Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs – Vagabonds, Virgins, & Misfits
Mike Campbell’s been a songwriter of note for, well, decades. From writing with longtime bandmate Tom Petty to providing the music for Don Henley’s “”The Boys of Summer” (which, according to legend, Petty himself initially passed on), his songs have been in your ears for years. However, after Petty died in 2017, Campbell’s long-simmering side project, The Dirty Knobs, took on new meaning as an outlet for Campbell’s creative juices. In less than four years, Campbell & Co. have released four albums. And, while 2020’s Wreckless Abandon reflects Campbell’s LA influences and 2022’s External Combustion reaches further back to his Florida days, the band’s new record, Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, seems most intent on pushing the band’s sound forward and establishing their very own identity, while keeping, especially via guest stars, five decades of musical legacy close by.
The five years after Petty’s death, aided by a global pandemic, were a period of time when Campbell was uncharacteristically absent from the stage. Finally getting back on the road to support External Combustion was a revelation for him, and he summarizes his return to touring glory on album opener “The Greatest.” Backed by crowd noise, the song is the album equivalent of shouting out the town’s name at a show, but the group vocals fete a half-century’s worth of loyal concertgoers – “It’s one of those nights/Everything seems right/Under big bright lights/Feeling high.” Up next is jangly rocker “Angel of Mercy.” It’s a song that Campbell’s had kicking around for a while, but the addition of Heartbreaker Steve Ferrone on drums, combined with a greasy slide solo, made this tale of a troublesome woman – “She’s so devious/When no one takes her serious” – worth committing to record.
“Dare to Dream” was the first single off Vagabonds, and its recall of Heartbreaker history is vast. The video was shot in and around The Church Studio in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where Petty, Campbell, and keyboardist Benmont Tench made their first studio recording as Mudcrutch. Joining in with Campbell on vocals is longtime hero Graham Nash, and the somewhat downbeat (but ultimately optimistic) song recalls struggles made by Campbell, both back in the Tulsa days and maybe even after Petty’s passing – “You made some sacrifices/But no one likes it that rough.” Another longtime friend joins the boys on “Hell or High Water,” as Lucinda Williams adds her slurry drawl to Campbell’s boozy one-night stand – “Three empty bottles under the bed, she said/’There’s plenty more where that came from out in the shed.’”
Both new and old friends show up on swampy rocker “Don’t Wait Up.” Tench bangs out a mean piano line while Chris Stapleton trades verses with Campbell on the (dubious) pleasures of never growing up – “You know Daddy’s been a long time running/Well, he ain’t done running yet.” Songs like ass-kicker “So Alive” and stomper “Shake These Blues,” though, are what Campbell seems to be shooting for on this latest Dirty Knobs project – no guest stars, just straightforward hard rockers with a damn buzzsaw of a guitar solo. As Campbell heads back out on the road, focused on lengthening his own legacy, it’s that simple formula that will leave a new mark.
Song I Can’t Wait to Hear Live: “Hands Are Tied” – we still love our old Gainesville sound, and this anthemic, riffy tune, with gorgeous harmonies (featuring Campbell’s wife Marcie), is positively Heartbreaker-esque. It’s a goosebump-y listen.
Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits was produced by George Drakoulias and Martin Pradler with Mike Campbell, engineered, recorded and mixed by Pradler and mastered by Chris Bellman. All songs written by Campbell (“Innocent Man” written with Drakoulias). The Dirty Knobs are Campbell (lead vocals, guitars), Chris Holt (guitars, keys, background vocals), Lance Morrison (bass, background vocals) and Matt Laug (drums, percussion, background vocals). Additional musicians on the album include Steve Ferrone (drums, background vocals), Graham Nash (vocals), Lucinda Williams (vocals), Chris Stapleton (vocals, background vocals), Benmont Tench (piano), George Drakoulias (percussion), Marcie (background vocals), Patrick Warren (keys, string and horn arrangements), Stewart Cole (trumpet), Randal Fisher (tenor saxophones), Phillip Whack (baritone saxophones), Devon Taylor (trombone, bass trombone) and Daphne Chen (violins, violas).
Go here to order Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits (out June 14):
https://thedirtyknobs.lnk.to/VagabondsVirginsMisfitsPR
Check out tour dates here: https://www.thedirtyknobs.com/#tour
Enjoy our previous coverage here: REVIEW: The Dirty Knobs External Combustion