Chris Stapleton and Mike Campbell are joining forces… once again.
If you’re not familiar, Mike Campbell is the longtime guitar player for Tom Petty. He’s played with Fleetwood Mac, and now, he has his own band called The Dirty Knobs. Dirty Mike and the Boys… just kidding… Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs released a new album today, titled Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, and once again, Mike has called on the services of the Kentucky’s finest, the great Chris Stapleton.
Mike and Chris have worked on a number of songs and projects together, with Mike collaborating on Chris Stapleton’s album Starting Over, contributing to both songwriting and guitar shredding on “Watch You Burn” and “Arkansas.” And then Chris returned the favor, co-writing “F**k That Guy” and lending those killer vocals on “Pistol Packin’ Mama” for another Dirty Knobs album Wreckless Abandon. Mike even showed up on stage with both Chris and George Strait last weekend at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
And now, Chris is back on the new record with a song titled “Don’t Wait Up,” which also features Benmont Tench.
Speaking of their previous work, and the new album, Mike says their previous records were them trying to define their sound:
“Trying to find our way as a rock & roll band. Now it’s down to great songs. The depth in the lyrics and chords.”
He says the late great Tom Petty once told him:
“‘I love the English language. There’s so much you can do with it.’”
And he’s learning to embrace that:
I’m discovering that, too. Looking for rhyme schemes, the right word. At first it was a struggle, now that door has opened. I’ve turned a corner on ‘Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits.’ The Dirty Knobs are still a rock band but growing into different feels.”
Check it out:
Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits Tracklist:
1. The Greatest
2. Angel Of Mercy
3. Dare To Dream (feat. Graham Nash)
4. Hands Are Tied
5. Hell Or High Water (feat. Lucinda Williams)
6. So Alive
7. Shake These Blues
8. Innocent Man
9. Don’t Wait Up (feat. Chris Stapleton & Benmont Tench)
10. My Old Friends
11. Amanda Lynn
Tour Dates:
June 21—Skokie, IL—Off North Shore: Skokie Music Festival*
June 22—Nashville, IN—Brown County Music Center
June 24—Kansas City, MO—Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
June 26—Bloomington, IL—Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
June 27—Lexington, KY—Lexington Opera House
June 29—Milwaukee, WI—Summerfest
July 1—Madison, WI—Barrymore Theatre
July 3—Des Moines, IA—Hoyt Sherman Place
July 5—St. Paul, MN—Fitzgerald Theatre
July 6—Sioux City, IA—Saturday In The Park
July 9—Cincinnati, OH—Taft Theatre
July 11—Newark, OH—Midland Theatre
July 13—Midland, MI—Midland Center for the Arts
July 14—Detroit, MI—Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel
July 16—Toronto, ON—Danforth Music Hall
*co-headline with Larkin Poe
