Thurs. Oct. 23 

The kids will have their say. Still, the apples have not fallen from far from the tree.  Just two borrowed phrases that spring to mind while seeing or listening to TAB the Band, a blues-influenced hard rock trio, that plays Great Scott Thursday Oct. 23. The “apples” are lead singer-bassist Adrian Perry, 26, and guitarist-backing vocalist Tony Perry, 21, and the “tree” is Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, 57 (but seemingly ageless). It was not, the Perry brothers say, inevitable that they end up in a band together. Or, even in a band at all. Adrian is at Georgetown University Law School; Tony just transferred to Boston University after studying film for two years in New York. (Drummer Ben Tileston, 20, is a longtime friend and neighbor of Tony’s – he’s also attending B.U., studying classical percussion.) But rock ‘n’ roll is, obviously, in the Perry blood - as it was for Jason Bonham, Sean Lennon, Jakob Dylan and sundry other rock offspring.
     TAB the Band released two EPs last year and their debut full-length CD, “Pulling Out Just Enough to Win,” recorded at Aerosmith’s Vindaloo studio in Hanover, Mass., in January. At the end of February, they played a private charity gig with their dad at the Hard Rock Café – doing a few of their own songs, Aerosmith blues-rockers, Joe Perry solo numbers and a ripping cover of the Beatles’ “Helter Skelter.” “It’s great to be here with my boys and my next door neighbor,” said Joe, from the stage.
       I joined TAB the Band backstage for a chat, following the 90-minute set. (Joe was not there; he’s played four concerts with them, but both he and TAB the Band agree the band needs to establish itself on its own.) The CD is chockablock with classic-sounding rock, influenced by Aerosmith, the Rolling Stones, and the Who. Is there an over-riding theme?
     “It deals with the celebration and tabloidization of the celebrity lifestyle,” says Adrian. “It’s become ubiquitous. The songs take various perspectives criticizing it, celebrating it or both.”
      TAB the Band formed in 2006, Its mission: to take the vintage Aerosmith/Stones sound of the early ‘70s, pump it up and keep songs tight.  “When we got together we just said we want to rock out,” says Adrian. “Make it really organic. There’s no superfluous parts. We don’t shove guitar solos in.” (The disc clocks in at 34:01.)
   Adds Tony: “I think we put a nice little spin on classic rock, modernize it, shorten it up. People nowadays don’t have the patience – they like their short pop songs and people want to rock, too.” Their songs have a whiff of raunch, a little snarl and a parcel of hooks. “Secretary’s Day,” the single, is a sizzler, but the whole album kicks ass in a smart way. Short, sharp shocks.
      The backstory: Adrian and Joe played separately for years. Adrian grew up with his mother and Joe’s first wife, Elissa, on the west coast; Tony grew up with his mother and Joe’s second wife, Billie, in Duxbury. They saw each other on holidays and long weekends, jammed on Aerosmith songs, wrote goofy rap songs, and in 2006 it came together: Despite their scholarly pursuits, they would follow dad into the family business. Tony brought in Tileston, with whom he’d played in various bands since high school.
      For the band’s name, they took the first letter of their first names to form the TAB part.  “It made sense at the time,” says Tony. “There was no thought given to it.” Adding “the Band” suffix, they say, was to a) avoid a lawsuit from the Coca-Cola Company and, b) be at the top of Google search. (It worked; their website comes up first and their myspace page second.)
     Silly name? Maybe. But the Perrys say, look at many classic rock names, like the Who and the Beatles. What did they mean before they became what they became? TAB the Band may not reach those heights, but they’d be happy to let the music do the talking and then have you decide. (This is a version of a story that ran in the Boston Phoenix earlier this year.) The Great Scott gig is also Township's CD release party and they're headling, with TAB the Band on just before. Opening: Party Wolf and Loverless. Show starts at 9 and costs $9,

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