California Breed..from the ashes of Black Country Communion

[Presto-digitation]

http://media.classicrockmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/CaliforniaBreedLogoEye1-610x427.jpg

“Joe Bona-who?” Meet CALIFORNIA BREED the new power trio formed from the ashes of Black Country Communion.

 

Former Black Country Communion stars, singer-bassist Glenn Hughes and drummer Jason Bonham, have announced the formation of a new band – California Breed. Featuring the astounding talents of 23-year-old singer-guitarist Andrew Watt, the fact that their first album has been produced by Dave Cobb, whose spectacular work with Rival Sons has received so much acclaim, gives a big clue as to what they sound like.

 

“It’s proper rock,” says Hughes, “but at the same time it’s very now. Andrew is as influenced by Mick Ronson as he is Jimmy Page.”

 

“I grew up listening to all the grunge bands,” says Watt, “but my dad always played me The Who, the Stones and Led Zeppelin so that became my music too.

 

“This kid is amazing,” says Bonham. “The first time we met I thought he looked like the white Jimi Hendrix. And he plays in the studio likes he’s onstage!”

 

The three-man line-up got together as California Breed for the first time last year after Hughes was introduced to the newcomer from New York by their mutual friend Julian Lennon. “Julian was having an exhibition of his photographs at the Morrison Hotel Gallery in LA,” Glenn recalls, “and he said, ‘You must meet this guy, he’s the most fantastic guitarist – who turned out to be Andrew.”

 

Reconvening at Hughes’ Hollywood home a few days later, “The chemistry was just instant,” says Hughes. “We immediately wrote two songs together, Chemical Rain and Solo, both of which have ended up on the album. That’s when I called Jason and said you’ve gotta come down right now.”

 

“The energy when I walked in the room was crackling,” recalls Bonham. “I was so pleased. Glenn and I had not only really locked in as a rhythm section in BCC but we’d started writing together and we both really wanted to keep that good feeling going.”

 

Indeed, all 12 tracks on the as-yet untitled forthcoming California Breed album – the band have signed a deal with signed a deal with the Frontiers label - have equal co-writing credits amongst the band. Recorded at Cobb’s Nashville studio, “Everything was done more or less live,” says Hughes, “including the vocals. Which is the reverse of how I’ve always done things”.

 

The end result is a sound that combines all the classic rock elements of BCC – big, meat-cleaver riffs and heart-rending vocals – but with a 21st century gloss that comes from working with someone as up-to-the-minute and talented as Watt.

 

Look out for the first single, Midnight Oil, a raunchy Stones-esque rocker with breathless female backing vocals, deep groove rhythms and face-smacking guitars. The other breakout track is All Falls Down, the kind of spine-tingling pop-rock-who-knows-what that starts all colour and light and finishes all towering harmonies, back-arching guitars and epidemic-sized catchiness.

 

There are others but, as Hughes says, “You’ll have to wait for the album in May to hear them. This, I promise, is going to be something special.”

[Union 5-3992]

Looking forward to it.

[treeduck]

When is it out?

[Presto-digitation]

May

[treeduck]

May

So is this new guitarist just going to be Joe Bonamassa II?

[Presto-digitation]

First video and single:

 

[treeduck]

It's not bad, maybe a little annoying at first but not bad. The new guitar kid is all dressed up like Uli Jon Roth. He seems to be pretty talented, but it's too early to say how good he is. I need more info.

 

The girl is hot. :ebert:

[Presto-digitation]

Agree...song is solid without being spectacular and the jury is out on Watt, although early reviews have been promising. (Two stellar write-ups so far).

[Rod in Toronto]

Mother of dental whitening...Glenn has had something dramatic done to his teeth, eh?

 

I agree with the posts above, the song is good, not great. But I´m a Hughes fan, so I´m looking forward to listening to the full album. And with Derek Sherinian going to play in Bonamassa´s band and Jason Bonham sticking with hughes, it´s clear now how BCC split in two, it was not everyone against Bonamassa, right?

[Presto-digitation]

Not I. I respect and admire Joe for his stand. it was always a side project to him and he said as much. Hughes recently finally admitted he should have listened more to Joe. I think Glenn just thought and hoped Joe would see the good reaction and drop everything to get on the train...and that just didn't happen. It's unfortunate, but apparently the two are speaking again. Who knows, we might could see a BCC record down the line if fences stay mended....or maybe a Joe guest spot on a Cali Breed album. Who knows!? (Glenn has performed on Joe's solo stuff).

