BURBANK, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Warner Bros. Records) - Mudcrutch, the legendary Florida band featuring Tom Petty, Tom Leadon, Randall Marsh, Mike Campbell, and Benmont Tench, will release a live EP entitled Extended Play Live on Reprise Records November 11, 2008. Extended Play Live will be released digitally, on compact disc, and on 180 Gram High Performance Vinyl. The vinyl edition includes a full dynamic range audiophile CD.
The band undertook a short but wildly popular tour of intimate California venues last April, including six sold-out nights at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Extended Play Live features four tracks recorded during the tour-including a dramatic fifteen-minute version of the band's masterpiece, "Crystal River," recorded live at the Troubadour. All four tracks on the EP are currently streaming in their entirety at www.mudcrutchmusic.com.
Both the vinyl edition and the accompanying audiophile CD present the music without the noticeable "loudness" that befalls many mixes of songs mostly intended to be listened to digitally. When presented in their full dynamic range, the quieter parts of the songs are quieter and the louder parts are louder, as originally performed.
Also on November 11 at 8 p.m. EST/PST, VH1 Classic will premiere The Story Of Mudcrutch. Produced by Peter Bogdanovich, this documentary tells the story of Mudcrutch from their early days playing at topless bars in Gainesville, FL to their 2007 reunion and features footage of the band playing tracks from their debut LP in their clubhouse rehearsal space.
Mudcrutch's self-titled debut album, released April 29, 2008, hit the Billboard charts at No 8 in its first week of release. Universally praised by critics, Mudcrutch was described by Rolling Stone as an "instant classic."
In the early 70s, the members of Mudcrutch were heroes in their hometown of Gainesville, FL, and seemed poised for more. A series of festivals hosted at their base, Mudcrutch Farm, eventually attracted fans from across North Florida and as far away as South Georgia. Too good to last, the festivals were closed down by local authorities but remained a thing of local legend.
Looking to build on their regional successes, Mudcrutch moved to California and released one single on Shelter Records, "Depot Street" b/w "Wild Eyes." But the band never cracked the national music scene or made a full album. Each of the members went on to other musical and personal ventures. In the case of Benmont Tench, he booked studio time to cut some solo recordings. He invited Petty and Campbell to play on those sessions, along with a rhythm section that consisted of Stan Lynch on drums and Ron Blair on bass. The sessions were never completed, but only because amidst that activity a new band was born: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Within the year they would release the first of 15 records.
Now, more than 30 years later, the Mudcrutch story continues with their debut album Mudcrutch and Extended Play Live.
Extended Play Live TRACK LISTING:
The Wrong Thing To Do (Live At The Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA, April 20, 2008)
Bootleg Flyer (Live At The Ventura Theatre, Ventura, CA, April 20, 2008)
Crystal River (Live At The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA, April 28, 2008)
High School Confidential (Live At The Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA, May 2, 2008)
