[hand] [face]
The Original Deep Purple Web Pages
The Highway Star

California Breed

California Breed publicity shot

After a period of rumours and speculations, today Classic Rock has revealed details about Glenn Hughes’ new band California Breed. Said to be born “out of the ashes of BCC”, the trio includes Jason Bonham and a young guitarist Andrew Watt, whom Glenn describes as “is influenced by Mick Ronson as he is Jimmy Page”. Julian Lennon introduced him to Hughes some time last year. 12 tracks have been recorded for a yet untitled album, which is due in May on Frontiers Records.

Thanks to Classic Rock, Yvonne Osthausen, and Daniel Bengtsson for the info.



31 Comments to “California Breed”:

  1. 1
    Deeperpurps says:

    Very happy to see Glenn back in action with Jason Bonham and with what appears to be a new guitar prodigy. Glenn is one of the strongest members of the Purple family. His catalogue is impressive and of very high quality. I am hoping that this new project rises far above the ashes of BCC and takes Glenn to new heights of recognition and exposure. He is a huge talent who deserves to be heard. Am really looking forward to hearing the new album!

  2. 2
    T says:

    The teaser snippet is quite Zeppelinesque indeed–from the trash can bang-sounding drums to the guitar riffing. I am disappointed at the lack of a Hammond organ as BCC had–but I will reserve final judgement for when I have more than 16 seconds to listen to. Vocals are typically Hughes–which is to say awesome.

  3. 3
    Tracy(Zero the Hero)Heyder says:

    I must admit that I am highly enthusiastic and really looking forward to this. This ‘kid’ as Hughes proclaims is quite a musician. He is a multifaceted talent and seems to have a lot of fire under his wings. He is young and in touch with many styles of music and I believe will bring a current sound to some great classic style music. He can play drums, bass, piano, keyboard, and of course guitar. Plus he has a great voice. I am quite exited to see this come about. As much as I loved BCC, they put out 3 incredible albums and a LIVE DVD that we have under our belt to enjoy. Now we get something entirely different and I am confident will please most of the masses. I am pleased about the Trio approach and glad they didn’t continue on with BCC and a new guitarist. The ‘kid’ can add keyboard in the studio and even LIVE if they so desire. Eddie Van Halen did it with ‘Jump’ and others. I’m not too keen on the name they have chosen though. As for an album title, since they are stating it to be born “out of the ashes of BCC”, a great edgy album title would be “Up From the ASSES”.

    Below is the EPK of Andrew Watt recording. Quite impressive indeed:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UijOhteOE04

    !Ch-BeerZ?

  4. 4
    al says:

    haters start the the sarcasm and bashing Glenn for his hair or looks!

  5. 5
    ratbat says:

    Looking forward to this !

  6. 6
    Tracy(Zero the Hero)Heyder says:

    Plus, he is wearing a Sabbath ‘Heaven and Hell’ tee shirt in this LIVE Performance video of ‘Chameleon’. That says a lot….

    Check out this LIVE version here:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szOs7qX6HgU

    !Ch-BeerZ?

  7. 7
    Ken Kruszka says:

    Rock on Jason!! You’re why I still play…

  8. 8
    Alecia Kruszka Roberts says:

    JB! Just read this, this morning!

  9. 9
    Iain says:

    I am really looking forward to the album in May, the clip sounds great a really heavy funk sound, which i much prefer to the retro classic rock sound of Bcc.
    Andrew sounds like a great young talent who could make this band something special.
    Looking forward to being blown away by some gigs this summer,

  10. 10
    stoffer says:

    This ‘kid’ Andrew Watt seems really cool, I like his style and can see a bright future for him. Is it going to be with California Breed?!, who knows but I’ll bet he will make a name for ‘himself’ with or without GH. Good luck to the & I will give it an objective listen.

  11. 11
    Paullo says:

    I cant understand why glenn wouldn’t work with john sykes in a band altogether. john has recently teamed up with ex dream teather drummer and they were looking for a bass player. John did service glenn on his http work brilliantly. I feel the chemistry is defenately there. im not a big fan of Jason quite honestly but I did really love glens work circa 2003 when jj marsh was at the helm of guitars.
    At this point I feel glenn should be his own man, or that he would go back and do trapeze or that frame of work again.
    glenn is an extremely talented player. I just feel he needs to take his time and put out a great title instead of a few relatively good ones.his legacy is already there.
    don’t try to reinvent the wheel glenn. stick to old school, that’s where you excell

  12. 12
    Chrissy says:

    Another band with Glenn Hughes!!! Anyone want to take bets on how long this one will last,before Glenn blows this one up?

  13. 13
    kraatzy says:

    Bye Bye Joe Bonamassa you are a silly p…-diva …

    LLRnR

    kraatzy

  14. 14
    Les Hedger says:

    Glenn has a great voice. It would be nice if he was promoted more in this country (USA).