 

Watt will be interesting to follow. His solo material consists of a 6-song EP, most of it pop music....although his roots are in classic rock and psychedelia. I've read two FULL album reviews of Cali Breed and both were stellar. They both seemed to like this song more than I did, though, so I'd probably slow that gush down just a bit.

 

Rod...you should give these guys a listen if you haven't already:

 

http://www.therushfo...s-album-in-may/

 

Maybe it's not your thing, but you seem like a pretty open guy....so I thought I'd throw it out there. :D

Edited March 20, 2014 by Presto-digitation

[Rod in Toronto]

Hey P-D! Thanks for the recommendation man...Rival Sons has been on my check-it-out list for a long time now. Will have a listen tonight when I get home. Have you heard of The Temperance Movement?They're very similar to the Black Crowes, but the singer's voice is raspier, almost reaching Brian Johnson levels on a couple of songs. Check them out!

[Presto-digitation]

I have...! Good stuff. :) And I think this is all cut from a similar cloth, so lots of goodness to check out. (Some don't like this "style" at all, so...).

 

In that regard, please also check out this UNKNOWN band out of Canada (yes, there is another.... ;) ) called Stone River. You just might like. Their second album (Euphoria & Lovesick Blues) just dropped day before yesterday:

 

http://www.therushforum.com/index.php?/topic/86996-stone-river-anyone-else-listening-to-these-folks/

[treeduck]

With BCC it looks like the split is the Americans and the Brits...

[treeduck]

Where did Andrew Watt guy come from anyway? There's not much info.

[treeduck]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/7/72/CaliforniaBreed-CaliforniaBreed.jpg

 

Here's the tracklist:

 

1. "The Way" 3:54

2. "Sweet Tea" 3:52

3. "Chemical Rain" 4:38

4. "Midnight Oil" 4:45

5. "All Falls Down" 5:07

6. "The Grey" 3:55

7. "Days They Come" 4:17

8. "Spit You Out" 3:38

9. "Strong" 4:26

10. "Invisible" 4:44

11. "Scars" 4:10

12. "Breathe" 4:17

[Presto-digitation]

Where did Andrew Watt guy come from anyway? There's not much info.

 

Young (23) New York City guitarist. I own his 6-song EP, which is the only thing he's done. Here's a clip of him:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwwI622Fe8Q

[Presto-digitation]

With BCC it looks like the split is the Americans and the Brits...

 

I found it interesting that in the last band Hughes embraced the black country homeland with the band name and now he's all about Cali dreamin' and palm trees. ;)

Edited March 20, 2014 by Presto-digitation

[treeduck]

Where did Andrew Watt guy come from anyway? There's not much info.

 

Young (23) New York City guitarist. I own his 6-song EP, which is the only thing he's done. Here's a clip of him:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwwI622Fe8Q

Hmmm not sure about that.

[treeduck]

With BCC it looks like the split is the Americans and the Brits...

 

I found it interesting that in the last band Hughes embraced the black country homeland with the band name and now he's all about Cali dreamin' and palm trees. ;)

I'm on the fence with this whole project, I might wait till the album is out there and a few people have got it or heard it and maybe a few more tracks are on youtube.

[Rod in Toronto]

I would have done a better job with the logo and the album cover jus by using AutoShapes on Microsoft Word...

[Presto-digitation]

With BCC it looks like the split is the Americans and the Brits...

 

I found it interesting that in the last band Hughes embraced the black country homeland with the band name and now he's all about Cali dreamin' and palm trees. ;)

I'm on the fence with this whole project, I might wait till the album is out there and a few people have got it or heard it and maybe a few more tracks are on youtube.

 

Here's an early review. Glean from it what you will:

 

rockguitardaily.blogspot.com/2014/03/california-breed-well-worth-wait-this.html

 

Rock Ain't Near Dead - that's been my mantra for a while, and I am now more convinced than ever. California Breed is a fantastic album by a fantastic band. It's new breed, if you will - it doesn't sound like Deep Purple, Black Country Communion, or anything that preceded it. Hughes and Bonham have done some of their best work yet, and the avenue of guitar heroes has a new kid on the block in Andrew Watt.

 

Glenn Hughes was given lemons - and he squeezed the lemons until they produced a golden nectar. He picked the right few friends and they've done the near impossible in actually transcending what I had expected from this record. I spoke with Glenn a good bit in the aftermath of his last band, and I knew he had a certain fire in his soul, that fire you get when you've done your best and been burned. He did what should be done, he turned his intense pain and disappointment into love and hard work. He's just told me that this is his best work in 30 years, and I wholeheartedly agree.

