The Damn Torpedoes - a Tribute to Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

The Damn Torpedoes are playing The BackWood Bar on Sunday, September 27, and they're doing it with a specific purpose: recreating the Farm Aid Music Festival, with the proceeds going to Farmshare Austin. If you're not familiar with the name, it's a play on Tom Petty's 1979 album Damn the Torpedoes, and that's exactly where the band's focus stays. They've been around Austin since 2009, and they describe themselves as the definitive tribute to Petty and the Heartbreakers.

What they're after isn't just a cover set. They talk about a painstaking attention to detail, working to recreate the band's sound and feel from the ground up—the tones, the arrangements, the harmonies, the performance, and the look. It's the kind of approach that aims for the records rather than just the hits, so you'll hear the Heartbreakers' specific lean as much as Petty's voice. The Farm Aid theme adds another layer to it, pulling from the spirit of those benefit shows.

And there's a local angle that goes beyond the music. The proceeds from the show benefit Farmshare Austin, a nonprofit that works to get fresh, local produce to people who need it most in the community. So the night does two things at once: it brings back the sound of Petty and the Heartbreakers and it puts money toward a local cause.

It's a Sunday afternoon show, which is a nice change of pace from the usual late-night sets. The Damn Torpedoes take the stage at 4 PM at The BackWood Bar, 12010 Menchaca Rd, Austin, TX 78748.