UnsungMelody - An interview with Josh Todd of Buckcherry

Buckcherry recently released a new 6-song EP titled FUCK. Now don’t let the title fool you. This dirty, raw, in your face one-two punch of an EP will make you want to protest authority, dance around, or even feel inclined to start a mosh pit. If only there were more than six songs. It definitely leaves you wanting more. I had the opportunity to sit down with Josh Todd prior to Buckcherry’s set at the Noblesville, IN stop of the RockstarUPROAR tour. We discussed his process on writing for the EP along with his own thoughts on the release, his love for pop music, their new label F-Bomb Records, the Buckcherry Singles Club, what music he listens to and a whole slew of other fun tidbits.

Listen to the entire Josh Todd interview below:
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Today I’m joined by Josh Todd from Buckcherry. Thanks for taking the time to speak with me.

Yes.

This past week the new 6-song EP, FUCK, was released and I looked on the Guinness Book of World Records website and Google to see if there was a full album with the most uses of the F-word and I couldn’t find anything, so maybe you should call Guinness.

Yeah. Yeah, that’s a good idea. That’s a good idea.

Because maybe you could, do you guys have another record or no?

Another record? What do you mean?

Like most shows or something in the past…

Most shows…

Do you have another record or some sort?

No, no I don’t think so. I don’t think that was us. I think that was 30 Seconds to Mars.

Oh right, okay. Having listened to the EP quite a few times, I really think the music stands out on its own…

Thank you.

…and there’s a lot of tasty guitar licks from Keith and Stevie…

Yeah.

…and lyrically you seem to cover a lot of topics. Did you come up with the song titles first and then work the lyrics around that or what was your process for this EP?

I’d have to go song by song but, I’m trying to remember, you know, the thing is when I get into song writing mode I, most of the time I just, I get the music and I like to be by myself, sit with it, work through melodies and then when I find something I’m hitting, I hit on something that I like, I just start writing and stuff just starts happening. When I have a theme, this was a theme, in my head I’m like, every chorus has got to have the word fuck in it, that’s what’s got to happen. The funny thing is, I was talking to Keith, I’m like, “There’s not one song on here that is about fucking.” It’s funny. I can’t believe that got by me but, so I’ll just sit down, start working it out. I just touch on an idea and I just kind of build from there.

Well cool. So for me the most unexpected song was your twist on Icona Pop’s I Love It…

Right.

…which is Say Fuck It and I’m not sure about other people but for me it’s got a very addictive quality…

(laughs)

…like I just want to listen to it on repeat…

Right.

…and having seen it live, it seems to go over well…

Yeah.

…you know with the crowd and whatnot. What about that song initially did you want to put the Buckcherry spin on?

You know, I love pop music and I have kids and I drive them to school and we’d listen to that song constantly and I just thought, not only did I like it, I love to approach a song, I like to approach songs that you wouldn’t normally think a band would do and make them their own. I think that’s more interesting than just rehashing an old rock song and doing a rock, you’re a rock band so you do some old rock song, so that was the whole idea. I presented it to Keith and I don’t think initially he really thought it was a good idea (laughs) at first, and then, but you know, sometimes that’s when the greatest things happen and he saw it all the way through which I’m very happy that he did and I’m sure he is at this point now, and he put this cool AC/DC type riff underneath the chorus and it just made it. Now I listen to that song and it just sounds like a Buckcherry song.

Yeah. I will say, other than the melody that makes you want to move, but that guitar part, I think, totally…

Yeah, it’s great. It’s great.

…takes it to another level. So you guys also released a video [for Say Fuck It] that is super fun and a lot of energy. Although, at the end I was concerned for Keith. Hopefully his guitar was unscathed?

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. (laughs)

(laugh)

Yeah, he just did that. That wasn’t planned either, so that was cool.

Now, there’s shots of tattoos. Do each of them represent all of you or…

No.

Just random…

No, just random shots.

Because I obviously recognized a couple of them but I wasn’t sure. So, do you plan to release more videos for any of the other songs?

Yeah, we’re working on that right now. We’re trying to get all, we want to do a live video for Somebody Fucked With Me and then there’s talk of doing a really cool video for I Don’t Give A Fuck.

Well cool. So overall how’s the feedback been on the songs or are people, or some people, dismissing it just based on the title or…

No. Nobody is dismissing it, a lot of people have got it. You know, I think you may be expecting one thing and then you get it and you’re like, “Wow, this is cool.” Hopefully that’s what I want to happen. I think it is one of the coolest things we’ve ever done. Honestly.

That’s cool.

Not just because it’s our new record, I’m like, as a music fan and I listen to it and I’m like, “This is fucking badass.” You know, so I’m happy.

So I Don’t Give a Fuck is probably my favorite song due to that crunchy dirty guitar sound.

Yeah, yeah. It’s one of my favorites.

Is Keith using a different guitar for that or is it an effect or…

I don’t know, you’d have to ask him. I have no idea.

Okay, so do you have a favorite on the record?

You know, I do have a few favorites, I mean, I like the whole thing of course, but you know, I’m a huge fan of Minor Threat’s Out of Step record. It was a big record for me when I was a kid and we got Brian Baker to guest star on our song Fist Fuck and just because of that I really, I like that song a lot but because he’s on it, it makes me a lot more into it. I got to sit down and talk to him which was really cool and he said some really nice things about our band as well and we just had a good time with him so that was a fond memory on this record and umm, but probably Somebody Fucked With Me is a song that I really feel, when I hear it, “This, this is good. This is gonna shake it up.” and I like it for all the wrong reasons.

It’s a good song though, I mean they’re all good songs. So, you guys now have your own label F-Bomb Records.

