The Idea of living a “Rock and roll life” Is something that can mean many things to many different people. Whether used in reference to time spent on the road, making a certain type of music, or surviving the excesses associated with “the road,” the idea of a “rock and roll life” or lifestyle has been mythologized often, well past the point of cliché. With that said, if you’re looking for the human embodiment of a well-lived life in rock, Mike Cambell is an excellent choice. Best known for his longtime role as guitarist in Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (and their predecessors Mudcrutch), Mike has played on, written, and been involved with as much great rock music as anybody of his or any era.
In 2026, Campbell is as busy as ever. In June, Campbell and his band The Dirty Knobs released their fourth album Mission of Mercy, a reliably strong addition to their growing catalog. The record kicks off with lead single “No Regrets,” one of the band’s strongest tunes to date, and never looks back. In Typical Dirty Knobs Fashion, there are several raw, straight ahead rockers (“My mama told me,” “Wrecking Ball”) as well as a few stylistic departures. The best departure on the record, the americana-tinged ballad “More than gold,” a duet with longtime friend Morgane Stapleton, shows off a rootsier side of Campbell’s playing and writing to great effect.
The songs of Mission of Mercy will also feature heavily in Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs’ upcoming live gig at the Pantages, taking place on Tuesday July 7th. While Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers were one of the great arena bands of all time, the Pantages show will offer fans a chance to catch Campbell in a theater-another area where he shines. In our conversation, Campbell expressed enthusiasm for the gig and the upcoming tour, noting how much he loves playing theaters and how excited he is to play the Mission of Mercy material onstage. There will also be a few Heartbreakers Classics mixed in for longtime fans. Any opportunity to see a rock legend like Campbell is a worthy one, but this show promises to be an especially good one.
Below is an Interview with Mike Campbell. The following has been edited for consistency.
Music in Minnesota: I want to ask a little bit about the Dirty Knobs as a project. I know the Dirty knobs have been around for years, but have been more of a focus since around 2020. I’m curious how the music has evolved over those years. I know the lineup has changed a bit.
Mike Campbell: We have a really good lineup right now. We have Steve Ferrone on the drums, Chris holt on guitar. It’s business as usual, it’s a rock and roll band. I write the songs, we come in and record them, we put them out.
MIM: I know you’ve talked before about how you enjoy the art of playing with a rock and roll band. You’ve worked in bands as a collaborator, a writer, and in many capacities. How does this band manifest your love of being in a band?
MC: I’ve always wanted to be in a band. Sometimes, I record songs on my own. If the band’s not around I’ll make a demo. But mostly, I like for them to come in and I’ll throw them a new song without them having time to figure it out too much, and catch a live track.
MIM: One of the things I like about your records is that they feel live and raw, which is certainly a great way to experience and play rock and roll music.
MC: A band is a wonderful thing. A very fragile thing, but when it’s firing on all cylinders, it’s a magical thing. That’s why I love to make music. I love having a band around me.
MIM: Your gig in Minneapolis is at the Pantages. It’ll be the first gig on your summer tour. What are you excited about on this upcoming tour?
MC: I’m excited about the new album, and we’ve got new songs to play. I’ve got three other albums I like quite a bit, so I’m excited to work in the new material. I also always throw in a few Heartbreakers’ songs here and there. I’m excited to play the new record. I think it will sound great live.
MIM: This show is in a pretty intimate, mid-size theater. It’s a great venue. You’ve played more venues and more types of venues than just about anybody. What do you like about playing in an intimate theater setting?
MC: I like everything about it. I have played for all types of crowds before. I like the big shows. We played a lot of them with the Heartbreakers. But there can be a bit of a disconnection to it-there’s so many people with big PA, and the sound goes out and they don’t necessarily hear what I’m hearing or what the band is hearing. In a theater, everybody’s in the band. The Crowd is right up close, and the sound is contained. When I first started The Dirty Knobs, I thought some day if we can play theaters, I would consider that a huge success. We were in biker bars, which are fine, but there are so many great musical theaters across America that are really ornate with great sound. I just like the energy of having it right there close to the band. It’s very rewarding.
MIM: Absolutely. As an audience member, there’s nothing like being close to a great rock band.
MC: That’s what rock and roll was designed for. It wasn’t designed for fields with hundreds of thousands of people. It’s meant to be in a little club or theater. I heard Keith Richards say once that rock and roll sounds best in a room with two hundred people. I prefer two thousand, but it’s a good line.
MIM: Are you someone who thinks about the live show while you are in the writing process, or are those completely separate for you?
MC: They’re completely separate. A song is a song. I don’t put pressure on the songs. If it comes to me from divine course it comes. Occasionally, if I’m working on a song it occurs to me it might sound good, but I don’t start out thinking that way.
MIM: I know you’re somebody who is always writing and certainly always playing. You said in one interview that you have a guitar by every chair in your house. On a project like this, I imagine you’re paring back from a lot of songs. Do you have a process for selecting songs on the record?
MC: Well, the only process is to try to be open to the ideas when they come your way. I think I have the opposite of writer’s block. Ideas seem to come out of the air, you know. It feels silly to talk about it, but it’s kind of magical. I don’t have a plan or an agenda. I just try to be open. I think of myself as a kind of walking human antenna. My antenna is kind of up all of the time. It’s exciting when the first ideas come up- it’s like the thrill of discovery.
MIM: I imagine it’s another layer of discovery to go through and see those ideas come to fruition. The whole process sounds like a beautiful thing.
MC: well, I’m a lucky man (laughs)
MIM: I do want to ask one question about your time with The Heartbreakers and how that influences and lives on through what you do now. I had the opportunity to speak with Benmont Tench last year. We talked a little bit about the beginnings of that Journey you guys took in Mudcrutch and with the Heartbreakers. I’m curious how that history influences the current music you make.
MC: That’s a deep question. I’m very aware of my journey. Decades of making music and writing songs with Tom, playing all over the world. I look at that as successful. I took it for granted a little bit maybe, like “this is great, everything’s working, people like our songs. Tom’s writing, I’m writing, the band is playing.” I never looked back, I was always looking forward to the next thing, the next challenge. It meant a lot to my life, being in that band, playing in that band, and contributing to it. So, anything I do from now forward is going to have elements of that in it, because I can’t get it out, even I if I wanted to. It’s something I’m very proud of. At shows, I like to do a few songs-I change them up from night to night. It’s always kind of a spiritual feeling to play those songs, you know, people always respond.
MIM: It’s a catalog that means so much to people, and a lot to the world. To experience that, and to share that is a deep thing.
MC: Occasionally, someone will come up to me, and say “I Played this at my wedding” or “This was the soundtrack of my life.” And I go “mine too!” What a compliment, you know.
MIM:I imagine as somebody who creates music and art, to impact people like that, that’s one of the great things you can do.
MC: The best thing you can do is inspire someone, then you’ve done a good job.
