Happy Birthday Stan Lynch - Happy Birthday to founding Heartbreaker Stan Lynch! Drummer, producer and songwriter Stan Lynch's career reads like a rock'n'roll fairy tale: from 1975 to 1994, as a founding member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Lynch toured around the world, enjoyed a string of hit records, and gained high acclaim as a drummer's drummer among his peers. Apart from the enduring work he crafted with the Heartbreakers, Lynch's stage and studio credits as a drummer also include the likes of Bob Dylan, Don Henley, Aretha Franklin, The Eurythmics, Roger McGuinn, Stevie Nicks, Del Shannon, T-Bone Burnett, and Warren Zevon.

Brian Setzer Opens 1st Leg - The Brian Setzer Trio will join recent "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" inductees Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers on the road for a 3 week US summer tour. Beginning June 28th in Cleveland and ending July 20th in Charlotte, the Gretschs and the Rickenbackers will be out in full force as Brian and Tom share the same stage for the first time since they played together at some open-air festivals in the mid 80s.

Split With Howie - LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Veteran rock band Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers has parted ways with its bass player of 20 years, citing his "ongoing personal problems."

Howie Epstein, who got into trouble with the law last year, will be replaced on tour by Ron Blair, the original member he subbed for in 1982, the band said in a statement on Thursday.

The group's management firm declined to comment any further on the personnel shift, the first since drummer Stan Lynch left in 1994 after a blowout with bandleader Petty. The band, which formed in 1975, is best known for such hits as "American Girl," "Refugee" and "You Got Lucky."

Epstein, now 46, and partner Carlene Carter, daughter of country music icon June Carter Cash, were arrested in New Mexico last year while driving a vehicle that was reportedly stolen. Inside, state troopers found nearly three grams of black tar heroin and drug paraphernalia. Carter was charged with heroin possession, and both with receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle. The cases were ultimately dismissed.

Epstein, a Milwaukee native who had previously played with John Hiatt and Del Shannon, joined the Heartbreakers in 1982. In addition to his work on the bass, he sang harmony. Blair, now 49, had quit the band, exhausted by the hectic touring regimen and frustrated that his contributions were under-appreciated, according to the liner notes of the band's 1995 boxed set, "Playback." He opened a swimwear store in Los Angeles, and occasionally played around town.

"It was becoming a little too much, and I just needed to stop. And it was just kinda agreed that I would leave the band and they'd bring in somebody else," Blair said in a Disney Channel documentary that aired in 1994.

Remarkably, in that documentary, he jokingly predicted that he would return to the fold.

"It's been a real friendly situation, and I'm scheduled to rejoin the band in 2001, so it's all cool!"

The band is preparing to launch a nine-week U.S. tour beginning June 27 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and will release a new studio album in October, its first since the commercially disappointing "Echo" in 1999.

Its first two albums, "Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers" (1976) and "You're Gonna Get It!" (1978) were recently re-mastered and re-issued.

Official Press Release - TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS will tour the U.S. this summer. The tour will commence June 27 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and end September 1 in Concord, California.

The band, whom were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last March, will release a new album, their first in nearly three years, in October. More shows will be added in October following the album's release. Details will be announced at a later date.

The tour will feature the return of the Heartbreakers' original bass player Ron Blair. The band has parted ways with Howie Epstein because of his ongoing personal problems.

Special arrangements have been made for a limited number of tickets to be available through tompetty.com prior to the general on-sale date. Unlike other ticket clubs which charge a fee for the right to pre-order tickets, no extra charges over and above customary Ticketmaster and fulfillment fees will be added to the ticket price for sales through tompetty.com. Full details are posted on the tompetty.com website.

Special guests on the tour will be announced shortly.

The dates, venues and general on-sale dates are listed below.

