A few years ago the old school sound was given a rebirth when Glen Hughes, Jason Bonham, Derek Sherinian, and Joe Bonamassa gave us Black Country Communion. But after 3 amazing album Bonamassa decided to take the name and run like a thief in the night leaving fans and his now former band mates waiting and wanting more. Luckily for us we didn’t have the wait too much longer. Now we have another amazing band come out of the ashes of Black Country Communion and it’s California Breed.
This new band is Glen Hughes doing his thing as always on vocals and bass, Jason Bonham at home on drums, and a new name to the scene on guitar by the name of Andrew Watt. This trio have so much power together that you’d honestly think they’ve been playing together for years. Although the biggest and possibly best part of this group is that their age differences has forced together sounds from multiple generations into one awesomely rockin sound.
The single from their upcoming self titled album “Sweat Tea” is by far the best introduction to the band which is why it was probably chosen to be the single. While it may sound simple at first it’s far from it. Glen Hughes vocals are right what you expect to hear from the voice of rock with Bonham‘s pounding drums setting the rhythm for you and have you tapping along instantly. Watt‘s guitar work is a mix of old school while still being loud a powerful like the new school that you might forget he’s the youngest member of the group.
Then as you move on through this album you hit the “Midnight Oil” and you’re instantly taken back to a time when it was all just rock n roll with good times. You can close your eyes and see the band playing this one in a club back in the 70s. A great mix of rock and blues all in one song.
And don’t overlook the song “Strong” which shows how well these guys work together as a band with perfect harmony. In addition to that the acoustic guitar shows it’s own strength in this song. Everyone is always worried about being amped up but sometimes it’s unplugging that stands out. The acoustic guitar is truly what makes this track a gem on this album.
Glen Hughes, Jason Bonham, and Andrew Watt are definitely the new old school power trio to pay attention to. And if you’re like me and I occasionally finding yourself digging out the old school albums every so often to get back to our musics roots then California Breed is a band you don’t want to miss when their album California Breed hits shelves in May.
