Band History

The day the music died...

It was just a day or two after Tom Petty passed away. I was telling Larry how I was trying to put together a jam band and that things weren’t going so well. He said we should do something to pay our respects to Tom Petty. I thought to myself how our old band, Rude Mood, played so many Petty songs. How we tried to emulate the Heartbreakers. Their feel, their spirit.

I then reached out to Bob Doc and Dave Della Fera, both Rude Mood members and they immediately signed on. Within 3 hours we had a band and 21 songs selected. I called up a local venue, the Crossroads, and they were sold too. We lined up the gig!

In just three rehearsals, we put together this wonderful show. Many old friends showed up, Petty fans showed up and it was fantastic! It was a success. The band was energized. Somehow I knew we’d continue. These were guys I'd played with my whole life in one incarnation or another. When we get together there is an electricity, a bond, a purpose. We performed that gig under our old name, Rude Mood. A band we had from 1983-1996. It felt good.

It was a bit nostalgic, but as we pulled this show together this really started to feel like a new thing. And so we decided to continue this lovefest for TP. Me and the boys don’t disagree at all on song choice or what we want to do with this band. We are lockstep and in the groove. I handle a lot of the organization, some of the musical arranging, but Larry has really stepped into being a lead singer again and you can see how driven he is in the role. He’d stepped out of the limelight for a number of years, playing only a supporting role in our other band, Mushmouth. But Larry is back and he’s killing.

And so we begin this third stage in our musical adventures together. We started as Rude Mood, then continued with Mushmouth (and we remain members of Mush!) and now we are RADIO PETTY. This isn’t about impersonating anyone or trying to dress like the original band. It’s all about the music and the songs. Come share in the fun and joy of this music from a great American artist. We plan on playing. A lot.

--D. Edwards 12/8/17

This is amazing. I was at that show and blown away how great it was. I was telling some friends how disappointed I was it was only one night!! I'm pumped. I also loved that you didn't just run through the greatest hits album. Part of keeping his memory alive is introducing people to songs they may not know as well and Petty would be proud.

So pumped to hear this, I had a blast. And Jammin' Me was so awesome (loved the minor lyric changes!!) Keep the memory alive, see you in February!

--Tim Walsh, attendee at the first show