Video premiere: California Breed's 'Sweet Tea'

New power trio California Breed plays music that sounds like it has been in 1973 but isn't stuck there.

The group, which premieres its video for debut single Sweet Tea at USA TODAY, contains three generations of musicians — vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes, 62, a veteran English rocker whose réesumé includes time with Deep Purple; drummer Jason Bonham, 47, who filled in for his father, John Bonham, during Led Zeppelin's reunion gigs; and Andrew Watt, 23, a young guitar hero in the making.

"The rock-swagger vibe of this record is so great," Hughes says. "There's a greasy, nasty sound that I really enjoy."

Sweet Tea appears on the trio's self-titled album, due May 20 from Frontiers Records. The group recorded in Nashville last December with Dave Cobb, who also has produced Jamey Johnson, Shooter Jennings and Rival Sons.

"We were there for 17 days, and we completely recorded it — here's the kicker, all live onto two-inch tape," Hughes says. "It's the first time in my career where I sang the entire album, from tip to toe, live."

Hughes says Cobb began the sessions by asking Watt and Bonham to play together, with Hughes providing guide vocals. After Hughes overdubbed a bass part and got ready to add his vocals, he says, Cobb told him, "You've already sung it." The group ended up recording the rest of the album the same way.

"We recorded each track twice, drums and guitar, then I over-dubbed the bass on the comps of those songs," Hughes says. "I sang the songs twice, and Dave comped my vocal tracks from each song, and we had a full, complete album."

Hughes and Bonham had played together for three years in Black Country Communion. Hughes met Watt at a pre-Grammys part in Los Angeles last February via Julian Lennon, who appears on California Breed's last track, Breathe.

"I saw this kid walking toward me, and he looked very much like I did in 1970 — long hair, had a really cool hat on," Hughes says. "He spoke my language musically."

Watt sent Hughes some demos, and Hughes found himself impressed not just with the material but with the way Watt approached his playing. "It's not so much shredding guitar, it's coming from Mick Ronson, it's coming from John Frusciante, it's coming from Jimmy Page," he says. "I thought, this would be really good if we could make a trio of this, and there was only one guy in mind to play drums. That was Jason."

The band has yet to play its first show and won't until later this year. "We've all got commitments until the end of the summer," says Hughes. A tour is planned for late September. "It just sounds liked the band has been fomenting underneath the surface for quite some time."

The track listing for California Breed follows:

1. The Way
2. Sweet Tea
3. Chemical Rain
4. Midnight Oil
5. All Falls Down
6. The Grey
7. Days They Come
8. Spit You Out
9. Strong
10. Invisible
11. Scars
12. Breathe
13. Solo (Bonus Track)