Josh Todd Interview talking about Josh Todd and The Conflict.

Josh Todd and The Conflict is the new band from Josh Todd and it is one hell of a band of passionate musicians. We recently interviewed Josh as we discussed the upcoming album release, touring, fitness and more. Check out our interview below:

Music Junkie Press: Thank you so much Josh for taking the time out to talk with us here at Music Junkie Press. We are excited about the new album Year of the Tiger which is set to release on September 15^th. Pre-Order is now available.

Josh: Yes, pre-order has started. We have two performance videos out on the web, “Year of the Tiger” and “Fucked Up”.

MJP: Oh yes! “Fucked Up” video was released last week and it was incredible. It is this fierce aggressive punch in the face track and the video captured it so well. You guys brought this vulnerability yet this raw honest emotion for you. How was that for you during recording?

Josh: Ya you know I had a lot of fun making this record, I mean it was fun making a record again. Stevie D and I write all the songs and he is the guitar player and it was just a labor of love. We started in November of last year writing all the songs and we beat all these songs into shape, some of them we had to rewrite and rewrite and it just came out as a whole ; as one of the best records I have ever done.

MJP: That is great, The interesting thing is that it brings out a lot of emotion too. How was that in the recording process? Was it an emotional release as well during the final recording?

Josh: You know, we recorded really fast because we were super prepared right before we went in but it was a very emotional roller coaster. I had a lot going on, there was a lot of disarray going on in my life at the time with the Buckcherry organization and my overall musical outlook for the year. So, it was all about passion at that point and that is when you make the best records, because we were just really in it. We were in the thick of it and fully concentrating on the best outcome and that is when you make the best stuff.

MJP: “Fucked Up” particularly that song is like this great anthem for the fallen. It is like you are at the bottom and literally you just scrape off the dirt and RISE right back up. That is what I really get from this album and it’s intensity.

Josh: Yes, I heard the music, Stevie sent me the music. When I got the music for that one, literally everything in my life was in disarray so I was like, “Everything is just so fucked up”. Then I just start writing from that place and it came out very quickly. That is one of my favorite songs on the record. If you can believe this too, I recorded all the vocals for the record in six days.

MJP: Wow, that is awesome. Where did you guys record at?

Josh: We recorded at Eric Kretz’s house. He has a studio there and he is the drummer for Stone Temple Pilots. He co-produced it with Stevie D, our guitar player and Ryan Williams, he did a lot of the Brendan O’Brien records, he engineered it and he is really amazing too. It was just a good group of guys who got in there and just handled it. Sean Winchester is on the drums and Gregg Cash is on the bass. It is a great band right now we are just looking to get out there and play live which is our favorite part of all of this.

MJP: That is true. You can definitely feel that your band is four guys that are fueled by the passion of the music and it is apparent through the videos and your couple performances you guys are killin it LIVE. Is there a timeline for a tour?

Josh: Right now, we have a show coming up with Bush, which is going to be cool, opening up for Bush. Then we have a show with Frankie Perez in Vegas which is going to be really cool. We are looking for a package tour in the fall. We are looking very hard, I mean everybody. First of all, there is not a lot of big bands touring in the fall and there is already a lot of package tours already booked so we are frantically looking right now for something great. If that doesn’t happen, we will just do our own shows until we got on something really cool.

MJP: When you perform live, you have always come out with this incredible energy. Over the years has your pre-show ritual changed or have you always prepared a certain way for your shows to harness that energy? I mean when you go out there, you are truly a force to be reckoned with.

Josh: Ha, I appreciate that first of all. Ya, you know, I put a lot into my craft. I take care of my body and what I eat and everything that goes into having your voice be as consistent as it can possibly be every night. That is what I focus on. It is kind of like, I equate it to being a professional athlete, that is really what it is like. Your body is your instrument. So anyways, I do the same things every day to get the same results.

MJP: It is incredible, your determination shines through. We have seen you many times with Buckcherry and look forward to seeing you with the new band. You guys always bring it and we can’t wait. We have a couple questions from your Josh Todd & The Conflict Fan page which was created by Carol Terry. You up for a couple fan submitted questions?

Josh: Yes, totally let’s do it.

