Tom Petty on "Tavis Smiley" tonight

Tom Petty will appear tonight on PBS' Tavis Smiley to discuss the reunion of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and offer insights into the band's latest album, Mojo. Check your local listings for air times.

During the interview, Petty comments on the band's new sound on Mojo:
"I think you'll know it's us but I think the sound has changed. I think we're leaning more to the blues side of things, that's what we really listen to all the time and music that has greatly inspired me. I think you'll notice that we've grown. We've found some ground that I think we can work for a while now. It's exciting, you know, every now and then something will happen musically where you'll go, 'Oh, we found a really good area.' What we're doing now is more like Polaroids. We're trying to capture it quickly and in the moment and it's all about the feel."

You can view a clip here:
http://to.pbs.org/atsQ3N

Tom Petty is an American singer/songwriter who leads the band, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2006, and their music continues to remain in heavy rotation on adult contemporary and classic rock radio. Tom Petty began his musical career in his hometown of Gainesville, Florida. His first band, Mudcrutch, gained local popularity, but failed to reach a mainstream audience. Mudcrutch disbanded, and shortly thereafter, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was formed. The band's third album, Damn the Torpedoes quickly went platinum, and marked the first of many hit albums for the group. In the 1980s, Petty produced albums with the band and as a solo artist, in 1989 Petty released Full Moon Fever as a solo artist, which included his hit songs, I Won't Back Down and Free Fallin.

After the release of Full Moon Fever, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers released four more albums. Their latest, Mojo marks their first collaborative album in the past eight years, and is slated for release on June 15, 2010.

About TAVIS SMILEY on PBS
TAVIS SMILEY is a unique hybrid of news, issues and entertainment, featuring interviews with politicians, entertainers, athletes, authors and other newsmakers. In 2009, Tavis Smiley was named to TIME's list of 100 Most Influential People in the World.

TAVIS SMILEY is produced by The Smiley Group, Inc. / TS Media, Inc. in association with KCET/Los Angeles. Major funding is provided by Walmart and Nationwide Insurance. Additional support comes from PBS and a one-time seed grant from the National Black Programming Consortium.

The 30-minute program airs weeknights on PBS. To get local listings and to watch past episodes, please visit www.pbs.org/tavis.