With the departure of founder member and guitarist Keith Nelson in 2017 leaving only Josh Todd remaining from the band who released their stunning debut in 1999 – twenty years ago this year – you might be forgiven for thinking that the new album ‘Warpaint’ might be a tricky proposition. As it turns out it’s vintage Buckcherry through and through – all the things we love about the band and more. We caught up with Stevie D, to find out how they managed to pull off another masterstroke and also what happens next in this anniversary year.
Stevie: Hello, hello! How are you?
Mark: I’m good thank you Sir, how are you this morning?
Stevie: I’m good, I’m just with my son on a day off, what you up to? How’s things down there?
Mark: They’re pretty good, thank you. It’s been a hot day today, and now I get to round things off nicely with a chat about one of the albums I’ve been hanging out for this year ‘Warpaint’.
Stevie: Cool did you have a chance to have a listen?
Mark: I’ve had it playing here all week. I love it. I don’t know what I expected though really. I guess I was a little apprehensive, I thought it might sound a little different.
Stevie: How so?
Mark: Well I guess mainly it was with Keith leaving the band a couple of years ago.
Stevie: Right.
Mark: But the amazing thing is that the album doesn’t miss a beat, it’s a wonderful collection of songs that get straight to the point and sound just like you want a Buckcherry album to sound like. Did Keith leaving add a little more pressure?
Stevie: Well that was definitely something that we were very conscious of, you know keeping the integrity of Buckcherry. But obviously anything that Josh is going to be on is going to sound very Buckcherry. We did an album last year called ‘Year of the Tiger’ not as Buckcherry and even though it went back to our heavier roots and showed our heavier side it still has that Buckcherry element as it’s Josh singing. But in the writing process for ‘Warpaint’ the album we were definitely very aware of keeping carrying the torch for Rock and Roll. And obviously I’ve been part of that band since 2005 so it’s very much in my DNA, very much in my muscle memory to play. In the Buckcherry DNA there’s AC/DC, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones, and Sex Pistols and they are all things that I played growing up, and a lot of that went into this labour of love.
Mark: Twelve tracks and everyone a winner, but also there’s just the sort of variety we expect from the band. The one track that surprised me though was the cover of ‘Head Like a Hole’ – what a great song to cover and one that really works well with the Buckcherry sound. You’ve really gotta do it right if you’re gonna do a song like that?
Stevie: Yeah, if you’re gonna get bold and cover a song like that. Trent Reznor is a genius of our generation, very much in the way David Bowie was, even Prince. And to cover stuff like that you have to either do it well, or you don’t do it! And we really look up to Trent but we couldn’t approach the song the way he did, as that would be disrespectful in my opinion, so we just had to do it like Buckcherry A little bit more organic with more drums and guitars and less electronics.
Mark: And there’s another 11 great tracks on there. How did the approach to writing change for this album?
Stevie: Well like I said we’re very aware of who Buckcherry is and what Buckcherry sounds like but we also have, you know, the writing process was a little different because the players are different. So the structure around that was always going to be a little different, you know, not better or worse just different. And because of that the delivery was always going to be different too with the exception of the vocals. But maybe even the vocals too because Josh’s voice has changed over the years, I mean in my opinion I believe he’s a little bit more melodic now. So all these factors go in but I think in order to keep things fresh you have to, you know, tap into resources that are outside your comfort zone, but are things you still love. You know we listen to lots of different types of music, R’n’B, Soul, Punk Music, Electronic music, without sacrificing any of the integrity of who Buckcherry is. So we kind of brought some of those elements in because they’re elements that we’re comfortable we can incorporate and add to the sound rather than take away.
Mark: The more you listen the more you pick up some of those sounds, I love the old school R’n’B and Soul elements especially and I agree with what you said about Todd, on tracks like ‘Radio Song’ his voice is so smooth. When I heard the last album ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll’ there were songs that I know you were involved in that did that so well, like ‘Tight Pants’ for example.
Stevie: Yeah a straight up R’n’B song. The only difference is the distortion on the guitars, you know what I mean? There’s horns, everything.
Mark: And what we end up here is an album of Buckcherry standards with some of those influences seeping in, like I guess the Punk feel to songs like ‘No Regrets’?
Stevie: Yeah, ‘No Regrets’ kinda goes to those Punk Rock roots. And ‘The Alarm’ experiments a little bit with electronics but still it’s still a rock and roll song.
Mark: Yeah, still very much a rocker.
Stevie: Then I would say ‘Back Down’ kinda goes a little towards The Rolling Stones, maybe Black Crowes; and then we will have all the Buckcherry standards and that Buckcherry sound that pays homage to AC/DC, you know like ‘Warpaint’, ‘Closer’ – those types of songs. So we tried to cover as much ground as we could – we wrote like 30 or 40 songs and we whittled that down to 20 and then down to 11.
