Buckcherry Interview
By: Static Multimedia |
Saturday September 20, 2008 |
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Sticking to the formula of success |
| It's hard to believe that Buckcherry has been rockin' things out since 1995. Their convincing hooks and straight ahead rock arrangements make their music relevant in any decade. With a life largely spent on the road, we were lucky enough to catch up with lead guitarist Keith Nelson right after their stint on the infamous Crue Fest, just prior to hitting the road again in support of their latest Black Butterfly. When did you start writing new album? We came off the road in October and wrote for about 4 or 5 months. Wrote a bunch of songs and then tried to decide on which 15 0r 16 we wanted to record. Then, we went into studio in end of may and started recording. Did the record probably in 3 weeks. We picked the 12 that would be on the record. The co-producer and myself went in and mixed it - quickly. We finished mixing on a Saturday and then the band started the tour on the following Thursday. So, it's been pretty much nonstop. Was this an obstacle? The tempo of the road and speed of life doesn't allow you to sit around and relax. I think type of work ethic is something we really thrive on. Coming off the road, going in to record the record, making the record, and then going back on the road for us just seems pretty normal. It's just the pace we live at right now. What's your creative process like throughout all this? Well, all the songs kind of come together in different ways. Some of them start with a musical idea or riff from me or one of the other guys, some of them start with Josh strumming a few chords on the guitar with a melody, but ultimately it all ends up in the rehearsal space with 5 guys standing around trying different ideas until we land on something we like. We usually make some quick demos of that. I have this ramshackle of a studio that we put the songs together in and then we can all sit back listen, make changes, and then critique. When we get things where we want them, we take it into the studio. So, this process really hasn't changed much for you over the years then? No. No one had to go to India to meditate, or anything like that. We just kind of do what we do, you know? Any goals this time out? The only goal is to make sure that all 5 of us are excited about everyting. If that excitement isn't there, there's really no reason. We just want to make the best songs that we can. It's a really simple process. That's good to hear. It seems some bands try to change things depending on what sound might be relevant at the time. You guys seem to keep it pretty true to yourselves. It all starts with the core. We have a strong belief in what we do and in each other. If all 5 of us aren't excited about putting it out there, then there's really no point. We are all very true to ourselves. What did Marti Frederiksen add to your mix? We had co-written a few songs with Marti before and actually started that process again with the end of the writing process of this record. We had such a good time making demos of those ealier songs with him, that I thought it would be great if Marti helped me produce the new record. He was bringing stuff to the table like vocal melodies and arrangement ideas. It's good to have somebody outside the band to bounce stuff off of. We have a really good vibe with him. It was a no-brainer really. He's a good motivator for you guys then? Yes. (laughs) and a referee..Ultimately, I am in a band with all these guys and there needs to be some sort of tie breaker. How does that work chemistry wise for you? The band has so much chemistry in itself and Marti really added to it. He's a "band" guy. He's been in bands, he's worked with bands, he understands the dynamics, and he understands Buckcherry and the kind of music we want to make. He was definately an asset to the process. You're hitting the road again pretty quick in support of Black Butterfly, can you talk a little about that. We are going to head out with Avenged Sevenfold and Shinedown. Avenged and us are going to co-headline the tour, so we'll flip flop who closes the show. We're just really excited to out there with a band of their stature. Obviously we'll experience a little bit of a different demographic than what we had playing with Motley Crue, so that's pretty cool. Shinedown is awesome. Saving Abel is also on that bill, they're great. They have a new record out too, so that's cool. So, we're pretty stoked. We'll be on the road from now all the way through December. Did you know these bands before organizing the tour? How did it all come about? We started exploring our options back in May. Feeling out who was available at the time we were heading out. Fortunately, a lot of things came across the table for us and we thought it would be a good fit. Obviously, they all thought it would be a good fit for them as well. It's all good. You have been around now going on ten years as a band. What do you think is the most defining Buckcherry moment? The most defining Buckcherry moment...(short pause)...I think the most defining Buckcherry moment was when every major record label decided not to sign us. I think that was a time when we all had to decide whether we were in this for all the right reasons, or if we were just in this to be rock stars and buy houses. When everyone said no to us, and we were all working day jobs, we could have packed up the tents and gone home, or we could persevere in what we believe in. I think that was the moment that the whole tide changed for us. |
