Here’s four tunes – from obscure to almost legendary – for the July 4th holiday: The almost essential, completely incomplete list of Independence Day songs.
Play them loud at a party. All the right people will get it, and think you are the best host ever.
Tom Petty
Petty Plays Two Songs from New Album on SNL – The verdict? Petty Zep, Man
Tom Petty on SNL 5.15.10
Petty with no guitar? That never happens. Heavy duty, Jimmy Page-ish Mike Campbell guitar playing? That should happen more. The longtime Heartbreaker guitar slinger stretches out and added a dirty slide solo as they played “I Should Have Known It” (from their new album) for their first song on the season finale of Saturday Night Live. It was Zeppelin Blues, wrapped into a Petty sound we haven’t heard from him for, maybe ever. I like it. More interesting than recycling his “Learning to Fly sound” It makes the Hearbreakers a suddenly retro-but-not-like-themselves band – though the Mudcrutch swamp fury obviously rubbed off on what they have done for the new record, Mojo, due out June 15.
After reuniting in 2008 with his former Florida-based band (which was actually Campbell, keyboardist Benmont Tench, plus original Mudcrutchers Tom Leadon on guitar and vocals and Randall Marsh on drums), they made a a heavier-than-Petty jam-based rock album. It still had roots in the Petty base of pop/rock sound yet probably was recorded puffing on some good weed; more “Exile on Main Street, less “Turn, Turn, Turn”
And that sound, from what I’ve listened to online and now seen, has carried into this TP and the Heartbreakers album. And the first song Saturday night on SNL rang with that vibe
Hear’s a peek at the album version – Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers – “I Should Have Known It” – official video
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_iBKacXIA4]
For their second tune, which was slotted into the final ten minutes of the broadcast, they came with a new blues-rock number, with Scott Thurston holding down a pulsing harp and a band rocking a Chicago electric blues groove. Much more tangibly retro, with a vibe culled from old Muddy Waters and Bo Diddley records. Not as interesting of a performance, until the two Mike and Tom guitar solos, played simultaneously with echoing leads.
Here’s what it is: You’ve got the kind of music that sounds good turned up loud, after three beers and some grilled burgers in a garage or backyard patio, on a summer night. The album and sound may be his most interesting and gut-invoking music in ten years. Or since that last Mudcrutch album.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (with Drive By Truckers) play at Deer Creek (Verizon Wireless Music Center) in Noblesville July 10.
One more thing: In November 2009, Petty told Rolling Stone’s David Fricke that it was his intention to record the album live in the studio without overdubs. He said the album is “blues-based. Some of the tunes are longer, more jammy kind of music. A couple of tracks really sound like the Allman Brothers — not the songs but the atmosphere of the band.”
Santacular Christmas Song Countdown – #16 – Rusty Bladen
You will notice, if you are a longtime reader, I throw in a fair amount of unsubstantiated opinion on my way to passing along facts. In reality, if you have read the blog posts over the past year, you already know – via these little nuggets of insight that roll out of my brain, into my fingers and onto the computer – what I like. And trust me, this has everything to do with the song at #16.
If you listed the six (I needed six – five wasn’t enough) musical sounds/songs/albums/artists that are the influences behind this here Rockforward site, it would read like this:
1. The trio of Mellencamp albums in the mid 80’s – “Uh-Huh”, “Scarecrow” and “The Lonseome Jubilee”. Anyone who is 35+ that likes the music we do should recognize how much these albums – especially “Scarecrow” – influenced tons of Americana and roots-rock bands and fans.
2. Tom Petty. Anything Tom Petty.
3. Those late 80’s bands that came on the heels of Petty and Mellencamp (including Gear Daddies, Uncle Tupelo, BoDeans, Del Fuegos, Georgia Satellites, Jason & The Scorchers, Lone Justice, and regional/Indiana artists like Larry Crane, Duke Tomatoe, The Hammerheads, and Henry Lee Summer. That is some and there are more ) Alt-country before they called it that. Heartland rock at the time.
4. Springsteen – for the majesty of the rock and roll, the brilliance of the lyrics, and the passion of the live show. And for the lineage to bar band rock and R&B (like the outstanding J. Geils Band)
5. Power Pop. I think Cheap Trick is woefully underappreciated. Rick Springfield’s “Working Class Dog ” album should be considered great power pop/rock. The Cars debut album is one of the best records in the rock music era. Matthew Sweet’s “Girlfriend ” record was killer. I saw the Romantics live at a bar in 1989 and they were loud, into the performance, and rocked hard, fast and righteously.
6. The current crop of bands that carry on the sounds: Bottle Rockets, Todd Snider, James McMurtry, Cross Canadian Ragweed, and Will Hoge among many more…
So that’s where I come from. And it leads to #16 on our countdown of 20 Christmas roots-rock songs. Indiana’s Rusty Bladen has been working for the past 20 years in the bars, clubs and parties throughout the state. I’ve known him that long, first meeting him when I was a radio jock down at WORX in Madison, Indiana – I was just out of college and had a Sunday night radio show and eventually did mornings for a couple years. He was just starting his solo career after a few years in cover bands. He now plays mainly solo live shows that are always high energy. His sound hits all of the influences I already cited. His writing is blue collar.
About a year ago, he released “Feels Like Christmas”, a holiday album of 11 classic Christmas songs and one original – the title cut. That’s the one we have here. Mellencamp drummer Dane Clark produced the effort, and made it all sound really good. A great country rock/heartland/Americana record. The record is simply my favorite Christmas album of all time. Overstatement? Nah. Listen to the album.
Here’s the song, with it’s fun, quaint, and homegrown video.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2BFQCKHAdE]