the hard rock band fronted by vocalist Josh Todd, recently released its 11th studio album. This one is called Roar Like Thunder, and it features several songs that are bound to become mainstays of the group’s set list. Fans can check out the new tunes this summer as Buckcherry heads out on an expansive North American tour that includes dates in Michigan, Arizona, New Jersey and everyone in between.
“After the Vol. 10 record, we went on tour, and in between time off, we’re always writing songs and accumulating ideas,” Todd said in a recent phone interview about the songwriting process with guitarist Stevie D and producer Marti Frederiksen. “And Stevie and I are getting demos together, and it all kind of builds up. At the end of a record cycle, we take a little bit of time off, like maybe a month, not a lot, and then we fly to Nashville. And we do a songwriting session with Marti Frederiksen and get the record together, and it only takes us like two weeks.”
Releasing new albums is not a creative act that many rock bands still do these days. Some of the groups that are contemporaries of Buckcherry have decided to rest on their laurels and lean on their hits, but Todd and company like to keep things fresh with new material. Developing albums is their musical language.
“It’s just what we do,” Todd said. “We grew up with artists that put out records every couple of years, and we want to carry on that tradition. We’re only making 10-song records these days. That’s all I want to do, and the last three records have been our best records, for sure. And, you know, that’s what they did in the ‘70s. I think if you get away from writing songs and putting out records, you start to not put out good records. You need to be working that muscle, and a lot of bands just don’t do that. They go on these long hiatuses, and they put out a record. And it’s just maybe a couple good songs that they service to radio, and the rest of it is like filler. We don’t want to be that. We want to continue to build a catalog and put out records that are legit and keep doing what we’re doing as long as we can do it.”
Todd said Buckcherry’s new album is definitely a rock record, and it sounds like the classic sound of the band, which has spawned such hits as “Crazy Bitch,” “Lit Up,” “Sorry” and “WILD.”
“The only stipulation we put on this songwriting session was no ballads, no cover, let’s just rock,” he said. “It’s a lot of fun. It’s 10 songs. They’re very good songs. … We’ve been #1 in the UK for two weeks with ‘Roar Like Thunder,’ and we’re very happy.”
Canadian audiences were the first to hear some of the new tunes on the road when Buckcherry rolled into town on a spring tour. They played “Roar Like Thunder,” “Come On” and “Set It Free,” the first three singles off the album. Todd reported that the crowds ate up the tunes as if they were classic songs already, but getting the new tracks to the point where they can be played live took some time.
“You always think you’ve got the lyrics down until you sing it in front of an audience, and then the nerves come into play and all of that,” the singer said. “It’s a new song, so you hope that it all falls into place. We haven’t had time to just sit with the music at home and rehearse it as a band before we get on stage, so we have to do these quick rehearsals at soundcheck and kind of get a song together. And then we just go for it.”
Todd said the band doesn’t want to play new songs that the audience hasn’t heard before, so they make sure to release videos for singles before working a tune into the set list each night. Otherwise, the novelty of a track that no one but the band has heard is not exactly a fun concert-going experience.
“But once it’s out there and it’s streaming, there is still a good chance not a whole lot of people in the audience have heard it, but there are some that have,” Todd said. “We write songs that I feel have easy hooks, songs that you can remember, and so by the second chorus, people are all in and singing the songs. That’s what happened with ‘Come On.’ All we have is a lyric video out for that song, and you should see that song live now. It sounds like it’s been a hit on the radio for a year, so it’s pretty cool.”
The actual songwriting process occurs in many different ways for Todd, Stevie D and Frederiksen. They corral themselves together in Nashville, and everybody brings different ideas to the group.
“So when there’s a lot of trust, you just let people go and do their thing,” he said. “It happens all kinds of ways. Sometimes I’ll come in with a whole composition written a cappella, like just lyrics and melodies. That’s what happened with ‘Talking Bout Sex.’ At first that song was called ‘I Love It When You Flex.’ … I wanted to call it ‘Talking Bout Sex,’ but I didn’t know if that was going to fly with everyone. Then as soon as I sang it to Marti, he’s like, ‘Let’s just call it ‘Talking Bout Sex.’” I go, ‘Yeah, that was the original title. That’s what I wanted to do, but I was trying to tame it down a little bit in case we had some issues.’ So songs like that will start like that, and then they’ll start working on the music. And then I get the music that night, and I finish up the lyrics and the melodies. Sometimes Marti will scat a melody of his own over some new music that they throw at me, and I’ll write words over his melody because I like it. It happens all kinds of ways.”
Another song on the album is called “Machine Gun,” which Todd said is about a woman who only goes for bad boys. Some of the “nice guys” would like to date her, but she’s not interested. “They think they can get her, but she wants these bad boys,” the vocalist said. “That’s what the song is about.”
Another tune is “Let It Burn,” which closes out the album: “‘Let It Burn’ is one of the first songs we wrote. That’s always been a great song on the record and a great flavor, and we just thought we wanted to end the record with a blast. It’s a very uptempo song and in my wheelhouse. My whole foundation when I was a young teen was independent punk rock records. That’s kind of where I got my start. My first band was like that as well, so ‘Let It Burn’ has that kind of a flavor in it.”
Todd said the album and the live show often sound similar, which is exactly the vibe that Buckcherry is going for. In fact, recently the band recored a bootleg version of “Roar Like Thunder,” and they were surprised how close it sounded to the recording session for the record.
“We try to bring that emotion on our records,” Todd said. “We try to create raw and real and don’t add too much stuff, don’t overproduce it, stuff like that, so that people get a really clear understanding of what the band is about when they come and see it live. I think people really appreciate that. It is an experience to see this band live, and I think it’s just because of the sweat equity put into it. We’ve done thousands and thousands of shows over the years. We’ve got to be up there with some of the bands that have put in the most shows on the road, I’m sure. … When you come to the show, as a person who likes live music, you can really feel that it’s genuine and honest and fun. We lay it out all on the stage. That’s what I hope you walk away with.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Buckcherry’s new album is called Roar Like Thunder. The band is gearing up for a North American tour, kicking off July 3 in Michigan. Click here for more information and tickets.
