Holding the Line: Buckcherry's Josh Todd and the Power of Persistence

The Sharp Notes with Evan Toth

Through addiction, industry upheavals, and personal reinvention, a rock survivor’s unwavering path forward.

Perseverance is more than just endurance—it is the art of weathering storms without losing sight of the horizon. For Josh Todd - the last remaining original member of Buckcherry - survival in rock and roll has never been about mere resistance; it has been about forward motion, an unrelenting push toward something greater. With the recent vinyl reissue of 15 on Real Gone Music, Todd finds himself looking back—not to dwell, but to recognize the grit and resolve that have kept him moving when so many others have faded.

Todd’s journey is one of endurance sharpened by intention. From the early days of Slamhound, where raw energy often outpaced direction, to the seasoned clarity of his present self, his career has been less about reinvention and more about refinement—a steady chiseling away at anything that does not serve the greater vision. His long-standing sobriety, maintained since the mid-1990s, has been more than a personal victory; it has been a quiet, steadfast rebellion against the industry’s norms. While countless peers were undone by excess or disillusionment, Todd stayed the course, his focus cutting through the noise like a compass pointing toward blue skies in the midst of a storm.

That same drive extends beyond music. When the world stood still during the pandemic, Todd refused to stagnate, earning a certification in phlebotomy rather than succumbing to inertia. For him, perseverance is not just about surviving hardship—it is about carving meaning from it, about turning each setback into a stepping stone rather than a stopping point.

Today, we explore his ethos: the lessons forged in decades of relentless touring, the will to hold a band together when gravity pulls it apart, and the mindset that transforms obstacles into momentum.