There is something I really admire about artists and creators who just keep doing what they do, despite success, failure, trials or trends. It takes an impressive fortitude to soldier on and not be afraid to suck or repeat yourself, to muscle through any downturns in inspiration.
Of course, some artists are just charmed with a level of talent and inspiration that matches their work ethic. Tom Petty is one of those artists who has consistently churned out amazing music for decades, continuing to write, record and tour when he could be just resting on his royalties. When I heard he was getting his old band back together, Mudcrutch, my immediate thought was that he's doing it for the sheer fun of it, not for the glory or profit or even by popular demand. It's more because they wanted to, they can, and people are interested. It helps that Mudcrutch also includes Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, two legendary members of The Heartbreakers.
But it kind of blew my mind when I read that Mudcrutch will release their only official full length album next week, 38 years after they formed in 1970. Holy mackerel, it really is never too late, huh?
Thanks to aa I've heard six songs and they're the type of wise, simple, southern rock that Petty's been known for since the very beginning. A few of the songs are from the old days, but many were written after the band reunited to rehearse and record last year. According to this great article in EW, they insisted on all live takes and no overdubs in the studio. Tench was quoted in the article as saying:
"There was no intellectualizing going on here, and not a lot of editing on this project. The only rule was, we're gonna set up in the rehearsal room and everything will be live takes — including vocals and solos. That was our only rule.''
Back to basics, flexing your chops, not relying on a formula -- cheers to that! (It almost sounds a little like whomping.)
Mudcrutch played two shows at The Fillmore this week and I'm crushed to have missed both of them. Here's a quick clip from an audience member at one of the Fillmore shows. I'm loving Tom's beard and his cowboy shirt:
- Buy Mudcrutch's album from Amazon.