OPEN MIKE
Wreckless Abandon might be the debut album from The Dirty Knobs, but the (questionably named) band, headed by Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Fleetwood guitarist Mike Campbell, is hardly a new concern. They’ve existed for going on 15 years now, it just took a while for the four-piece – Campbell on guitar and vocals, Jason Sinay on guitar, Lance Morrison on bass and Matt Laug on drums – to find the time to make a record.
“The Knobs started out as a project to do between Heartbreakers tours,” Campbell explains. “I met the guys very organically, and I didn’t really intend to audition a band per se. But I had some songs and we just hit it off. I thought the music was really good and deserved to be heard. But out of respect to Tom I never felt comfortable doing it while the Heartbreakers were active. I was loyal to my partner. But in the back of my mind I always thought some day, if the Heartbreakers wind down, I’ll focus on the Dirty Knobs.”
The Heartbreakers did wind down, of course, and in an unexpected and truly tragic way, when Tom Petty passed away October 2, 2017, at the age of 66, after accidentally overdosing on the prescription drugs he was taking to treat a fractured hip, emphysema and knee problems, among other health issues.
“In the back of my mind I always thought, some day, if the Heartbreakers wind down, I’ll focus on the Dirty Knobs.”
When I spoke to Campbell roughly a year later, he was still reeling from the loss of his longest
