Los Angeles hard rockers Buckcherry formed in mid-1995 after singer Joshua Todd and guitarist Keith Nelson were introduced through their tattoo artist; after cutting their earliest demos, the duo recruited bassist Jonathan J.B. Brightman and drummer Devon Glenn and began performing live, quickly earning a major following on the L.A. club scene. Following the subsequent addition of second guitarist Yogi, Buckcherry signed to DreamWorks Records, issuing their self-titled debut LP in 1999. Singles such as Check Your Head and For the Movies were modern rock hits for Buckcherry, allowing them to raise their profile by summer 2000.

The following year, Buckcherry released their second album, Time Bomb. It wasnt widely noticed by critics, but dates opening for heroes AC/DC proved prominent for the band. In July 2002, founding member Joshua Todd unexpectedly left Buckcherry, which led to the band taking a hiatus. They regrouped in 2005 with original members Todd and Nelson recruiting new members Xavier Muriel and guitarist Steven Dacanay into the fold. Later that year they began recording songs that eventually would become the album 15, which was released in early 2006.