Mark: You’ve always been a very hard-working band, I think the last time I saw you was when you were down here in Australia, but prior to that I saw you at many Festivals in the US, and caught you in the UK where you’ve just got back from. What is it about Buckcherry and live audiences – you always seem to have that instant connection?
Stevie: I think we all grew up as big fans of live music. We had to, there was no internet and going to shows, that was what we loved to do. And as musicians and song-writers when we get to share what we do like our heroes did with us, that’s very exciting, and I think that’s what shows. I think we deliver a great live show, and if we have to be away from our families this is a dream gig, you know what I mean. So we’re grateful we get to do this every day.
Mark: You just got back from the UK, I had plenty of friends who saw you over there, how was the tour?
Stevie: Successful! You know we connect with the UK audiences and they’re so passionate, it’s the same in Europe, but just on a little bit smaller scale, the people who show up are just so vocal and so passionate it’s always a joy to come over. I just wish we could do it more.
Mark: I think the first time I saw the band was back in 1999 when it all began when the band came over and played Sydney and Melbourne. It’s been 20 years now since those dates and that first album. Is the band doing anything this year, or this tour to celebrate those 20 years since the first record came out?
Stevie: Well, you know what we’re gonna do is be out there in Australia in November so look out for that!
Mark: Oh wow!
Stevie: Our team is talking now about how we can celebrate 20 years in the biz. It’s not an easy feat in today’s day and age. 20 years in Rock music! You know right now Rock music is the underdog and we’re very proud to have been around this long.
Mark: You mentioned earlier on some of the bands that influenced the band and me too, and I think when Buckcherry came along with that first record in 1999, it was like a breath of fresh air to a lot of people. But what was it that made you realise that music was going to be your life? Thinking back to your early memories of music, what was it that first made you decide you needed to be in a Rock and Roll band and pick up that first guitar?
Stevie: Well I picked up the guitar early on, a friend of mine in the neighbourhood was super into Hendrix and Led Zeppelin, all the kids were into Aerosmith, Black Sabbath and all that. But I really started to get serious in High School. You know I saw Randy Rhoads and that was it for me. Well that coupled with a girl broke up with me, that I was in love with. So I didn’t want to go out, I just wanted to stay in, and it became feverish wanting to get better on guitar and that’s where it all started.
Mark: (laughs) Heartbreak and one of the best guitarists we’ll ever hear!
Stevie: (laughs) Yeah a good old fashioned break-up and Randy Rhoads!
Mark: It’s doesn’t get much better than that, one of the true greats.
Stevie: He was the real deal, Eddie Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, these guys started it all for me.
Mark: And for many out there, those guys launched so many careers and continue to inspire us all. It’s that time now when we get to the end of the interview and the two questions we ask all our guests. The first is: If you could have been a fly on the wall for the creation of any great album just to see how the magic happened what would it be and why? What’s the album that still resonates with you?
Stevie: ‘Zeppelin IV’, and, or ‘Back in Black’ from 1980. Those were pivotal records for me. I would have loved to have been at the concert for ‘Song Remains the Same’ at Madison Square Garden. I think those just come out without thinking, but then there’s ‘Axis Bold as love’; ‘Are You Experienced’ those albums as a guitar player, as a rock and roller, they really made an impression on me. So it would have to be one of those. I know you only asked for one!
Mark: Well when you keep naming such great records how could I stop you! ‘Axis’ I think from a guitarist’s point of view was always the Hendrix album that said more: the others might have had the bigger songs but that had the best guitar?
Stevie: Yeah, from a guitar player standpoint and what in my opinion classic Hendrix is, it’s on that album. You know what I mean and a lot of guitar layers reference that one too. It’s a huge guitar album. And ‘Alive at the Regal’ – BB King, that’s another legendary guitar album!
Mark: A wonderful record. And we always close with an easy question: What is the meaning of life?
Stevie: (laughs) Oh that’s so easy! I’ve been waiting for that question! (laughs) For me lately, and my answer will change later in the day probably, but it’s all about love for family, you know what I mean. Everything I do now is with that in mind. And music has been a way for me to help make that love grow, and prosper ad at the end of the day, a friend of mine asked me the other day, when I’m 90 when am I really gonna care about what I’ve done, and I think it’s gonna come back to my family, and that musical family too. Man, I’ve known Josh since the early 90’s, we used to drink together, we got sober together, and now we watch our kids play in the park together. So yeah, love and family.
Mark: A fantastic answer and one we can all relate to. Thank you so much for stopping by The Rockpit today and congratulations on the new album ‘Warpaint’.
Stevie: Thank you so much. Hit me up in November, we’ll hang out, I’ll buy you a beer!
Mark: Buckcherry live and free beer, it can’t get better than that!
Stevie: (laughs) thanks Mark! Bye.
Buckcherry’s new album ‘Warpaint’ is out March 8th – check out our review here!