 

A big question on a lot of minds - how's the guitar playing? The guitar playing is great, and is what makes this so very different than anything in the accumulated catalogues of the band's senior partners - Andrew Watt is a big, brash player who sounds like he was raised on Page, Ronson, and Bolan. Like he was born with a Les Paul in his hands. He's not a shredder, but he sure can play - he's a riff and song sort of guy as opposed to a soloist, but his solos burn for just that reason.

 

I love that beyond 'the voice of rock,' there is almost nothing to connect this to the deceased Black Country Communion - brilliant as it was, there's no point in rehashing, and there's none to be found here. This is a fresh, new beast that will surprise a great many listeners. Producer Dave Cobb turns out to be right choice behind the board - this sounds like one foot in rock's history, and the other is very much in this moment. Last year's near marriage between Hughes and the Stone Temple Pilots guys now makes much more sense to me. He's again reinvented his sound - the voice is still amazing, and his bass playing is sublime as ever, but you've never heard this before, this is a new suit with a great fit.

 

Jason Bonham. He's getting better and better - he says this is his finest work, and there is no question that he's right. He's got great technique, but he never makes it the point. Instead, he plays for the song - pushing, pulling, and pounding great performances out of his bandmates. Great drummers understand that their job entails driving the band and songs, shaping them to their will. Bonham obviously gets this, and it's obvious that his writing credits on every song are well deserved.

 

The songs....

 

The Way is probably the most familiar sounding riff on the record, but almost as soon as the words Led Zeppelin cross your mind, Hughes hijacks the tune and takes it for some very sophisticated maneuvering, spurred on by Bonham's thunderous assault. Watt is huge in the mix, and a lesser singer than Hughes may have gotten swallowed up by the tremendous wall of sound. This is going to be a hell of an opener when this bunch hits the stage. This is the way it should go.

 

A big beat and some swaggering guitar announces the arrival of Sweet Tea, and Hughes breaks out a little funk for the verses before a melodic pre-chorus dives in then gets pushed aside for some extremely cool, effected guitar that makes me miss the days when Aerosmith were still world beaters - Watt tears off his first solo, and it's a right dazzler, exciting and riveting. These guys are having fun. I'm having fun. This is rock.

 

Watt comes out swinging on the intro of Chemical Rain, and Cobb's presence is palpably felt in the mix - then we get quite psychedelic, as Hughes shows just how masterful a songwriter he's always been. He takes things in a different direction very abruptly, but it feels right - in fact, it feels great. This has a definite Page-y pace, and under the familiar moving guitar part Hughes plays some brutally cool bass. I was just talking to George Lynch the other day about the glory of certain singing bass players and their ability to play a line that is both separate from the guitarist and their vocal lines, and this is a sterling example - listen closely, kids.

 

Midnight Oil is the first single release, and it's a great example of the more modern side of the band. I've never heard Hughes accompanied by female background singers, but it works quite well. Watt supplies some elastic guitar that makes things swing nicely, and Bonham is pushing and pulling fantastically. The fuzzed out first guitar solo is one of the biggest tones I've heard since American Woman, and Watt's second solo is even hotter - here's where you can hear that the kid can flat out burn.

 

Things slow down for All Falls Down as Hughes pours out his soul and he continues to earn the title of 'The Voice Of Rock.' He takes it from a whisper to a beautiful bellow on the chorus, and the dynamics are lush and lovely. Lyrically his heart is on his sleeve, and the arrangement is perfect for the content. This is sophisticated and still sweet, a trick that only a master magician can muster. Are there still hit singles? I don't listen to the radio, but this is a hit single, and Watt's stunning solo reminds me of those old Journey smashes, in which things would seem so calm, and then Neal Schon would take us straight to the stratosphere with an epic onslaught of guitaristic beauty. This one's a classic.

 

The Grey is as close as Glenn Hughes has ever gotten to punk rock - of course, this band doesn't ever stay in one place for long and soon enough, it's off to the futuristic races. This album is as interesting as a Kubrick film - it takes us to places we've never been, and it's fascinating trip. Watt throws down another brilliant solo, and I see why the Ronson comparisons have been made. He's a thrilling player, fearlessly jousting with Hughes and Bonham, two of rock's hardest hitters and faring very well.

 

You've never heard Glenn Hughes do anything remotely like what goes on in Days They Come - he's going places even he's never been, and when you hear the chorus, you'll congratulate him for his bravery. To be pushing your creative limits at the age of 62 accurately defines how one should live, and our man Hughes is getting it right. Wear a helmet for the chorus of this one, it careens pretty wildly. Dave Cobb is great with choosing vocal effects, and they are fabulous on this one. No one's ever really thought of dressing up 'the voice' like this before, and it fits well.

