Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs At Cook County Jail

The Southern California rock band Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs performed at Cook County Jail on the morning of Friday, July 10. Playing for about 45-minutes, they built a vibe that lasted hours.

The set began with a stomper about love sickness called Vicious Hangover. “Feelin’ like a dog and feelin’ black and blue / I got a vicious hangover and it’s all because of you,” sang lead singer and guitarist Mike Campbell. It got things moving in the right direction, which is no surprise because Campbell is a bona fide rock star. He co-founded Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers in 1976 and co-wrote many of their hits. 

The other Dirty Knobs are up there, too. Drummer Steve Ferrone played with The Heartbreakers for twenty years. Guitarist Chris Holt tours with the Eagles. Bassist Lance Morrison tours with Don Henley. 

Campbell told the audience that music helps him escape from the pressures of the world and he hoped the show would do the same for them. Wearing cowboy boots, a scarf, a vest and a squat stovepipe hat over long black hair, he looked like an old-time Mississippi riverboat hustler. He’s a thin guy, but by no means frail. His slight Florida twang reverberates with sincerity. “I hope things get better for all of you,” he said. 

CREATIVITY IN COOK COUNTY JAIL
The therapeutic concert was offered to a select group of individuals in custody (IICs). It was organized by a Program Manager who calls himself CJ and invited me to help with the effort. CJ runs a number of programs at the jail — photography workshops, writing classes, upholstery classes, drum circles. “I am amazed by CJ’s creativity,” says Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart. “I mostly just stay out of his way and let him do his thing.” 

MIKE CAMPBELL & THE DIRTY KNOBS AT COOK COUNTY JAIL PHOTO:CJ

THE WHOLE ENCHILADA
There were about 120 people in the room where the band played. A wall of windows framed an inner guard tower opposite the three-foot stage. The IICs filled two sections of chairs. They wore tan outfits bearing the initials DOC. A dozen or so officers occupied the perimeter. 

For many of us, the show had begun at 8 o’clock in the morning, when The Dirty Knobs tour bus and a semi-truck full of equipment arrived. The truck rolled into the shipping and receiving area. IICs and staff helped unload the gear. There were road cases on wheels containing musical instruments, amplifiers, microphones, stands and audio components. 

Chicago-based vocal sensation Sydny August was helping along with some of the other volunteers, including documentarian Brian Schodorf and cinematographer Jamieson Mulholland. Sydny performed at the jail a few months ago and now assists CJ with the operation. “I only brought a laptop when I played here,” she said. 

It was kind of like, damn, The Dirty Knobs brought the whole enchilada.

The names and logos of bands that had presumably used the road cases were stenciled on several of the crates. I touched one bearing the words, “Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers,” collapsing the distance between myself and greatness. Sydny saw “Fleetwood Mac” and said, “my dad would love this.”

F*CK THAT GUY
Like Sydny, it seemed that most of the audience was a generation or two behind the chart-topping success of Campbell and his mates. They all treated the Dirty Knobs with respectful applause for the first couple numbers — the band obviously knew what they were doing. Then Campbell introduced a tune that he “wrote in three minutes” with Grammy Award-winning artist Chris Stapleton, and it lit up the whole crowd. 

The song was called Fuck That Guy. It swayed like a rocking chair in the shade. With slinky slide guitar floating over a bouncy bassline, Campbell sang, “Look at that clown dressed up like Charles Dickens / Sneaking around like Slim Pickens.” He urged everyone to join the chorus. 

The individuals in custody obliged. They shouted and thrust their middle fingers in the air. I think everyone imagined some kind of jerk who made life difficult and sang along. But nobody directed their anger at Sheriff Dart, who stood in the back of the room. 

From there on in, The Dirty Knobs turned the performance into a downhome rocker. They finished each number with the kind of electrifying crescendo that only years of experience can achieve. There was an official-looking guy in a polo shirt standing next to me. At the conclusion of a bluesy selection titled, My Mama Told Me, he smiled and clapped and said, “Wow, these guys know how to end a song!” 

RUNNIN’ DOWN A DREAM
The band closed with Runnin’ Down a Dream, a worldwide hit that Campbell, Tom Petty and Electric Light Orchestra legend Jeff Lynne released in 1989. With an optimistic beat, a catchy riff and lyrics like, “I felt so good, like anything was possible,” it tapped into joy. Then The Dirty Knobs stuck around and took a few questions from the crowd. 

Sheriff Dart was still there and he spoke with a few of the individuals in custody. He listened and responded to them like a department manager conferring with crew members on a work site. He was thrilled with the show’s success. “This will bring these guys a lot of hope,” he said. 

Rock and rollers are often called gods or superstars or whatever. But at Cook County Jail, The Dirty Knobs were something much cooler. Mike Campbell, Steve Ferrone, Chris Holt and Lance Morrison are hardworking musicians who put on a hell of a show. 

F*CK THAT GUY MIKE CAMBELL & THE DIRTY KNOBS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nG6Q7MqVCo&list=RD-nG6Q7MqVCo&start_radio=1