Mudcrutch - 2008-04-14 - Santa Cruz, CA

Mudcrutch
April 14, 2008
Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium, Santa Cruz, CA
Audience recording, very good quality
Available in both Lossless (FLAC) and Mp3 (256 kbps) versions

Continuing with Tom Petty's musical history and tour chronology: Inspired by all the old stories and memories stirred up during the making of the Petty Documentary film Runnin' Down a Dream (2007), Tom wanted to re-connect with his old bandmates from Mudcrutch, his earlier pre-Heartbreakers band in Gainesville, FL. But more than just re-connect and reminisce, Tom wanted to play with them again, and decided to reunite the band and make new music together. So, Tom took the very unusual step of leaving his current, very successful band The Heartbreakers (at least temporarily), to re-form his earlier, unsuccessful band, Mudcrutch. Now, it helped that the core of Mudcrutch,Tom's 2 closest friends and bandmates for over 30 years, Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench, were also the core of The Heartbreakers. The other components were Tom Leadon (brother of Ex-eagle Bernie Leadon), co-lead guitarist and vocalist, and Randall Marsh on drums. For Mudcrutch, Petty returned to his former role with the band, as bass player and vocalist (no guitar at all). Mudcrutch had more of a country-rock, folk-rock background, as well as traditional rock n roll, and that is what they went for. I've told the story of Mudcrutch before, so for more on the early days of the band, see here and here. Anyway, in 2007 they reconvened to work on a new album featuring a mix of old (traditional) and new songs. The result was the self-titled album, Mudcrutch, released in 2008. Although Petty wrote and sang lead on most of the songs, Tom Leadon and Benmont Tench each wrote and sang lead on at least one song. Although the album was more 'country' than anythng Petty had ever released, and contained multiple songs with a bluegrass feel, the album was a major success, and was bolstered by the single 'Scare Easy'. Petty with Mudcrutch only did a very limited tour (only covering several dates in in California) that year (2008). All Mudcrutch shows were at smaller venues, and only Mudcrutch songs were played (that is, none of Petty's more famous hits mixed in). Later that year, a Live EP, Extended Play Live! was released featuring a handful of songs from that tour. After that, Petty returned to his 'day job' working with the Heartbreakers, and that seemed to be the end of Mudcrutch again, a wonderful little musical diversion, than back to business. However, it worked so well that several years later, Tom went back to his old band once again, for another new album and another round of fun with Mudcrutch 2 (2016).
Anyway, here is one of those shows from the very short Mudcrutch CA tour in 2008. This is an audience recording, but a very good one at that, very nice sound. They play their entire album, as well as some other classic roots rock covers. Enjoy!    

Tracklist:
1. Shady Grove
 - banter
2. Orphan of the Storm
3. Six Days on the Road
 - banter
4. I Don't Scare Easy
5. You Go Your Way and I'll Go Mine
6. Good Street
7. Lover of the Bayou
8. Band Intros
9. Queen of the Go-Go Girls
10. Oh Maria
11. Topanga Cowgirl
12. The Wrong Thing to Do
13. Bootleg Flyer
14. June Apple - website Banter
15. House of Stone
16. Love Please Come Home
17. Crystal River
18. Rainy Day Women #12 & #35
19. Summertime Blues
20. High School Confidential

Mudcrutch is:
Tom Petty - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocal
Mike Campbell - Lead Guitar
Tom Leadon - Lead Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Vocal Harmony
Benmont Tench - Piano, Organ
Randall Marsh - Drums

FLAC - Mudcrutch_2008-04-14_Santa Cruz_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Mudcrutch_2008-04-14_Santa Cruz_mp3.rar

Mudcrutch - 2016-06-20 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA

Mudcrutch
2016-06-20
Fillmore Theater, San Francisco, CAAudience recording, very good quality
Mp3 @320 kbps

Here's some more Tom Petty and Mudcrutch. This time, rather than their original older stuff, here is the current status of Mudcrutch on their recent 2016 US tour in support of their 2nd full album, Mudcrutch 2. Tom apparently had fun reuniting with his original band for an album in 2008, so he did it again in 2016 for another album, and this time with a full-scale, full-fledged tour. I've told the Mudcrutch story previously, so no need to go over that again, but this probably also could be considered as part of the collaborative tour series of late, as rather than being the full-time frontman, as with Petty and the Heartbreakers, with Mudcrutch Tom takes a step back and let's the rest of the band have their spotlight, with each member singing lead on at least one song on the new album, and Petty handling bass and letting others do most of the guitar work. And it all seems to work, as Mudcrutch has a different sound than the Heartbreakers, and they are free to go back and do more country-rock and old-time Rock 'n Roll, and just have a good time. For these live shows they have added Herb Pedersen, bluegrass instrumentalist extraordinaire (not a regular member of the band), to round out the sound. And it's a tribute to Petty that he is content to let Mudcrutch only do Mudcrutch songs (and oldies), and not try to squeeze in a few of Petty's own biggest hits into this band's setlist. This is a wonderfully fun show and very good recording, with a few extra songs from other shows from this tour thrown in to round out the recording.

