Jonathan Brightman or the growth of an American multi-instrumentalist? Downloading and the internet are both a blessing and a curse for musicians. What is your take on the industry as it stands today? Where do you see it heading? Jonathan Brightman: I think the musician will have to catch up with all this technology. In other words, a band may have to use more of their own words, images, actions and give more of themselves up to be noticed. These days anyone can edit a video and put up content. We’re going to have to learn how to be as creative on several formats now. “Badass” is one of the coolest songs I’ve heard in a long time, what are your favourites on the record? Jonathan Brightman: BADDASS is my favourite. It’s just a funny song.
Jonathan Brightman and Buckcherry: Josh Todd grew up in the Anaheim Hills neighborhood of Anaheim, California and later moved to Lake Forest, California. Early on, Todd fronted the Hollywood glam rock band Slamhound. He eventually met lead guitarist Keith Nelson through their tattoo artist (Kevin Quinn). The duo made a few demos before being joined by bassist Jonathan Brightman and drummer Devon Glenn, calling themselves Sparrow. Sparrow began performing around the Hollywood club scene, receiving a strong, local following due to their old school rock and roll vibe, and were signed to DreamWorks Records shortly after. The group changed its name to Buckcherry after receiving a cease-and-desist letter from a record label called Sparrow (owned by EMI). Although the band’s name is a spoonerism of the late Chuck Berry, the group said it was inspired by a drag queen acquaintance of theirs named Buck Cherry.
Black Robot is a California-based hard rock band formed in 2008 by bassist Jonathan Brightman (JB). The band released their first music video for the JJ Cale classic “Cocaine” on May 5, 2010,[4] debuting it exclusively on top rated gaming website IGN.com. The video features a comical cameo appearance by former The Kids in the Hall and NewsRadio star Dave Foley and was filmed at the legendary burlesque club Jumbo’s Clown Room.[5] A commercial for the debut album featuring outtakes from the video aired exclusively during episodes of VH-1 Classic’s That Metal Show.
One of the best covers ever, in my opinion, is your cover of JJ Cale’s “Cocaine”. It seems to suit your sound perfectly; did you consider covering any other songs? Jonathan Brightman: We just stumbled into this cover and decided to include it on our record. It would be fun to do any number of Beatles songs…in our own way, of course.
Over the past decade Brightman Music has been a top Producer Management firm based in Southern California with a presence in New York City and Nashville, Tennessee and London, England. We represent some of the recording industry’s most highly recognized award winning producers, mixers, songwriters and engineers as well as tomorrow’s game changers. We hold a unique emphasis and proven track record on the discovery and development of groundbreaking chart-topping new artists. Our clients work with artists and record labels, big and small from every corner of the globe. We celebrate musical diversity and support artists of all genres. Find extra information on Jonathan Brightman.
How long after the demise of Buckcherry did you begin working on new music? Jonathan “JB” Brightman: The way this happened…right after I left Buckcherry Huck (Johns, singer) was moving to Los Angeles. I had made friends with him and we just started writing. So we had written some songs, but there was no agenda to create a band. What Huck and I really intended to do was to have Yogi (former Buckcherry guitarist) and Devon (former Buckcherry drummer) in the band, but that didn’t really work out. I needed some time away from what would become Black Robot. When it came time, I called Yogi and Devon and said to them, “Let’s just go in the studio for two weeks and let’s make a record.” I didn’t have any expectations. I wanted to get in the studio, record, have a good time and if a great record came out of it then we’d release it. It was no pressure.