Buckcherry
What were some of the inspirations for the album Black Butterfly? Did you set out to record a hit record?
This record is dedicated to all the haters that tried to hold us down and kept us from putting out 15. They helped us out on this one. We overcame a lot of adversity and it was successful. As a band, we inspire each other, and love and respect each other.
Will you be playing mostly new tracks on the Saving Abel tour or can we expect more of mix from previous albums?
We’re playing something off of every record, and we try to mix it up every night. We play certain songs every night, but there are a few that rotate every show. It makes it more exciting for us and for people who have seen us before to have a different show.
How did this tour come about?
We all met at yoga class. No, just kidding. Actually, we’ve played with Papa Roach and Saving Abel before. As for the Avenged guys, we did some festival dates with them, and we really enjoyed it, so we tried to get a whole tour together. We had an opportunity to do it last year, and it was so successful we extended it into ’09.
What was it like touring with Motley Crue playing Japan as well? Do you have any favorite tour moments?
It was very interesting in Japan; we had a great time all summer on Crue Fest with Motley Crue. The Japanese audience is so welcoming of the western rock and roll, so we almost do no wrong.
A crazy story in Japan was that my drummer missed his flight to Japan and got into the venue a ½ hour before the show. He went straight from the airport to the venue, dropped his suitcase and picked up his drumsticks, and he played his ass off.
The latest album has had a lot of attention. What are some of the challenges in being a hard rock band in 2009?
We all know the record industry is taking a little bit of a beating, and the current economic situation in the US isn’t helping any. For us, we will stay on the road and deliver the live show which is something that can’t be replicated by anybody else other than us. Our live show is growing; production is growing. We are extremely proud of the record and proud of this band, and what we have delivered.
How important is technology for a band today, (downloads, blogs, guitar hero/rockband, myspace) compared to the past?
We are pretty active with technology nowadays, and we find it very important. If you go back to 2005, in the first inklings of the band coming back, it was the internet and MySpace and YouTube that really got the ball rolling for us. They all played a key roll in us getting the music out there and getting it in people’s faces. I love the fact that you don’t have to be beholden to a large corporation to have your music be heard. It’s so rad. The only problem is that there are so many bands and so much music. But is it really a problem? I don’t know.
What advice would you have for a band just starting out?
Stick to your guns. Do what you believe in, and don’t let anyone else tell you what to do. Listening to other people never really served us well. We get back to basics doing what we do.
By Jon Cohen
