The Tom Petty Project

Kevin Brown
  • 5.0 (33)
  • MUSIC COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Tom Petty Project

This is the weekly podcast that digs into the entire Tom Petty catalog song by song, album by album and includes conversations with musicians, fans, and people connected with Tom along the way. Follow me on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProject Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject (This podcast is in no way affiliated with the Tom Petty estate.) Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. Airport

    11H AGO

    Airport

    Airport is a tight little bundle of keyboard virtuosity from Benmont Tench with a lazy, groove-soaked accompaniment from Howie Epstein and Chris Trujillo in the rhythm section. This piece is hugely interesting in two different, very interesting ways. First of all, I’m pretty sure (given the credits in the album liner notes) that Tom didn’t play on it. Second, given that the melodic contributions would almost certainly have come spontaneously from the mind and fingers of Benmont Tench, it’s really curious to me that he isn’t at least co-credited on this one! If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find the official video here: https://youtu.be/P5RbW82PVqs If you want to check out Benmont Tench's fantastic new album, The Melancholy Season, you can find that here : https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kRJEygrs-WJ4ZzS39uwMLTJSUGArR8qDo Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise. A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography". Producer: Kevin Brown Executive Producer: Paul Roberts Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    20 min
  2. Hung Up and Overdue

    MAR 5

    Hung Up and Overdue

    It's curious that the two songs that reference California were both left off the final Wildflowers release; perhaps Tom being self-conscious about being too prescriptive and direct in that vein. Hung Up and Overdue has a very simple, very direct lyric which sits atop a wonderful arrangement and doesn’t need to do too much of the heavy lifting. It’s almost like Mike’s more reserved guitar part. We do get a little shine and sparkle in a couple of places, but its part of the ensemble rather than taking a starring role. If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here : https://youtu.be/bSl9ykaiNvw Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise. A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography". Producer: Kevin Brown Executive Producer: Paul Roberts Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    22 min
  3. Walls (No. 3)

    FEB 26

    Walls (No. 3)

    I don’t think I’ve ever hidden or tried to hide the fact that Walls is one of my very favourite Tom Petty compositions. I think it’s essentially a perfect song. And this version is, as I say, an exercise in showing how to simplify and condense an arrangement to be as tight as you can make it without losing an ounce of its beauty. Long time listeners will know that when I wrote one of my ten questions; which version of Walls do you prefer, I was astounded to find that most people picked Circus. And I’ve since talked about the fact that I definitely listen to that one way more than I ever did before I started the podcast, but I have to tell you, I think No 3 is still ever so slightly ahead of Circus for me. The harmonica solo and the really raw, stripped down arrangement still carries an emotional weight that the big, bold, multi-layered approach on Circus doesn’t achieve. If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here : https://youtu.be/UHksHuZd_gw  You can find the Circus version here : https://youtu.be/_aoEIA38kTQ The PBS live is here : https://youtu.be/zJl0pe-DWy8 And the Fillmore 97 live version is here : https://youtu.be/gX65I6FnR0s Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise. A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography". Producer: Kevin Brown Executive Producer: Paul Roberts Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    19 min
  4. Hope on Board

    FEB 19

    Hope on Board

    I would love to know if an extended version of this arrangement exists anywhere on the cutting room floor. I know that there was only one violinist, Lili Haydn, who I’m hoping to have on the podcast as it happens, and two cellists, Gerri Stutyak and Michael Severens. But I think if you kept building this into a full orchestral string arrangement with some timpani or other percussion added, it could have been a pretty amazing piece of music in its own right. As it stands, it’s an absolutely perfect piece of music for this portion of the movie and shows that had Tom decided he wanted to score more movies, he would have been perfectly capable of doing so. Note: There is some profanity in the movie clip that is included in this episode. If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: To listen to the song, go here: https://youtu.be/uk5pFlnfDZU Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise. A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography". Producer: Kevin Brown Executive Producer: Paul Roberts Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    18 min
  5. Bad Monkey + Petty Country

    FEB 14

    Bad Monkey + Petty Country

    John and I got together to discuss the Petty Country and Bad Monkey Soundtrack releases and built a 16 track playlist that gives you a good idea of what to expect from each disc. We discussed what makes a good cover version, which contemporay artists are doing the best job of interpereting Tom's work and we also talk about covers not on either album that are worth checking out! You can find our final playlist here: https://tinyurl.com/55fyfw6t Our additional list of covers not on these two albums here: https://tinyurl.com/5h7n2a2w And if you want to check out John's "Petty Scattered, Smothered, & Covered" playlist, you can find that here: https://tinyurl.com/2k3pc883 The song at the end of the episode is used by kind permission of Cyberattack and can be found here: https://youtu.be/EINdLqmcYH0 Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise. A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography". Producer: Kevin Brown Executive Producer: Paul Roberts Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    1h 17m
  6. California

