Buckcherry
"All Night Long"
By Geordie Pleathur
(SugarBuzz USA)
SugarBuzz Magazine
CHERRY ROSES...
The music industry is no longer about generating money, via cd's or ticket sales, it is all about indoctrination. Have you noticed how most all of that awful muzak we are punished with on the air waves sounds so interchangeable? All that Katy Perry, Likki Li, Cristina Aguilera, Fergie, Britney Spears, Usher, Lady Gaga, Chris Brown, Beyonce, Jay-Z, Diddy, Gwen Steffani, Nici Menange, Willow Smith, J.Lo, NKOTB, Back Street Boys, etc., it all sounds the same, insincere falsettoes, repetitive chanting choruses, sleepy lyrics about mentally checkin' out, goin' to the club, status symbols, blah blah blah. Then, when you watch one of their
lousy videos, they all look like Janet Jackson's rhythm nation, mall-people still stiffly "dancing" in-synch, while wearing military, or robo-cop uniforms. The Autotuned male singers, in suits, performing Michael Jackson dance moves. The girls all look like Project Runway models and rap poorly. Unreality programming dominates the cable broadcasts, selling gym memberships, and ineffective, overpriced, weight loss products, to only semi-literate, non-readers. The only time we hear hard charging rock'n'roll music in the mass-media, anymore, is when they need to generate excitement for sporting events, video-games that train the kids for war, or the glorification of soldiers, and the cop state. Vigilant Citizen dot com, has some interesting information about all the symbolism, buried in the seemingly generic, redundant, corporate, modern music videos. The last rock band to significantly crack the discofied mainstream is Buck Cherry, who excel at recycling old AC/DC and KISS riffs, and Aerosmith/Guns N Roses/Nazareth style power ballads. Singer, Josh Todd, does a lot of sit-up's, and maintains his "The Situation"-esque six-pack, in his late forties. I bet he owns the Montel Williams super-food juicer, plus, he is a model of Dr. Phil reformed male sobriety, and is happy to generate soundtracks to sporting events, and future SWAT team, or Navy SEAL footage on the Discovery Channel.
Youtube Axl, and he's still looking like a crazy eyed, corn-rowed, Insane Clown Posse/Eminem. Slash is recording with Fergie, Duff's a good writer, Izzy---ya think he still rides BMX dirtbikes, in Indiana? Bring back the Juju Hounds. Steven Adler inhabits that perpetual Doctor Drew shame bubble, spewing recovery yap, and begging to be forgiven. So yeah, we need an unflagging, commercial rock outfit, to boost our collective morale in the summertime, but I've been increasingly less interested in Buck Cherry, since "Lawless
And Lulu", "Borderline", "For The Movies", and "All Lit Up", first captured my attention, way back when. Their first lP was produced by Steve Jones and was like a perfect cross between nasty "Back In Black" whiskey punk, and vintage "Out To Get Me" Axl Rose desperation. They lost me with the second CD, in the dreadful late nineties, Papa Roach, nu-metal era. It seems they briefly broke up, struggled with line-ups, toured with 69 Eyes, and really had to claw their way back in to the big leagues. "Crazy Bitch" was classic-we've all known one. I wasn't into that "Sorry" power ballad, at all, but I know that many of you liked it. I missed several 'Cherry lp's, so here, I will now endeavor to discuss their newest CD, and it's relevance in a corporate culture, dominated by dark forces, busy manufacturing more of their unlistenable techno puppet sluts, and extremist rightwing fear mongering war hawk propaganda. Even if you're the Last Big-Time Hard Rock Band, it's gotta be a trick to reach the rock'n'roll people, given the sewn up tight, state of radio playlists, and prohibitive ticket prices. Old timers like me, if I was ever in the mood for sleazy cock rock, I'd probably stick with my old Rose Tattoo cassettes, but I still find it somewhat comforting that these cats are still around. I definitely always thought the Guns dudes were foolish for doing that Velvet Revolver thing with Weiland, instead of Josh Todd.
The album opens with a cowbell, and a lot of JT's trademark, hyperactive, jump rope energy, urging everyone to party "all night long". The Queen homage, "It's A Party" is already being licensed out to television, you can see how this one would really raise the rooftop at a live show, or on the trailer park boombox, before the cops come. In a way, it must be weird to be one of the last proud dinosaur rock bands still bringing the show back to the people, because it appears that a huge portion of concert attendees are just "event" people, that 
go to see Gravedigger at the Monster Truck rally the week before, rap, country, garden show. Not Real Rock'n'Roll people. There is a streak of incorrigible, rowdy, delinquent youth in Josh Todd, that I've always found endearing: "Meet me on the corner at midnight", kinda reminds me of the starry eyed teenage come-on's from my bad boy youth. If there was ever a band that ought to endorse "Rockstar" energy drinks, it's the 'Cherry. "Never Say Never" is a winner, in my book. Beautiful mythologizing. White trash kids on the run. True love and used Trans-Ams. I'm thankful Josh Todd is a rockstar, and not a personal trainer, because he has some soul and compassion, sadly lacking in most of today's horrible android-muzak.
If I had a radio show today, I'd be spinning "I Want You" right now, and you'd be turning it up. It's good. Some of the 'Cherry's songs can get a bit formulaic-the generic power ballads, and inferior "Lit Up" rewrites, but when Josh taps into his trove of teenage romance memories, he really summons up relatable, believable, authentic emotions, that are hard to deny. "Liberty" is another hit. If you got somewhere to travel this summer, and you've wisely boycotted the airlines because you still believe in freedom, and democracy, by all means, buy this album-"All Night Long", and a couple of Big Gulps, put on your gaudiest sunglasses, and blast off......."Our World" is a moving Buck Cherry protest song that made me smile. J. Todd writes a lotta songs for girls. "Bliss" confirms that he knows what he's doing. I wonder if he wrote some of these tunes in his twenties, because they all have that sweetly naive, young, rebel energy, rallying the kids to break out of boxes. I liked Cinderella when I was sixteen, and I can see why many sixteen year olds, of all ages, might have their own reasons for appreciating the 'Cherry. All too many of the 'Cherry's constituents are repressed, smalltown kids with nowhere to let off steam, who'll live their lives on probation. Drywallers and nail techs finding fleeting consolation at the Red Roof
Inn, after the Buck Cherry show. Hassled by lame, vindictive, authoritarian hard-on's who saw that commercial about a career in law enforcement. Only some of 'em escape to California. There ain't too many happy endings in a permanent war-state. At least Josh and Keith won't have to lay carpet, for minimum wage, tomorrow morning.
Rage on, you overcaffeinated, corporate rawk cowboys...
www.buckcherry.com
www.wewontfly.com
www.dontscan.us
www.aclu.org
www.worldcantwait.net
www.vigilantcitizen.com
SugarBuzz Magazine