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First there was his hot-selling documentary, Runnin' Down A Dream (directed by Peter Bogdanovich, no less). T hen there was his enthusiastically received Super Bowl performance.

Petty then got back together with his first band, Mudcrutch, for an album and mini tour (the latter of which has been documented on the upcoming Mudcrutch Extended Play Live EP, due 10 and 11 November).

And if that weren't enough, Petty & The Heartbreakers tore up the road recently, surprising skeptics by taking in over $34 million and coming in third behind country artist Kenny Chesney ($62 million) and The Police ($45 million) amongst top-grossing summer tours.

Exclusive interview

"The audience that comes out and supports us the way they do...Sometimes I'd just stand, amazed" - Tom Petty

In a fascinating interview posted on his website (conducted by fellow rocker Warren Zanes), Tom Petty talks about the Bogdanovich documentary, Mudcrutch, the late George Harrison (with whom Petty formed The Traveling Wilburys) and much more. Here are some excerpts:

The critical response and the audience response suggest that Runnin' Down A Dream is the kind of movie that has a good shot at being considered for a Grammy. Have you and Peter talked about this?

"I try not to think too much about those kind of things. But I will say that I think this is the case of something turning out to be an extraordinary project.

"Peter wasn't from the rock 'n' roll world, which actually attracted me to him as a possible director on the project. I sensed that it could be an interesting chemical reaction if he was immersed in the life of this band. There are directors who do a lot of rock 'n' roll movie-making - that didn't speak to me in quite the same way. And what happened is that Peter fell in love with the band and the music. He put his whole heart into the movie."

Do you think he's meeting more girls by hanging out with rock 'n' roll bands?

"I certainly hope so." [laughs]

On the subject of George Harrison, it struck me that George's impulse to create The Traveling Wilburys - in the very moment that his own career was hitting a peak with Cloud Nine - was a really pure and ultimately musical move to make, even if it was unexpected. Was your decision to reform Mudcrutch at all influenced by George's kind of thinking?

"Well, maybe. I think George's move - I'm sure of it really - had to do with the fact that he just didn't want to be the guy up front, no matter that he had a number one album at the time. He never wanted that. And The Wilburys gave him a way around it. He wanted another band, and this solution conveniently got him out of having to lead The George Harrison Show.

"I think I often feel the same way. There are times I'd just like to step into the crowd, but I have to be responsible for standing up front and singing every song. The great thing about Mudcrutch is that these are guys who knew me long before I was successful - and they still treat me that way." Touring success

Rolling Stone reported [on the success of] The Heartbreakers' tour. Are you surprised after all these years?

"It's something we're very proud of. And it certainly makes us appreciate the audience that comes out and supports us the way they do. Sometimes I'd just stand, amazed.

"The sheer volume they produced most nights. And to see them all show up in those kind of numbers was humbling. It's so many years down the line, and they're still coming in to see us and having such a great time, and in a moment when life is hard for a lot of people and the dollar is precious. I was moved, really.

"Rock 'n' roll. It's hard to find. But we deliver the real thing, quality rock 'n' roll from what I think is one of the best rock 'n' roll bands in the world."

Click here to read the rest!

In case anyone didn't know what to expect from Mudcrutch, lead singer Tom Petty set the capacity crowd straight after the first number Monday at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium.

"You've come to the right place if you're looking for some good old hippie music tonight," the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said, a bass guitar around his neck and a wide grin across his face.

And the quintet - including Mike Campbell on guitar and Benmont Tench on keyboards from Petty's current band, the Heartbreakers - delivered as promised, conjuring memories of the Flying Burrito Brothers, the latter-day Byrds and even the Grateful Dead on both new songs and familiar oldies from its Florida bar-band past.

It was nothing earth-shaking, but the joy and friendship emanating from the stage was contagious.

Click here to read the rest!!!

DEBUT ALBUM FROM MUDCRUTCH AVAILABLE APRIL 29CALIFORNIA TOUR DATES START APRIL 12HIGHWAY COMPANION CLUB PRESALES BEGIN FRIDAY MARCH 21

The long awaited debut album from Mudcrutch, recorded in just two weeks lastAugust, will be released on Reprise Records on April 29. Mudcrutch featuresTom Petty, Mike Campbell, Benmont Tench, Tom Leadon, and Randall Marsh.

In the early 70's, they were heroes in their hometown of Gainesville,Florida. Mudcrutch seemed poised for more. But the band never cracked thenational music scene or made a full album. Now, more than 30 years later andquite unexpectedly, the Mudcrutch story continues. In addition to the release of the album on April 29, the band will undertakea short tour of intimate California venues starting on April 12 in Malibu and ending with a four-night run at the 500 capacity Troubadour in LosAngeles.

Mudcrutch Tour Dates:
April 12- Benefit For The Midnight Mission at Malibu PAC, Malibu, CA
April 14- Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, CA
April 16- Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
April 17- Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
April 19- Arlington Theatre, Santa Barbara, CA
April 20- Ventura Theater, Ventura, CA
April 22- Concerts in The Park, Alpine, CA
April 25- Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
April 26- Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
April 28- Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA
April 29- Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA

Click here to read the rest!!!

Mike Campbell has been laying down tasteful, unobtrusive licks for over 30 years, and while that might be enough for lesser constitutions, he’s showing no signs of slowing down. We sit down with Mike to talk about the music, the gear and the state of rock n’ roll.