    FEB 12

    California

    There’s a quality to this song that I’ve only really experienced once before. It makes me homesick for a place I’ve never lived in. The other time this has happened to me was, coincidentally, also California. If any of you are Van Halen fans or even just rock n roll fans with an interest in the Pasadena scene in the 70s, you have to read the superb book Van Halen Rising. Easily the best rock biog I’ve ever read, written by an exceptional journalist and author and a wildly knowledgeable rock historian, Greg Renoff. Rather than being a gratuitous look at the excess of the hedonistic rock n roll lifestyle, Greg very deliberately builds a picture of Pasadena in the 70s in which the band was born and grew into the world famous act they became. Well, this song, in two minutes and thirty eight seconds leaves me with that strange sense of nostalgia and affection for a place that doesn’t shape any part of my life. You almost get that sense of promise and opportunity that California held for the early settlers seeping through the words and music that Tom delivers. If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: To listen to the song, go here: hhttps://youtu.be/nhnDaykQls8 If you want to watch Jack's video for Room at the Top, you'll find it here : https://youtu.be/uF9hyogNurU And if you're interested in checking out Greg's book, you can find previews of it here : https://tinyurl.com/mr26nxzy Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise. A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography". Producer: Kevin Brown Executive Producer: Paul Roberts Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    23 min
  7. Supernatural Radio

    FEB 5

    Supernatural Radio

    This one begins with piano as the main melodic focus, with Benmont Tench playing a lounge player style lick over top of a sumptuously dark and foreboding rhythm section. The drums are dry and present and Howie Epstein’s bass guitar adds the bottom end colour to a scene that feels like a dimly lit hotel bar. If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/P8qB--d6q3A To listen to the Fillmore 97 version go here: https://tinyurl.com/23fuush8  Check out Ian and Michael's brilliant podcast, Lord of Adders Black, here : https://goodpods.com/podcasts/lord-of-adders-black-413109  You can find Scott Haskin's new Deep Purple show, Smoke on the Podcast, here : https://goodpods.com/podcasts/smoke-on-the-podcast-627907  And if you want to read that awful Independent review, check that out here : https://tinyurl.com/yxdwwb4a Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise. A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography". Producer: Kevin Brown Executive Producer: Paul Roberts Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    20 min
  8. A*****e

    JAN 29

    A*****e

    Beck’s A*****e is quite tender in places with a certain rustic charm and it’s not something you’d expect a middle aged rocker to want to explore. But when you really delve into it and rummage around in there, you discover its hidden depths and while at first it can come across as unappealing, a close inspection reveals a rather time-worn vulnerability that draws you into its warm embrace. If you want to check out the song ahead of the episode, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/i-2A20W5X3Y To check out Beck's original, please go here: https://youtu.be/zLuJiiXHvsQ Don't forget to follow me on social media, like, subscribe, and please, leave a rating if you like the show. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/tompettyproject.bsky.social Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject All music, including the theme song, provided by my very best friend Randy Woods. Check him out at https://www.randywoodsband.com The Tom Petty Project is not affiliated with the Tom Petty estate in any way and when you’re looking for Tom’s music, please visit the official YouTube channel first and go to tompetty.com for official merchandise. A last very special thanks to Paul Zollo. Without his book, "Conversations with Tom Petty", this podcast wouldn't be nearly as much fun to research. And further thanks to Warren Zanes for his outstanding book "Petty, the Biography". Producer: Kevin Brown Executive Producer: Paul Roberts Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    22 min
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Trailer

5
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About

This is the weekly podcast that digs into the entire Tom Petty catalog song by song, album by album and includes conversations with musicians, fans, and people connected with Tom along the way. Follow me on social media: Twitter: https://twitter.com/TomPettyProject Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thetompettyproject Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thetompettyproject/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thetompettyproject Threads: https://www.threads.net/@thetompettyproject (This podcast is in no way affiliated with the Tom Petty estate.) Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/the-tom-petty-project. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Information

  • Creator
    Kevin Brown
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2025
  • Episodes
    217
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Kevin Brown
  • Show Website
    The Tom Petty Project

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