 

Spit You Out is more in the vein of modern/indie rock, taking a Bowiesque ride that is very pleasantly retro nouveau. Think Ziggy in the 21st century. Crazy stuff, but trust me, it's a great journey. Glam gets good in 2014. Great guitar sounds abound as the kid breaks out all the right moves.

 

Strummed acoustic guitars on a Hughes record? Oh, hell yes, and on Strong they blend well with Watt's electric orchestrations and the chorus is even a bit Beatle-y. Pop leanings are a welcome thing, and this again is brand new territory - Bonham handles it well, and keeps the ship in its lanes with a bit of Moon-tastic drumming. Again, it sounds like they're having great fun, breaking down some walls and moving into new arenas, which is as it should be.

 

Heading down the backstretch, Invisible brings out the big guns, and all three of the Breed are riffing large before things slow down and Glenn's vocal floats above the brilliant din, and Watt's guitar playing is most expressive as it carries the vocal down the river. After their debut Black Country Communion never made it again to this level of interplay between the members - this sounds like a band that enjoys itself. A glorious, joyful soundscape. Watt's leads are cool compositions of their own, and not just standard lead noodling. Great stuff.

 

Scars comes in on a wave of layered guitars and its sexy swagger is a welcome antidote to the down nature of our times. This cut is a perfect example of the age range of the band's members - you've got a solid connection to the past with some nice references to the black country history of Bonham and Hughes, but new kid Watt keeps this in place as a fine slice of modernistic rock. Excitement - that's a word I keep coming back to with this record. It's exciting, and I don't say that about too many records these days. I don't know where the songs are leading, and yet again, and again, they're thrilling me when I get to the destination.

 

Most acoustic work accompanies Hughes on the intro to Breathe, and as things develop you hear where the singer has been headed every since he returned to his rock roots back in 2010. I'm damned glad to have him back in this arena, because he's an artist - first, and foremost - he follows his muse faithfully, not stopping to pay heed to naysayers, or unbelievers. The man is true to his soul, and how many classic rockers can you say that about these days? He's got a team that is right beside him putting out 110% at every moment - nobody wants to pack up and go home, nobody's waiting around to get paid, and when you hear this tune fade, you'll just hit repeat.

 

California Breed is going to be tough to beat as the year progresses towards the inevitable top tens, and if you haven't pre-ordered this record yet, go ahead and do that now. You aren't going to want to be a day late for this party.

 

Glenn Hughes - congratulations, my friend. You took what could have been a hard setback, and you've turned it into a great success, and an inspiration for anyone who chooses to pay attention. I know what it took, and you passed with more than flying colors.

 

And, we have a new guitar hero in Andrew Watt - playing for the tune and the thrills is a beautiful thing.

[Rod in Toronto]

It´s sentences like "He's just told me that this is his best work in 30 years, and I wholeheartedly agree." that worry me. I don´t know what drives artists to say that at every new release...it´s ok to say something to try to boost the record sales, but wait until the next GH solo album comes out and see if he´s not gonna say the exact same thing about it! When I hear stuff like that I always think of a few episodes of Law & Order where the lawyer says to the defendant "were you lying then or are you lying now?"

 

But hey, with this one it´s already two negative posts from me about this band, and I don´t want to sound bitter. I´m actually looking forward to the record.

[Presto-digitation]

It´s sentences like "He's just told me that this is his best work in 30 years, and I wholeheartedly agree." that worry me. I don´t know what drives artists to say that at every new release...it´s ok to say something to try to boost the record sales, but wait until the next GH solo album comes out and see if he´s not gonna say the exact same thing about it! When I hear stuff like that I always think of a few episodes of Law & Order where the lawyer says to the defendant "were you lying then or are you lying now?"

 

But hey, with this one it´s already two negative posts from me about this band, and I don´t want to sound bitter. I´m actually looking forward to the record.

 

Well I expect artists to be excited about what they doing. Naturally that gets old sometimes, but few artists truly feel -- and less compelled to admit -- "Yeah, this is pretty average work for us and on a scale of 1-to-10 I'd rate my excitement level at a solid 5."

 

:D

 

But I get what you mean. I also get tired of critical gushings too, but given it's someone else who's heard the full album when not a ton of folks have, it's worth mining for bits of useful info where it can be found.

[Rod in Toronto]

I just heard my first Rival Sons track, and it seems it´ll be the first of MANY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ijOlAR3zs8

[Presto-digitation]

Good! They've only a few albums, so it won't take much to catch up. Enjoy man....