Tracklist:
1. Shady Grove
2. Orphan of the Storm
3. Six Days on the Road
4. Scare Easy
5. Trailer
6. This Is a Good Street
7. Lover of the Bayou
8. Beautiful World
9. Dreams of Flying
10.Save Your Water
11.Hungry No More/I Forgive It All
12.Knockin' on Heaven's Door
13.The Other Side of the Mountain
14.Hope
15.Welcome to Hell
16.Victim of Circumstance
17.The Wrong Thing to Do
18.Bootleg Flyer
19.Crowd
Encore:
20.Crystal River
21.Bo Diddley
Bonus Tracks:
22. You Aint Goin Nowhere (2016-06-10 - Webster Hall - New York)
23. Carol (2016-05-31 - Ryman Theater, Nashville)
24. House of Stone (2016-05-28 - Riviera Theatre - Chicago)
25. Rainy Day Women #12 and 35 (2016-05-28 - Riviera Theatre - Chicago)
26. High School Confidential (2016-05-28 - Riviera Theatre - Chicago)

Lineup:
Mike Campbell - lead guitar
Tom Leadon - rhythm guitar, backing & lead vocals
Randall Marsh - drums
Herb Pedersen- Guitar and Banjo
Tom Petty - lead & backing vocals, bass guitar
Benmont Tench - keyboards, backing & lead vocals

Mudcrutch_2016-06-20_San Francisco_mp3.part1.rar
Mudcrutch_2016-06-20_San Francisco_mp3.part2.rar
Links updated 08/04/2021

Tom Petty, Mudcrutch - Mudcrutch and Solo Petty LP Outtakes, 1972-1977

Tom Petty, Mudcrutch
Mudcrutch Demos and Solo Petty LP Outtakes
circa 1972-1977

Recordings from various sources, fair to very good quality
Available in both lossless (FLAC) and mp3 (320 kbps) versions

In response to a recent request, I dug out this collection of demos and outtakes from the early days of Mudcrutch and Tom Petty's initial aborted solo project. And since this contains some very interesting relics from the past in the careers of the revived Mudcrutch band and Petty himself, I decided to go ahead and post it here for all to enjoy. As most probably know now, Mudcrutch was Petty's band in Gainesville, FL, before the days of The Heartbreakers (although core members Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench were in both bands). After several years making the rounds in central Florida, in 1974, they packed up their van, and armed with a demo tape, headed out West to find fame, fortune, and a recording contract. They made it as far as Tulsa (and ultimately L.A.), where they hooked up with Leon Russel's Shelter Records, and began recording some tracks for an eventual album. Other members of the band around that time included Danny Roberts (guitar, bass, backing vocals) and then Charlie Souza (bass). However, things didn't work out, the album never happened (the only released product from that association was an unsuccessful single, 'Depot Street'), and by 1975, the band was dropped and quickly split up. However, Shelter was still interested in Petty by himself to make a solo album, which he started to work on, but it just wasn't coming together without a solid band behind him. On a trip back home to Gainesville, Petty checked out the new band Campbell and Tench was putting together, and that group just felt right to Petty, and they became The Heartbreakers and Petty's permanent band. So, the solo album was dropped and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers began fresh. So, this collection contains remnants from the original Mudcrutch Demo tape (circa 1973-1974) that the boys brought with them on their journey West, some tracks from their recording sessions at Shelter Church Studios (including a rare Danny Roberts vocal track), as well as some songs from Petty's solo album sessions (1975). However, not all the songs presented here are actually from that period (10 of the 15 tracks are), as there are also several songs that come from The Heartbreakers sessions in and around the album You're Gonna Get It, which are from around 1977-1978. So, although not all Mudcrutch related stuff (some Heartbreakers, too), this is a very interesting set of songs that for the most part never were developed or followed up on any further. Recording quality varies greatly, but most of the tracks have surprisingly good sound. Certainly a must for any fan of Tom Petty, Mudcrutch, and the Heartbreakers.

Tracklist:
1.  Another Lonely Night
2.  Don't It Get Weird
3.  You're Driving me Crazy
4.  She's A Screamer
5.  Parade of Loons
6.  Makin' Some Noise
7.  You Don't Care
8.  Don't Bring me Down
9.  Save Me
10.  Don't Make It Any Easier
11.  Lost in Your Eyes
12.  Long way From Home 1
13.  Long Way From Home 2
14.  Once Upon a Time Somewhere
15.  Country Girls Run Dry

FLAC - Mudcrutch and Petty solo outtakes_FLAC.rar

mp3 - Mudcrutch and Petty solo outtakes_mp3.rar
  links updated 09/18/21

Tom Petty - Mudcrutch - 1971 & 1973 - Gainesville, FL

Mudcrutch 
January 14th, 1971 & 1973
University Auditorium & The Rathskellar, University of Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Audience recordings, very good quality
mp3 @ 320 & 192, respectively.

