Adrian and Tony Perry’s dad (Aerosmith’s Joe Perry) may rave about the wonders of Pro Tools recording technology, but these well-schooled classic rock descendants who call themselves TAB The Band might as well come from the pre-Pro Tools era. Their debut album, Pulling Out Just Enough To Win, released this past January (North Street Records), has a ‘60s/’70s throwback vibe that comes off as refreshing rather than rehashing.
The leader of this power trio (which also included drummer Ben Tileston), singer/bassist Adrian Perry has no physical resemblance to Mick Jagger, but that distinctive attitude and sneering-style vocal attack he invented in the ‘60s has clearly rubbed off on the younger Perry (just as The Stones influenced his father’s band). Hear it on tracks like the sleazy, bluesy and Stonesy “Paid For By,” “Chuckles” and on the timeless raw rocker and live favorite “Secretary’s Day,” a should-be hit in a perfect world.
The bright chords on pop ditty “CYT” make for another sunny song with a harmony vocal tag team (via the Perry boys) and an obvious ‘60s garage rock vibe. It also serves as tribute of sorts to soldiers: “California here I come/Another broken soldier on the run.”
TAB The Band takes the listener through the record’s eleven-track journey via pure, no bullshit rock and roll and does it with all the exuberant youthful energy you’d expect from a college rock band. And though Adrian Perry’s tuneful yells recall similarly classic rock-minded Australian rockers Jet and legendary rock voices of the past, the raw passion on this disc is all his own.
The same could be said about guitarist Tony Perry as well, whose slide-guitar playing on many tracks could be traced back to any of his father’s projects (early Aerosmith and the Joe Perry Project), yet is performed with a heaviness and precision that separates him from his father. Tracks like “The Continental, TBE” and the butt-kickin’ slide guitar-dominating CD closer “The Captain” follow in this trend. The latter also features a bold lyric lift – “your rabbit gone died — from the Steven Tyler-penned Aerosmith classic “Sweet Emotion.” So maybe TAB is just asking to be compared to Aerosmith, after all.
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