MJP: Well, we were just talking about your fitness. Carol Terry asks, “ I would like to know how they find the time to exercise and keep in such great shape. It takes a lot of energy to do what they do.” Do you have a specific regimen you follow?

Josh: Everybody always asks me about my regimen and as far as working out. I try to tell people all the time, as far as me, you need to time your workouts. You don’t have to work out for an hour every day. You can, like what I do on gig days, is I work out for a half hour but I don’t rest for longer than 40 seconds. So the whole half hour is really going hard. You know, I really look forward to working out, It makes me feel good,it makes my head feel good, my whole body feel good. That’s why I have a really good association with working out. That is why I think people have the problem with, they don’t connect the mind to the phsycial activity. They, a lot of people think that it is just such a task.

MJP: Exactly, they go straight to focusing on the result and don’t focus on the process and feeling of it.

Josh: Yes! They don’t go “If I do this, I’m going to feel great” Like I feel amazing. So anyway I linked that up a long time ago years ago and right now I don’t even take a day off from working out, unless I’m flying or whatever, because it makes me feel good, it is more for my mind. I do a lot of jump ropes and a lot of boxing.

MJP: On the road, do you guys work out together?

Josh: Stevie works out, we work out together. Everybody has their own thing they do. (chuckles..) We don’t all get together and say “hey let’s work out together”. Fine, everybody has their own thing.

MJP: Let’s talk about the next video which is for Rain. We have been seeing a couple sneak peek shots. Can you tell us about the song and video?

Josh: It is kind of a mis-tempo song on the record. It has this kind of We Are the Champions type beat underneath it, a ripping Brian Mayish type guitar solo, the song is just one of my favorite songs on the record, of course. We are doing the video right now and it is kind of like a To Live or Die in LA type vibe. I don’t want to give it all away. Stevie and I just shot all of our solo scenes and then there is a whole concept behind the video and that is where we put really all of our time and effort into. It is going to be great. We also have one more performance video for Erotic City which will come out at one point as well.

MJP: Great, we are looking forward to it. We know you have done quite a bit of acting in the past. Are there any plans for some more acting in the future or some roles you would like to get into?

Josh: I have done a lot of acting. I mean whenever I have time. I mean music is always top priority. The thing with acting is, it is harder than you think to get into a situation and then you got to have the time to do it, and all of that. I am always, especially with another band, I am always moving toward something musically. That is why it has been a while since the last time I did something. The last thing I did was Bones. But when the opportunity comes up and it is the right timing for me, I am going to go after it.

MJP: I love it! Well, let’s get back to a couple more fan questions. Lise Campe asks, “I know Josh has a huge sweet tooth and won’t turn down chocolate and fudge so what is his fav candy bar.”

Josh: Oh wow, that’s cool. My favorite candy bar is Payday. It was my Grandmother’s favorite candy bar and we used to kind of bond. We would go get a Payday together in Oklahoma and we used to have long talks eating our Paydays. So I kind of always associate that candybar with my Grandmother so that is probably my favorite.

MJP: That is such a special story and what great memories that you have. It is so just like music, and with your music, you bring out that emotion and memories for people. Especially with your music, which is hard to do with hard rock, you bring out this great level of emotion through your songs.

Josh: Thank you, I appreciate that. That is where all music comes from; emotion, songs, short stories.

MJP: We have time for one more question, this is from Anna Leadingham, She asks, “.. What is your favorite drink from Starbucks?” She works at Starbucks, so what is your favorite?

Josh: Ha ha. I get a Grande Black Ice with no room. So, it is just coffee and two shots of expresso and NO ROOM. Filled to the top Black, nothing in it, no cream, no sugar.

MJP: I like that. Just the pure coffee. Now we will be looking forward to this tour and plans for it going worldwide?

Josh: Yes, we are definitely going Worldwide. We are really looking for that good package. Until then, wee are going to be doing one off or two off shows. If not, we will just get out there on our own.

MJP: Lastly, is there anything you would like to share with our audience and your fans?

Josh: Just that I love the support and THANK YOU so much. The record drops September 15^th, you can go pre-order it now and if you haven’t, check out the songs online, Year of The Tiger and Fucked Up. If you pre-order the album now, you get those two songs right now. Go out and hear the record.

MJP: Thank you so much Josh. We look forward to seeing you out on the road and safe travels.