Tom Petty was born and raised in Gainesville, FL. His interest in Rock n' Roll was ignited at age 10 when he met Elvis Presley on the set of 'Follow That Dream', which was partially filmed in nearby Ocala, FL. He got his first guitar at 13, and after seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Tom knew he wanted to be part of a band. The center of music activity in Gainesville was (and probably still is) Lipham's Music shop. Tom would hang out there (and also worked there for awhile), learn and jam with the other local musicians, such as Don Felder, who helped teach Petty guitar and piano, and Bernie Leadon and his brother Tom.  Petty's first high school band was 'The Sundowners', then he was in 'The Epics' with Tom Leadon, which was very popular at his high school (as was another high school band at that time, The Maundy Quintet, which featured future 'Eagles' Don Felder and Bernie Leadon). Then in 1970, Tom Petty and fellow 'Epic' member Tom Leadon formed 'Mudcrutch' with drummer Randall Marsh and guitarist Mike Campbell. The group became very popular on the local music scene, becoming the house band at Dub's, a local club, and playing frequently at UF. A bit later, Benmont Tench was added on keyboards (Petty met him at Lipham's Music while Tench proceeded to play the entire 'Sgt Pepper's' album on keyboards), Tom Leadon left the group in 1973, and was replaced by Danny Roberts. In 1974, Petty and the band packed up the van and headed West to find fame and fortune. Although they did sign a record deal with Leon Russell's Shelter Records later that year, their first single 'Depot Street' failed to garner any attention. Danny Roberts left the band in late 1974 and Charlie Souza (formerly from the Florida band The Tropics, and subsequently in Cactus and The New Rascals) was brought in on bass (a track from this period, 'Lost in Your Eyes' is included on the deluxe version of the Tom Petty compilation album An American Treasure-2018). However, subsequent attempts to record an album deteriorated, and eventually the band broke up in 1975. Petty then began working on a solo album instead, but realized that he really preferred the sound and feel of a real band as opposed to session players. In the meantime, Mudcrutchers Benmont Tench and Mike Campbell had re-grouped with some other Gainesville musicians, bassist Ron Blair and drummer Stan Lynch. So, when Tom dropped in on them and heard them play, he knew that this was the band that he wanted. Soon after, they began recording as 'Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers'. And, of course, the rest of the story, as they say, is rock history, as Tom and the Heartbreakers became one of the top American Rock n Roll bands. And Mudcrutch, of course, later gained worldwide recognition, when Tom in 2008 took the unusual step of taking a break from his current highly successful band, getting back together with his old, unsuccessful band (some 35 years later), and re-forming and re-connecting with his old Gainesville mates to record a new album and go on tour as Mudcrutch (which was then very successful). Here, however, we have Mudcrutch in their earlier days, in 2 very different live sets, one from 1971, the other from 1973. These are apparently the only known surviving live recordings from this stage of the group's history. And they represent very different aspects of the band's repertoire. In the first set (1971), they completely show their country and folk roots with this set of twangy country gems featuring plenty of pedal steel, etc.(this must have been part of a larger country-oriented show). The later, 1973 set, shows the band in pure Rock n' Roll mode, and shows how they became a very accomplished bar band, featuring straight-up rollicking Rock n' Roll jams and covers of classics by Chuck Berry, Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, and more. Remarkably, these also are very good recordings (surprisingly good for this type of thing). Both shows were from the University of Florida campus, the first one in the Auditorium (probably part of a larger show), and the second from the local University bar, The Rathskellar, known as 'The Rat', where they set the place a blaze with good ol' throwback rock n roll.  So, please enjoy this look at Tom's early band, Mudcrutch, and a first look at the Gainesville Music scene.  

1971
1. Don't Send Me Letters       
2. My Kind Of Country          
3. Up In Mississippi Tonight    
4. Honky Tonk-Itis             
5. Instrumental                
6. Isn't It A Pity             
7. Please Come Home            
8. Outro                       

'The Rat' 1973
1. Rip It Up                             
2. Not Fade Away                         
3. Let The Guitars Sing                  
4. Keep On Singing                        
5. All Shook Up                          
6. That's What I'll Do                    
7. School Days / Hail Hail Rock 'N' Roll  
8. Untitled (cut)                        
9. I've Been Trying Baby                 
10. What Do You Want Me To Do             
11. Shake Rattle & Roll                  
 
Mudcrutch_1971-1973_Gaineville.rar
Link Updated 03/29/24