Yep.

Was that born out of necessity or something that you guys always wanted to do?

It was just time. It was something we always wanted to do and we were ready to take the leap of faith and do it. The Fuck record was the perfect foundation.

Now, I’ve seen a lot of promo on social media, different news outlets, whatever, do you guys have your hands in the day to day…

Yep.

…or do you have a team and you just kind of guide them?

We have our hands in everything. With us and our management 5B. They’ve been instrumental and you know it’s gone really well for the resources that we have.

Are you looking to sign any other bands?

We will eventually. We wanna get the foundation strong with the Buckcherry brand and then we’re ready to start expanding.

Well cool. So I live in a pretty good area for radio and this is probably the first release I’ve not heard any Buckcherry song, even edited. Is that intentional or are you not trying to push to radio and you’re just doing more grass roots kind of…

No. No we’re going to radio with Say Fuck It and you know the song has sold a lot of singles online, like it’s gotten a lot of heat but you know, radio is radio, it’s still a long game building a single at radio, so we’re still working on it.

Okay, cool. So a couple months ago you guys gave fans the option to join the Buckcherry Singles Club. Get six cover songs, one a month, some other exclusives and whatnot, so you’ve released Rolling Stones, Minor Threat, Mama Kin Aerosmith cover for the Best Buy version. Did you guys each pick a song, did you decide as a group and was it harder than you thought?

Yeah, we collectively sent each other emails, we did group emails of songs that we liked and then, and it was really just songs that would work good with my voice so I had to, I wanted to pick out like a song on everybody’s list so that everybody felt that they were a part of it so that’s what we did. There’s a lot of different types of songs in there and more will be revealed but I thought Beast of Burden came out really well so that is why I wanted to front with that and Mama Kin’s awesome. (laughs)

It is. I’ve heard it.

I mean they’re all awesome and I just think that it’s fun for people who like our band because we haven’t done covers, ever, and everybody always asks us, “Are you guys ever going to do…?” so it was cool.

So, we’re a week away from the September cover, any hints?

I don’t even know. I haven’t even thought about it. Maybe we’ll put a Rick Springfield song out there.

(laughs) Alright, so you’ve been on the RockstarUPROAR tour for about a week headlining the second stage. How’s that going for you?

This tour has been amazing. Everybody has been great. The production is awesome There’s a lot of stuff to do out here. There’s a lot of booths and things that you can interact with your fans and we’ve been having a great time.

Now, do you plan to play any more of the EP songs live? Because I personally think Fist Fuck would be great. Every time I listen to it a mosh pit, like I see a mosh pit breaking out.

Right, right. Yeah, right now we’re doing Somebody Fucked With Me, Say Fuck It and I Don’t Give a Fuck and on the Uproar shows we only have 50 minutes so there’s a lot of other songs we have to get to as well so it’s tough. But yeah, eventually we’ll work everything in on, more on, probably our headlining stuff so we’ll have a lot more time.

Alright, so I have a few rapid fire questions. Song that gets you pumped up before a show?

Song that gets me pumped up before a show. Right now I’m listening to old school funk before a show and there’s not a song in particular, umm, let me see (pulls out his phone) I got a list of some stuff that, I always write songs down that I love, so I’ll give you a song. (pause) Action Speaks Louder Than Words Chocolate Milk.

Alright, I’ll have to check that one out. (laughs)

That’s a song I’m really diggin’.

Song that helps you wind down after a show?

I listen to a Maxwell record to wind down.

One item from home that you have to bring…

Or like Bob Marley.

Oh cool. One item from home you have to bring on tour with you?

An item from home that I have to bring on tour with me, it’s this little skull and crossbones barrette that my daughter gave me and I like, have to have it.

That’s cool. Favorite vocalist?

Wow, that’s a tough one. That’s very tough. Probably as far as range and talent and everything, Prince.

Nice. Another artist you’d like to write a song with?

Bruno Mars.

Your last tattoo?

My last tattoo, wow, I just did some filler, some wind bars and stuff on my leg but probably my last big one was my son’s name on my neck.

Favorite guilty pleasure TV show?

Aww man, umm, guilty pleasure TV show (laughs) umm, probably Seinfeld.

One book everyone should read?

The Alchemist.

Favorite skateboard trick?

Invert.

Fave rap group?

Favorite rap group, N.W.A. hands down.

And then the last one, will you ever play Fastback 69 live again?

Possibly, you know, the thing is we tour so much and then when we’re not touring we write songs so we really don’t rehearse that much anymore so it’s like when we have to incorporate a new song we have to start doing it at sound check and it sucks for me because I have to, I need a lot of rehearsal, so most of the time I’m rehearsing in front of people, which I don’t like to do, so hopefully we’ll do it again.

Well cool. So what’s next for Buckcherry, release another EP? Work on a full length?

Oh no, we’re going to release a LP next. Probably next year.

Awesome. Alright so, we always like to end with a random question.

Okay.

If Todd McFarlane were to make Buckcherry action figures…

Todd McFarlane?

Yes.

Who’s that?

He does a lot of action figures, Spawn, comic book…

Okay.

…and he also does rock star type action figures.

Alright.

Other than instruments, what one accessory or item based on interests or personality would each band member have in their little package?

Wow. I don’t know. Action figure, fuck. Umm…

Like with you I could picture a skateboard maybe. (laughs)

(Laughs) Nah, probably a go-kart for me because that’s my hobby. I love racing. Umm, let’s see, Keith would a motorcycle. Xavier would be a motorcycle. Stevie would be, a camera, and Kelly would be, probably a badger.

Oh! Okay. (laughs)