  15. 15
    Tracy(Zero the Hero)Heyder says:

    T@2;

    I agree with you about the Zep sound. Only 16 seconds out of probably 70 minutes of music doesn’t scratch the surface though. I have a feeling this album will be all over the place regarding song direction and style. With Glenn loving funk, soul, and rock while Andrew seems to have the same flavor along with grunge and pop, and Jason of course having the genes of the great Zep drummer, this album will probably touch on every genre out there but, all will be on the heavy side. As for the lack of Hammond???? Personally I’m glad. This is going to be stripped down, straight forward, in your face music. This totally separates them from the BCC reference. Don’t be surprised though if some keys of some sort creep in here and there due to ‘the Kid’ having some skills in that area….

    !Ch-BeerZ?

  16. 16
    Linda Lee says:

    cool

  17. 17
    Svante Axbacke says:

    Bonamassa diva? Yeah, and I’m sure Hughes was totally innocent in the BCC breakup…

  18. 18
    MacGregor says:

    Call me a cynic, but for Hughes to ‘find’ a young naive & inexperienced guitar player after Bonamassa, is well, ironic isn’t it? At least Hughes will be in ‘control’ eh? I am glad Bonamassa sorted Hughes out, the EGO in BCC was Hughes, he NEEDS to be a ‘ROCK STAR’, hence the image above, another (me, myself & I) marketing shot! Embarrassing & the young guitarist hopefully won’t get caught up in the out of control ego thing, but me thinks he will! He is just copying old school riffs, another young guitarist inspired by the greats & hence, incapable of anything original more than likely! It has all been before guys, play me something original & not heard before! We had it here in Oz a few years back with Wolfmother, old school inspired ‘rock’, a good ‘modern’ rock band considering, but how long did that last? He (Andrew Watt) may prove me wrong I hope, but we will see! Anticipating a few replies! Cheers.

  19. 19
    Ian Crookston says:

    looking forward to hearing new band and new album !!!!!

  20. 20
    Drdp says:

    I’m not mad at Bonamassa. I will still support his product and eventually see him play live. But I still think he could have done both of these projects.
    BCC were the best ”new” band in ages and were really stirring an interest in NEW ”classic” ROCK. Now I realize he released a massive amount of DVD and CD material in 2013 and for “Afterglow” to be properly showcased, a tour was necessary at the time. So maybe the 3rd BCC release should have been held up until now when Joe COULD have toured it. It seems he fashions himself a modern day Clapton or even Gary Moore. But even those 2 legends had enough time for side projects.

  21. 21
    Slowtrain says:

    Along with Joe Lynn Turner, Glenn Hughes is the only Purple singer whose voice is still great today. Both he and Joe have taken care of their voices and still can sing the high notes with power and clarity. Like many others, I would love to see Glenn touring through Canada and North America, rather than just the occasional European shows.

  22. 22
    al says:

    @12 I guess you could not wait to say that man! everything ends eventually,Blow up this one ?! They made 3 albums in 3 years (BCC).Some old bands could barely make a song in that many years! Of course that was pressure of touring and supporting the album.The blame goes both ways,but it was good while it lasted,let’s just see what this kid has in store for us.

  23. 23
    a bloke from wales says:

    Glenn Hughes what a bloody soap opera. THINK , before you kiss his egotistical ass why did RB jettison Deep Purple in 1975 . Glenn Hughes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  24. 24
    Drdp says:

    Who gives a toss about his hair?
    Just never, EVER loose that VOICE.

  25. 25
    al says:

    @23 what’s with all the Exclamation marks ! Are you high on something dude ? just to remind you we are in 2014 not in 1975 !

  26. 26
    purplepriest1965 says:

    Mac Gregor.

    Where did you hear those advance tapes?

    Cheers.

  27. 27
    metalo says:

    Very dissapointing news!!! Here we go again with more super-boring “funk style music”; What a waste!! Glenn Hughes has one of the most elite voices in the Heavy Metal World, and we get more boring non-metal music; He should have formed a neo-classical / metal style band, in the same vain as Rainbow, Deep Purple, Eric Norlander (rome is burning vocals), John Norum – Face the Truth, Hughes Turner Project, Black Sabbath – Seventh Star, etc…. Please, give the fans what they want – not boring funk, black country communion , stuff, but melodic metal.

  28. 28
    al says:

    @27

    Neo calssical ? boring as hell ! I cannot stand these musicians from Sweden,so generic and not quality at all,they all sound the same.You haven’t heard the album yet and you assuming you re not going to like it ?! Give a few more months and then make your review mate.Melodic? Europe is melodic band but they suck and they are cheesy!
    yes Europe are melof

    cheers

  29. 29
    Tracy(Zero the Hero)Heyder says:

    Yes al@27;

    There are those whom make up their mind or make decisions around here without even taking a listen first. I believe ‘metalo’ may actually be my old buddy ‘KlausVonScribe’ incognito…..

    !Ch-BeerZ?

  30. 30
    al says:

    @ 29 oh boy and we are in real trouble dude if that is the case ! lol

  31. 31
    Peed Rupple says:

    Glenn should really comb his hair before leaving his crib in the morning.

Add a comment:

Preview no longer available -- once you press Post, that's it. All comments are subject to moderation policy.

||||Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
© 1993-2024 The Highway Star and contributors
Posts, Calendar and Comments RSS feeds for The Highway Star