Josh Todd wanted some fresh blood in his band. So he hired a rowdy bunch from Salt Lake City.
Bassist Mark John, drummer Kent Ross and guitarist Mike Hewitt are from Utah's capital. Guitarist Jesse Logan hails from Chicago. And Todd is from Los Angeles.
"I was always the youngest in all the bands I had been in," said Todd during a phone call from his home in Sherman Oaks, Calif. "And I wanted to get some young and hungry musicians in a band to see what they could do."
Todd, the former lead singer for Buckcherry, said that proved to be the best move he made.
"It motivated me and gave me a fresh outlook with what I want to do," he said. "They are a bunch of nice guys, and it's really good to work in that situation."
Todd's new album, "You Made Me," is his first musical outing since leaving Buckcherry last year.
"Although my name is on the album, it's a band effort," he said. "We did things together and collaborated on the songwriting. The only reason my name is on the album as a solo artist is because of the marketing. This is a band."
Working on the album was creatively rewarding for Todd. "We had about 30 songs we had written for this album. What I did was took all the songs home and worked and reworked them in the morning and then brought them back to the studio, and we worked on those skeletons until we had some solid songs."
The approach on "You Made Me" wasn't a typical goal for an album, said Todd, who cited Minor Threat, Billy Idol, the Subhumans and early Replacements as some of his musical influences. "I wanted to make an album that wasn't blues-based. I wanted a new school sound. And, going back to why I chose the band, that's why I did it. The band listens to everything from Korn, Slipknot, New Found Glory and rapper Obie Trice. So that gave the music we were doing a little more dimension."
In addition to making music, Todd, no longer on a major record label, has to take on promotional and administrative duties with the band.
"I wear two hats," he said. "But the ultimate goal is to make the best product we can. I would love to see us have huge success. I would love to see us on M2 and MTV. And I would love to hear us on the radio. I also want the success so that it puts us in a situation where we have to step it up a notch to make us better musicians."
In addition to music, Todd has dabbled in films.
"I had a role in the independent film 'Lightning Bug,' which got huge reviews by critics at film festivals but hasn't been distributed, yet. I would like to get a big scene with a big-name artist in a big-budget movie. But right now I'm so busy working with my music to even have a chance to explore that avenue right now."
If you go. . .
What: Josh Todd
Where: Ego's
When: Thursday, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $12
Phone: 467-8499 or 1-800-888-8499
Web: www.smithstix.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com