BUCKCHERRY INTERVIEW
TWINMUSIX GOT TO INTERVIEW BUCKCHERRY ABOUT THEIR UPCOMING ALBUM AND MORE.
TM - Hi, This is Amelia and Elizabeth
JT- Hi, How are you?
TM- Good, How are you?
JT - Good, We have a new record about to drop here on June 25th. The record is called "hellbound". We are about to start this tour here, on June first our show kicks off in the states.
TM - We were going to ask you about that, so what can fans expect from the tour?
JT - They can expect a great rock show. It's our 9th record, if it's not our great Buckcherry record, it's one of the best. I don't know if you have heard it. We just dropped "So Hot" our single and our video and followed it up just yesterday we dropped our title track "Hellbound". Everyone is loving it and we can't wait to play these songs live. It's going to be so much fun, especially because everyone has been cooped up, you know.
TM - The song "So Hot" was filmed half in Las Vegas and half in LA, Can you tell us more about that?
JT - Leah Rose is the girl who starred in it. The director lives in Las Vegas, so she went there and filmed her portion of it and we were in LA so the director came to la and filmed our portion of it in a studio in LA and it worked out great.
TM - What can fans expect from your new album "Hellbound"?
JT - 10 amazing songs, like I said it's such a great Buckcherry record. It's got a lot of Dynamics and everything you want, you know. We worked hard on it, we have been sitting on this record since October 2020, so it's amazing to have it out now.
TM - What was your writing and recording process for your new album "Hellbound"?
JT - Stevie and I wrote the majority of it. We went and spent a week in Nashville and wrote with Marti Frederickton, the guy who produced. We have co-written songs with him in the past. We wrote 6 songs in 5 days and 5 of those made the record. It was a very thorough process, we had about 38 songs at the end and narrowed it down to a 10 song record, it is great.
TM - What was it like working with Marti Frederickton?
JT - Well, we have worked with him in the past and we know what that's like, he has becomes a 6th band member. When we are working together he's a super great guy, talented and understands us. He works towards our strengths.
TM - You dropped your track "Hellbound" and it has an AC/DC like riff in it, what inspired that?
JT - "Hellbound" is exactly what I asked for. I said I wanted an AC/DC is sounding riff, fall on the floor rock song musically and they came back with that song. I went back home back to the hotel and wrote the lyrics and melody and it came together very quickly, it was a great one.
TM - Well we love AC/DC so it would be great if you could go out with them based on that song.
JT - We went out with them on the "Time bomb" record, so it would be great to go out with them again.
TM - That's Awesome.
TM - Who Designed the Album cover for "Hellbound" and what was the inspiration behind it?
JT - This guy Mark, he's a tattoo artist from Salt Lake City Utah. He has his own shop there called Zen Tattoo. I have known him for quite a while, he was the first bass player on the first Josh Todd record. I would always see him drawing and I was like man you're amazing, you're such an incredible artist. I said have you ever tattooed and he said no. He tried this printing thing at one point and didn't follow through with it and I said well you should go back to that because you are amazing. I think he was already thinking that because he went back to that and finished that. All of a sudden he started tattooing and now he owns his own shop. We went to him and said we want a great image the record is going to be called "Hellbound", and we want to know if you have anything. He sent us that bird and we were like, this is amazing you know. We showed it to our manager and record label and everyone loved it you know it was just kind of a no brainer.
TM - I think it's a cool bird and I think it's something you could definitely get tattooed on yourself as well.
JT - Yeah exactly and I think people will. We have had people tattoo the Confessions cover. The first album cover so it's cool when that happens.
TM - Yeh it would be, so what do you think when people show you their tattoo's?
JT - It's crazy, it's something I never saw coming you know. We have been doing this for 22 years and it's super flattering. It is just bazaar because you know, we created this stuff from nothing and to see it come full circle and for someone to be so passionate about the band and tattoo it on them forever, is cool.
TM - On your new album "The Way" is one of your slower songs and it has some pains on it, what inspired that?
JT - We went through a lot in quarantine just like everybody else. A lot came up with everybody's relationships, I think and how to take a look at ourselves and where we were at the same time. Stevie lost his father last year and that was very emotional. It was around the time where it was time to write a slow song. I came up with that melody in the shower. I come up with a lot of melodies in the shower. I scattered it on my phone and wrote lyrics and melodies and at the first practice, I came in and said I got this song, it's cool and I want to sing it for you. He said ok and I sang it to him, then we found a tempo and we found a key on the piano, that wrote well in with my voice. Then I said, I would like to have a little piano in it. when it starts and I'll kind of end in a completely different place like a rocking ending and he's like yeah let's make it our "Hey Jude" and he's like cool. I left and Stevie created this amazing composition of music. As I said, it just builds throughout the song, that's all Stevie, he put a bridge on it and an outro part. I finished the melodies and the lyrics for the outro part and the song wrote itself quick. It's such a special moment on this record and when we play it live it's incredible.
TM - There's also a line-up change in your band, can you tell us more about that?
JT - Yeh Billy Rowe is our new guitar player we had a good run with Kevin. Kevin with covid wanted to stay home, to be with his family and not be on the road. We understand, we always had our eye on Billy. Stevie vouched for him. He's a great player and a great guy. I didn't know a whole lot about him except he was a guitar player in Jetboy. I said let's go out to breakfast, we got some food and just talked. I just wanted to make sure he was a nice person because at the end of the day we have to be in really close quarters with people and you want to make sure you like them. He's a free guy and a talented guitar player so it was a no brainer and we started working together.
TM - Was he on many songs on the new album?
JT - He played a few bits on a few songs, mostly he did slide on "Hellbound". He played a few other songs but you have to ask Stevie on the parts because I wasn't in the studio for those parts. He's in the band and we will definitely incorporate him more in the future.
TM - If you could have any band play one of your songs, what band would it, be what song would it be and would be in your style or their style?
JT - Bruno Mars doing tight pants.
TM - That would be cool, I love "Tight Pants".
JT - Yeh, I think he would bring it to a whole nother level too.
TM - I put that song on our radio show last week's.
JT - Oh yeah cool, we love punk music. I was going through a major James Brown phase at that time. I was like, we have to write a Buckcherry version of a James Brown song and that's how tight pants came about.
TM - Nice.
TM - Going back to your American tour, what can fans expect from your V.I.P meet and greet?
JT - It's a good hang, we say hello and catch up with the fans. We hear the stories from over the years of how they loved bc and how they got involved with them. We just take pictures and that's it. It's not too crazy or too involved but it's a good hangout.
TM - You must be excited to go back on the road.
JT - Yeh I'm excited, we were always grateful to be doing this for a living. Once it got removed and we didn't know what would happen next it made you even more grateful. We are excited to get back and see people and have a good time and doing what we do best hosting a party.
TM - Yeh Definitely and some festivals are coming back this summer, so that should be good.
JT - Yeh that will be great, hopefully, they will throw us on.
TM - Anything else you want to say to your fans?
JT - We love you guys and we are so happy to be back with this great new record. Please go pre-order the record if you haven't and go to Buckcherry.com for all upcoming tour dates we are always adjusting it up buckcherry.com