Longtime Tom Petty right-hand man Mike Campbell’s new album, Vagabonds, Virgins & Misfits, is a cinematic, guitar-heavy providing with irresistible hooks, gritty tales, and particular company. His third album as entrance man in Soiled Knobs, it recollects the hit-making craft of his previous blended with the creative resonance of beautifully penned lyrics.

You’ve been peeling the onion with Soiled Knobs to disclose a novel sound.
I really feel like I’ve turned a nook by way of writing and my so-called singing, however I actually get pleasure from it. I’m getting confidence and beginning to really feel it. Home windows of songs are beginning to open up for me, and it’s a pleasure.

Did you’ve a muse as Vagabonds got here collectively?
Effectively, I actually have a muse. I don’t know who she is, however I really like her (laughs). When the sunshine goes on and issues drop in your lap, it’s fairly magical. I didn’t have any grasp plan; I took it music to music. If I get some inspiration, I chase it down and attempt to make a music out of it. I really like writing lyrics now – I can discover characters and have a look at songs like little motion pictures. I see what characters are doing and write it down. Most appear to be determined misfits (laughs), however I like them, and the problem is for them to search out their means out of a nasty scenario. The Heartbreakers had a variety of songs like that too. It’s a very good writing instrument.

Graham Nash’s voice is a kind of characters on “Dare To Dream.”
I’m an enormous Hollies fan and having Graham sing on it… I imply, Graham is an actual singer. I’m extra of a stylist. I’m simply so glad he did it. He brings one thing to the music; he got here up with the “Dare to, dare to, dream” tag line. I’m so grateful to him.

On “Hell Or Excessive Water,” Lucinda Williams enters with that improbable voice.
I’m very happy with that music. It exhibits some progress within the lyric writing. I completed the music with me singing it, however I did an interview with Lucinda and requested her to do it. There’s a feminine character within the second verse, and it occurred to me that the best individual might give it depth. She got here in and put her soul into it. That voice of hers is plain – so filled with soul and purity. That aching whine is so touching. I couldn’t be extra grateful for having her on there.

How did you file guitars?
I’ve a house studio, and guitarist Chris Holt, who’s completely within the band now, is a tremendous participant, so we performed stay on the ground 90 p.c of the time with the solos within the observe as they went down. I requested Chris to play the Broadcaster I used on the primary two (Heartbreakers) albums, so he performed that on a variety of the file. It’s received a sound to it. He liked enjoying it, and it sounded nice.

Which amps did you utilize?
I used an Ampeg Rocket on the entire file. It’s an easy amp, with lovely overtones. Chris performed by way of a Princeton. I like small amps, and that’s the sound we received. You don’t want a giant amp within the studio. You simply want a very good room, a very good mic, and a good-sounding amp.

Are there every other guitars on the file?
I used a Rickenbacker 12-string, a ’59 Les Paul, and a Gretsch on one or two songs. I additionally used a ’56 Tele that I caught a B-bender on. There wasn’t an entire lot of various guitars. Chris was thrilled to play my stuff as a result of I’ve some good guitars (laughs).

How about pedals?
I used a couple of enhance pedals, however largely we used simply the sound of the amp. I’ve a Camel Toe by Approach Big Electronics, which is a semi-boost and loud enhance. If the amp was a bit of too clear, we’d hit that. The guitars had been fairly uncooked and fundamental. On my Rocket, I had a Positive 57 and an AKG 451 condenser mic in entrance of the speaker. My studio has a variety of wooden, so once I use a Neuman U47 about 10 ft away, I get the sound of the room.

You and drummer Steve Ferrone had been invited to play the nationwide anthem for the Milwaukee Brewers again in June. What was that like?
The Brewers handled us like royalty. It was a bit of intimidating with simply the 2 of us enjoying for 45,000 folks within the afternoon, but it surely got here off nice. Everybody stated it was well-done, and emotional.

This text initially appeared in VG’s October 2024 difficulty. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.