6/27 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
6/28 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
6/30 - Milwaukee, WI - Marcus Amphitheatre/Summerfest
7/3 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
7/5 - Saratoga Springs, CA - Saratoga Performing Arts
7/6 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
7/8 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
7/10 - Manchester, NH - Verizon Wireless Arena
7/11 - Boston, MA - Tweeter Center
7/13 - TBA - TBA
7/14 - Hershey, PA - Hershey Park Stadium
7/16 - Pittsburgh, PA - Starlake Amphitheater
7/17 - Washington, DC - Nissan Pavilion
7/19 - Raleigh, NC - Alltel Pavilion
7/20 - Charlotte, NC - Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre

Second Leg

8/6 - Orlando, FL - Waterhouse Arena
8/7 - Miami, FL - Mars Music Amphitheater
8/9 - Atlanta, GA - Hi Fi Buys Amphitheater
8/10 - Birmingham, AL - Oak Mountain Amphitheater
8/13 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
8/14 - Indianapolis, IN - Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
8/16 - Kansas City, KS - Sandstone Amphitheater
8/17 - St. Louis, MO - Riverport Amphitheater
8/19 - TBA - TBA
8/21 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
8/22 - Denver, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheater
8/24 - San Bernardino, CA - Blockbuster Pavilion
8/25 - San Diego, CA - Coors Amphitheater
8/28 - Boise, ID - Idaho Center Arena
8/29 - Reno, NV - Reno Hilton Amphitheatre
8/31 - Sacramento, CA - Autowest Amphitheatre
9/1 - Concord, CA - Chronicle Pavilion

Ticket Presales - The official site has created a couple pages for the new tour, guess I didn't get the gig ($%#@*%@! haha). Click on the banner ad on the main page or the picture to the right for presale information and password.

Be sure to read the "Important Information" link on that page. Here's the Reader's Digest version: The band will be doing shows around the US in the summer, the new album will be out in October, then the band will continue the tour with indoor shows through early December.

I don't know how often the official pages will be updated. I will continue to send out emails as dates are added. As always, keep an eye on the tour dates page on gonegator.com.

The Mayhem Begins - First Internet Presale (that I've heard of)

Show:
Wednesday, July 3
Darien Lake Theme Park
Darien Center, NY

Internet Presale Thursday May 16 at 10 AM (Ends Friday 9 PM)
To Public Saturday May 18 10 AM

Summer Tour - Well, I don't know why some people didn't believe me about the summer tour, but it has been "made official" on tompetty.com. But, at this time, it looks like just a US tour. For the other fans in the world, I hope this changes once the new album is released.

I put some work into the tour dates pages. For the US fans, I recommend looking at these pages and clicking on the venue links in the towns NEAR YOU or within traveling distance! It looks as if the band will be playing MANY of the same venues. I will add info as I get it to the 2002 section.

Everly Music Company - From the LA Times - It was May 25, 1957, when the Everly Brothers, just 18 and 20, first began carving a name for themselves by breaking into the top music charts with the hit "Bye Bye Love."

But now Phil Everly, 63, is making a different kind of name for himself through his Burbank-based business, Everly Music Co.

The company -- which manufactures and distributes guitar accessories, including picks, strings and cables -- started out of the Everly home about seven years ago. Since then, the business has grown and now ships to retailers all over the world, Everly said. Everly Music Co., now run by Everly's sons Jason and Christopher, also holds the patent on two of its products, the Everly pick and pick guard...

...So the company has relied on word-of-mouth publicity to promote their product. Their Web site includes a quote from entertainer Tom Petty saying he only uses Everly guitar strings.

New Re-Releases (Update) - Just got my copies of the new re-releases last night. They will be released May 7, 2002. Last month I stated that Rhino Records were releasing these albums. Well, they did.... KINDA! My friend at WEA (Warner, Elektra, Atlantic) explained to me that the CDs have Rhino catalog numbers, but the Rhino logo does not appear on the CDs. In fact the Gone Gator Records and Warner Bros. logos appear on the CDs.

Ok, here's the scoop. These CDs sound GREAT! Both digitally remastered. What I liked about them was the booklets. They both contain pictures I have never seen before, (and I've seen ALOT!) as well as complete lyrics. They both also have a great intro written by Bill Flanagan. Both are a must for ANY collector!

It was so great to hear The Wild One Forever, Strangered In The Night, Fooled Again, When The Time Comes, You're Gonna Get It and No Second Thoughts like they were new. The only thing I don't like is that these albums were way too short. Great songs, but each CD has like a 35 minute playing time.

History lesson: Although You're Gonna Get It was the band's second album, it was the band's FIRST gold record! But for those who have looked at this site deeper, thanks and you already knew that!

RUMOUR - I've been told that The Golden Circle is on Warner Bros.' "schedule". So, there is a tentative release date floating around. As soon as I find out what it is, I'll share it with y'all!