Buckcherry to rock at Headliners on July 27
Written by Mike Bauman | | mbauman@toledofreepress.comSix years ago, nobody wanted anything to do with Buckcherry, according to lead singer and band co-founder Josh Todd. Six years and three albums later, that’s not the case for the California rockers, who will perform at Headliners on July 27.
“It’s the band we always wanted it to be,” Todd said to Toledo Free Press Star. “That’s the thing. When Keith [Nelson] and I decided to do this again, we wanted to make sure that we had the right guys that we could be in a band with for our whole career. That was always the goal: to have one band, a catalog of music and ride into the sunset.
Josh Todd of Buckcherry
“That’s going to happen with this lineup. We get along really well. We all have respect for each other and everybody is down for Buckcherry, and that’s the most important thing.”
Buckcherry found early success with the release of its self-titled debut album in 1999, which hit No. 74 and spent 30 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. After the less successful follow-up “Time Bomb” in 2001, however, band members started leaving and Buckcherry went on hiatus in 2002.
When co-founders Todd (vocals) and Nelson (guitar) rekindled Buckcherry in 2005 with new songs and new members Stevie D. (guitar), Jimmy Ashhurst (bass) and Xavier Muriel (drums), record labels weren’t interested. The only one willing to take a chance was Allen Kovac of Tenth Street Entertainment, who made Buckcherry’s third album “15” the first release on his new label, Eleven Seven Music.
“A lot of it had to do with believing in ourselves,” Todd said. “That was the most important thing because prior to ‘15’ no one would sign us. We had the whole record done. No one cared, and we did it all through faith in ourselves and belief in ourselves. We had a great manager that believed in us as well.
“We kind of did it all backwards. We started in Japan because they gave us a small bit of money to make the record. We made the record in two weeks —15 days. That’s why we called it ‘15’.”
“15” was released on April 11, 2006, yielding the hit “Crazy Bitch” and Buckcherry’s first top 10 hit in “Sorry” as the record went on to achieve platinum status.
“It just happened very organically,” Todd said. “We already had a little bit of a base, but no one really cared about us. Everybody had written us off, so it was all about hard work and perseverance, and of course making that record that was going to change the tides. And we had the songs and it all worked out.”
Buckcherry followed up “15” with “Black Butterfly” in 2008, which debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. Released in August, the band’s fifth album “All Night Long” debuted at No. 10 on the Billboard 200 and was the No. 1 rock debut. Like its rock ‘n’ roll forefathers and influences AC/DC, Aerosmith and KISS, Buckcherry is known for its energetic live shows.
“We just want to go out there and just dominate and crush the audience and give them something that they can really remember, a show they can look back on and say, ‘Yeah, we went to that show,’” Todd said. “That’s really what we focus on every night.”
A father of three who has been sober for 16 years, Todd has experienced personal and professional struggles, making Buckcherry’s success that much more enjoyable.
“We’ve been thrown into a lot of different situations over the years, and we really shine through that,” Todd said. “I’m just really proud of everything we’ve accomplished.”
Buckcherry will be at Headliners, located at 4500 N. Detroit Ave., on July 27 with Taddy Porter and Stars of Boulevard. Tickets are $30 in advance and $35 at the door the night of the show. Doors open at 7 p.m. and all ages are welcome. For more information, call (419) 693-5300 or visit www.headlinerstoledo.com.
Tags: Buckcherry, Headliners, Josh Todd