For well over 30 years, Mike Campbell’s tasteful guitar playing has been a key ingredient to the success of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Although initially inspired by first generation rock n’ rollers Scotty Moore and Luther Perkins, his primary influences can be traced to the 1960s, particularly guitarists from the British Invasion, including George Harrison, Keith Richards and Brian Jones. Mike’s straightforward melodies have served as the cornerstones of many rock classics, including “Breakdown,” “American Girl,” “Refugee” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream,” with his understated playing giving these songs an eternal freshness. Relying on melody, tone and dynamics versus flash, even Campbell’s earliest work with the Heartbreakers sounded mature beyond his years.

Click here to read the rest!!!

Mudcrutch mangement has asked me to let everyone know that THIS (above left) is the correct album artwork for the Mudcrutch CD. Scheduled to be released April 29, 2008. Pre-order NOW at amazon.com.

The one floating around with stitching on it, as seen on Mudcrutch Farm (above right) is WROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONGA! (I actually had a law teacher who pronounced wrong that way, kinda stuck.)

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The U.S. festival frenzy continues with today's (March 3) announcement that Radiohead, Tom Petty and Jack Johnson will headline San Francisco's inaugural Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival, to be held Aug. 22-24 at Golden Gate Park.

"This has been a project we've been working on for almost three years," Superfly Productions president Jonathan Mayers tells Billboard.com. "We're going to produce something special here -- something that maybe the Bay Area hasn't seen before."

Additional acts for Outside Lands will be announced in the coming weeks, says Mayers, who promises a "strong and diverse" lineup of such musical genres as rock, blues, reggae, jazz, hip-hop, world, soul, Latin and electronic. The festival, which will boast five main performance stages, will also feature a number of local Bay Area artists.

The event is being produced by Superfly Productions, Another Planet Entertainment and Star Hill Presents, in cooperation with the San Francisco Recreation & Park Department. Mayers, whose company produces the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival in conjunction with A.C.

Entertainment, says Outside Lands tickets will go on sale around the end of March."We are starting with a three-day ticket and depending on availability we're going to do single-day tickets," he explains. "We're still finalizing the exact price, but we're going to offer an initial discounted ticket to people."

A portion of every ticket sold will benefit Golden Gate Park, which has hosted a number of concerts over the years, including the Tibetan Freedom Concert, Peter Gabriel's WOMAD Festival and the Guinness Fleadh Festival.

The 1,000-plus acre park has also seen performances from such artists as Pearl Jam, Neil Young and Dave Matthews.Noting that concerts are nothing new for Golden Gate Park, Mayers says Outside Lands will be the first music event there to run past 6 p.m. "We're going until the 10 o1clock curfew on Friday and Saturday," he says.

"It's a little bit earlier on Sunday. That alone will be special."Outside Lands will arrive approximately one month prior to San Francisco's Treasure Island Music Festival (Sept. 20-21) and several months ahead of the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival (April 25-27) in Indio, Calif. Despite the competition in California, not to mention other large-scale festivals throughout North America, Mayers is confident that Outside Lands will draw about 60,000 nationwide concertgoers per day.

"While we stay aware of what's out there, I think our philosophy is to stay focused on what we're doing and just make it the best event it can be," he explains. "I'm confident it will go great. And I'm sure the other events will do great as well -- there's certainly room.

"Mayers adds that the combined knowledge and experience of Superfly Productions (which also produces the Vegoose event in Las Vegas) and Bay Area-based Another Planet Entertainment will prove beneficial to festival-goers. "[Another Planet] is doing great shows and have a lot of experience on the local level," Mayers observes. "We bring the expertise on the festival level.

It's about creating more than just a normal concert. We're really trying to build an annual tradition in San Francisco -- something that really integrates into the community."

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New release date according to Amazon.com, April 15th!

Click here for Amazon

Got this email last week from Red Slater.

Hello Sean-

Glad you got the site running again. I was surprised to see it missing.

I heard the Mudcrutch CD will be out early March, so I will probably start up a Google ad soon. Thanks for the reference to my site.

If you want a Mudcrutch picture for your site, just let me know. I will be glad to give you something.

Red

Reminder: All music released in the United States is released on a TUESDAY! So start watching your local stores!

About Red Slater & Mudcrutch (from RedSlater.com)

In 1969 I moved in with a friend, Randall Marsh, and his roommate, Mike Campbell. The old cracker house was on the north side of Gainesville, and somewhat isolated...but the rent was cheap. They were then playing in a band called 'Dead or Alive', which played local venues.

I had been taking pictures in Gainesville for several years, so setting up my darkroom in the small bedroom there was quite normal.

In 1970 Randall auditioned for a band that Tom Pety and Tom Leadon were forming.

Tom was playing bass at the time, and when Randall suggested his roommate could play lead, Mike came out holding a cheap guitar, only to meet some skeptical looks. It only took a few chords of 'Johnny B. Goode', and, well, the rest is history.

By late 1970 the first Mudcrutch music festival was happening at the house, soon to be nicknamed 'Mudcrutch Farm.'

I took pictures of the band as it evolved, with my final pictures being in 1974. To be honest, I never dreamed that these guys would be so successful. I was just taking pictures of them because they were my friends.

My pictures have been used in the 'Playback' collection, the 'Anthology Through the Years' CD, on VH1's 'Behind the Music - Tom Petty', in the Rolling Stone and Goldmine magazines, and in the book 'Conversations With Tom Petty.' At the end of 2007, more pictures were included in the book and movie 'Runnin' Down a Dream.'

You may recognize some of the images here, but some have never been published. I hope you enjoy them..... Red Slater

Visit www.redslater.com

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