Pumped began life in September 2023 when bassist Sam Helsel texted his old buddy, guitarist Darren Winston about an upcoming Aerosmith concert Helsel had tickets for:
SH: They just canceled all their shows for the rest of the year. Let’s go see an Aerosmith tribute band!
DW: Let’s START an Aerosmith tribute band…!
SH: Exactly what I was thinking. Seriously
SH: Talking to Al P (guitarist Al Perez) right now about putting together Asmith band
DW: (thumbs up)
SH: I’m texting Mazzei (John Mazzei) the drummer now to see if he’s interested
DW: (thumbs up)
SH: He’s in. Do you think you could gig once every 2 months?
DW: Definitely!
SH: Cool. Let’s rehearse…see how it sounds and then put out an ad looking for our Steven Tyler. Sound good?
DW: Sounds perfect
The whole exchange took minutes.
A few months later enter singer Ali McDowell. She’s their Steven Tyler.
The Band:
Ali McDowell – vocals and harmonica
Al Perez – guitars
Darren Winston – guitars
Sam Helsel – bass
John Mazzei – drums
The real beginnings of the band go back to 1979. Fifth-grader Winston meets eighth-grader Helsel in their North Jersey middle school. It’s Aerosmith they first bond over. Live! Bootleg had been released barely a year before school started that fall and a live version of “Dream On” from that record played constantly on New York radio. At the same time, their single of Come Together/Kings and Queens was on the jukebox in their local diner, constantly being played between turns at Space Invaders and the inevitable milkshake. It was all Aerosmith, all the time, or so it seemed. At 10 and 13 they were hooked.
Fast forward 45 years (!) and Helsel had spent a lifetime playing music in New Jersey—first drums, then bass, guitar in between. Winston’s been playing guitar since age 10, in Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. When her aunt gave her vinyl copies of Aerosmith and Toys in the Attic, it was love at first bite for Ali McDowell. Watching Joe Perry play his black Les Paul played a part in her inspiration to learn guitar at age 12. Al Perez picked up his first guitar at 12. His affair with The Boys From Boston can be traced back to the ‘70s, courtesy of his cousin blasting Draw The Line on the home stereo. He has been plying his trade, first in his native Queens, New York, then in New Jersey, since 2000. John Mazzei has been driving bands from behind his kit since he was 16, first on Long Island then in Jersey.
What brought them together in 2023 was the idea of picking up the torch for the kick-ass music of Aerosmith and kicking some ass themselves!