BUCKCHERRY Guitarist Talks About The Making Of 'All Night Long'

Joe Matera of Ultimate-Guitar.com recently conducted an interview with BUCKCHERRY guitarist Keith Nelson. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: The creative process for the new album, "All Night Long", endured a much lengthier time frame than on previous efforts. Why was that?

Keith Nelson: Normally, on previous records, we would write a bunch of songs, and we would write for months until we felt we had a record. We'd write around 30 songs for a record. But this time, we just wrote a handful of songs, less than a whole record and then we went into the studio and just took our time with it all. We did just one song at a time, and if we didn't like what we were getting, then we would stop and change it up a little bit. Then when we had finished a song, we would go on and write some more. So all around, it was a totally different vibe for us. We had never worked like that before. We also did it at my home studio which gave us the luxury of doing it that way.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: "All Night Long" was produced by you and Marti Frederiksen. Does it help having Marti along side producing, especially when it comes to being objective during recording?

Keith Nelson: Yes, it is nice to have that outside influence, and as much as I like to think that I could do it all, it is nice to have somebody else to bounce stuff off and rely on. Marti is great with vocals and with lyrics and great with the whole band, actually. So it was good having him around.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: Is producing something you'd like to pursue further in future in a full-time capacity?

Keith Nelson: Yes, I have actually bought a home in Los Angeles that has a studio in it and the whole idea is to eventually make records with other people. I am so happy to have been able to produce the last three records with this band. But I'll love working with other artists, too.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: BUCKCHERRY have toured heavily over the past few years and have also toured with many of their own musical heroes. What is like to go on the road with guys that have played a major role in influencing you and your guitar playing?

Keith Nelson: It is like going to school every night! We've played with KISS, we've played with AEROSMITH and AC/DC. Each night after our set, I quickly get off stage, get out of my gig clothes and go out front and watch them. I am a fan of music and I love it. And being able to see those shows…you know… I have probably seen around 70 to 80 KISS shows so far just because we have toured with them twice. So it is just great, man.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: What has been the best advice some of these bands have imparted to you?

Keith Nelson: It is always about doing what you do and sticking to your guns and not letting critics bring you down if they don't like what you're doing. The guys in KISS, for example, they get turned away from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and the critics always love to hate those guys. But they go out every night to a full arena of people and rock them for two hours with songs that they all know. So I don't think they're the fools, I think the critics are the fools. So they are always positive about doing what we're doing and not letting anyone discourage us. That is basically what I walk away from in the majority of those conversations.

Ultimate-Guitar.com: With all these experiences you have gone through in your career, if a young musician was to come to you for advice about working in this industry, what would you tell him or her?

Keith Nelson: Unfortunately when I got into this business I thought I was just going to play my guitar, write some songs and party all the time. And I quickly found out that if I wanted to be successful, I really needed to educate myself on the business. And when you start thinking that you know everything, then that is a huge mistake. So you really need to educate yourself on how it works and you have to make the best decisions you can for yourself.

Read the entire interview at Ultimate-Guitar.com.