Petty finishing solo album; plots tour, film

Tom Petty

LOS ANGELES/NASHVILLE - Tom Petty is putting the finishing touches on a new solo album, "Highway Companion," expected to be released in June.

Also in the works is a documentary about Petty and his longtime bandmates the Heartbreakers, with director Peter Bogdonavich chronicling their career for a film due later this year, their 30th together.

Petty previously said the solo disc would be released by Rick Rubin's American Recordings label, but confirmation of the deal is still pending.

"I'm reaching there to try and find a theme," Petty told Billboard of the project, which he previously described as being about the passage of time. "It's just a really nice collection of songs. I think it does have an underlying theme of time and what it does to you."

In support of the album, Petty and the Heartbreakers will tour extensively in 2006, with dates concentrated in the June-July and September-October time frames. True to form, they will try something different.

"What we're trying to do is a bunch of shows with different artists that either we like or think would be an interesting show," Petty manager Tony Dimitriades told Billboard. "One of the main things we're doing is a bunch of shows with Pearl Jam. We're also talking to John Mayer about doing some dates, as well as the Strokes."

MAKING MOVIES

Bogdanovich admits that he had not closely followed the band's career when he was approached late last year by producer George Drakoulias - who has worked on several of the group's albums and Petty's solo material - about a potential documentary. He became intrigued by the group's story, and, after having a meeting with Petty about it, he was hooked.

"Tom is really a child of the rock 'n' roll age in the sense that when he was 11, he was introduced fleetingly to Elvis Presley and it changed his life," Bogdanovich says. "You can't listen to Tom's music without knowing that he's heard a lot of other music like the Beatles, Elvis, the Byrds and Bob Dylan. But he's made a niche for himself, and he understands that it's important to know what preceded you. I agree with that sensibility, and we really got along intelligently."

Bogdanovich expects the film to be released close to the anniversary of the band's debut in November. It will also air on TV or cable around that time; details are still being determined.

"We will be as candid as we can in the film," Bogdanovich says. "We want to explain what impact the group had on the world and the world on it. We will try to put their career into perspective, and we will really get into what Tom meant by his songs."

Why did the famously private Petty allow for such unfettered access?

"I think it's a worthwhile project, and I think it's good that he's going to finally tell this story completely. Sometimes, giving up your privacy is a little like going to the dentist, and we have let him have access that no one's ever had."

- REUTERS/Billboard