If you've ever watched that epic documentary on Tom Petty, Running Down A Dream, you are familiar with Mudcrutch. The four hour cinematic dip into Petty's life begins in Gainesville, Florida, where the musician joins forces with Mike Campbell (one of the most important meetings in music history), Benmont Tench (a Schroeder-esque character on keys), Jim Lenehan, Tom Leadon, and Randall Marsh.

Regarding that name, in the documentary the band members explain: "We picked this really terrible name: Mudcrutch... We all liked it because it sounded kind of dirty and decrepit."

That was 1971, and the band never really made it to the '80s, thanks to Petty's success with the Heartbreakers (only Tench and Campbell made that crossover—"two of the best musicians in the world walked right into my life," Petty said of them).

While Mudcrutch released a couple of singles in the '70s (they were signed in '74 and moved to Los Angeles at the time), they didn't put out their first full length album until 2008, and now they're about to put out a second, entitled 2, which will coincide with a tour. The album comes out on May 20th, and the tour kicks off in May (head to MudcrutchMusic.com for more). From today's press release:

Mudcrutch announced their second album entitled "2" will be released by Reprise Records on May 20th. The album is the follow up to the band's 2008 eponymous debut which Rolling Stone called "a country-rock instant classic" in a rave four star review. The new album, produced by band members Tom Petty and Mike Campbell with Ryan Ulyate.

All members of Mudcrutch contribute songs on their new album "2." The album includes seven originals written by Tom Petty, with band members Mike Campbell, Tom Leadon, Randall Marsh and Benmont Tench composing one each.

Mudcrutch has also announced their first national tour. Tom Petty (bass/vocals), Tom Leadon (guitar/vocals), Benmont Tench (keyboards/vocals), Mike Campbell (guitar/vocals), and Randall Marsh (drums/vocals) make up the band's current line up.

Tickets for the tour go on sale April 1st:

Thursday, May 26th @ Ogden Theatre, Denver, CO
Sunday, May 29th @ Summer Camp Festival, Chillicothe, IL
Tuesday, May 31st @ Ryman Auditorium, Nashville, TN
Thursday, June 2nd @ Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA
Friday, June 3rd @ Bunbury Music Festival, Cincinnati, OH
Monday, June 6th @ 9:30 Club, Washington, DC
Tuesday, June 7th @ The Fillmore, Philadelphia, PA
Friday, June 10th @ Webster Hall, New York, NY
Saturday, June 11th @ Webster Hall, New York, NY
Tuesday, June 14th @ Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, NY
Wednesday, June 15th @ House of Blues, Boston, MA
Sunday, June 19th @ The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
Monday, June 20th @ The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
Saturday, June 25th @ The Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Sunday, June 26th @ The Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA
Tuesday, June 28th @ The Observatory, Santa Ana, CA

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