Mike Campbell, guitarist for Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and more recently Fleetwood Mac, has unveiled a new band called – ahem – The Dirty Knobs.
The LA-based band will release their debut album Wreckless Abandon via BMG on March 20. It was produced by Campbell with George Drakoulias, and all songs are written by Campbell. The album features contributions from singer–songwriter and guitarist Chris Stapleton as well as fellow Heartbreaker Benmont Tench. Additionally, Klaus Voormann created the album artwork.
Watch a video for the title track below:
“It started out as something to do between Heartbreakers tours,” Campbell tells Uncut. “I got these guys and we played little clubs around town. We just became a good little band and got really close. It’s my band – I write the songs and get to sing the best I can – but it’s a real band, it’s not a solo project. We’re not together for money – we love to play together and we were having a blast. And then when life dealt me the cards it dealt me, I thought, what am I going to do now? I always thought, at some point, if the Heartbreakers retire then I’ll do my band – so now I’m doing it and I’m having a blast.
“We’re going to go on tour in the States – start small, play the little places, and see how far we get. It’s exciting. I can’t just sit around and play Heartbreakers records, I’ve got to go out and do something. I’m really enjoying it.”
Campbell also reveals that Fleetwood Mac are currently on hiatus after their recent mammoth world tour. “It was a year and a half! I’ve never toured that long in my life. It was really joyful. Great songs, and I love that rhythm section – I had so much fun playing with Mick and John. We ended the tour and we had a meeting. They are all even older than me, and I’m pretty old, and they were saying, I don’t think we’re up for doing any more long tours like this ever again. Stevie wants to do a solo show, she’s doing that right now, but in a year or so, if a handful of dates show up that made sense, everybody is open to doing those. So we’re on hiatus until things develop.”