The Swanee Theatre Presents: The Wildflowers

Now in their 11th year together, The Wildflowers have become the most successful internationally touring tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Playing all the hits of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Tom Petty’s solo music, and even The Traveling Wilburys thrown in for good measure, with such precision, energy, and authentic southern charm, you have to see and hear The Wildflowers to believe it. “Who doesn’t love Tom Petty?” bassist Darryell Stone asked himself one day in 2012 while listening to the radio. There was only one answer he could imagine, “Nobody.” Testing his hypothesis, Stone polled friends, family and fellow musicians how they felt about Petty. The result was always the same. Everyone loves Tom Petty. One of these fellow musicians just happened to be Tom Petty’s doppelganger, guitarist and lead vocalist Jonathan Guthrie. Guthrie was an avid fan and had always fantasized about being a Heartbreaker. As two seasoned musicians and Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers fans, there was really only one thing for them to do – form a Tom Petty tribute band. It wasn’t hard for Stone and Guthrie to find skilled musicians excited about playing in a Tom Petty tribute band. Drummer Steve Lucas, formerly of Feverdog and a band mate of Stone’s local band, Theatrix, quickly signed on. Lucas brought with him his M-80’s band mate Glenn Freeman. Freeman, who boasts of seeing multiple Tom Petty concerts in the 80s, brought an instrumental cornucopia to the group with keyboards, harmonica, guitar and backing vocals. Lead guitarist Curt Granger rounded out the lineup. With several decades of experience on the circuit, Granger has played in such circuit bands as Pyrate, Scream Sophie, and his own solo project, as well as creating a line of world-renowned boutique guitar amplifiers. The new Tom Petty tribute band rehearsed with one focus – to recreate the music of Tom Petty with precision, attention to detail, and a reverent respect. Parts were studied in great detail, down to inflections in the very way each word of every lyric was sang. Performing locally in the first year, it didn’t take long for the band to be noticed. Word spread quickly, which led to more shows outside the band’s home state, which led to more word of mouth and exposure. Soon the band was gaining interest from venues across the southeast, which led to more travel and more Tom Petty fans discovering them.