The rhythm section came from the supergroup Black Country Communion, which also included guitarist Joe Bonamassa. When BBC split due to the increasing demands of the guitarist's solo career, Hughes and Bonham decided that the chemistry they generated together was too valuable to abandon; they decided to form another band. Finding another guitarist of the caliber each man was used to working with was no mean feat.

Hughes received a telephone call from Julian Lennon; he suggested the 23-year-old Watt. During his first rehearsal with Hughes, the pair wrote two songs. The bassist was impressed by the final product of this session and called Bonham, who enthusiastically agreed.

After writing a substantial amount of material, the trio decided to record with producer Dave Cobb at his Nashville studio. They cut the album live from the floor, and the two tracks written by Watt and Hughes on that first day -- "Chemical Rain" and "Solo" -- both made the final album cut. The hard-rocking meld of blues, post-grunge, and funk was issued as California Breed by Frontiers in May of 2014. The set entered the Billboard Top 200 chart at number 78. ~ Thom Jurek, Rovi