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Cheap Trick Bassist Is No Swag Member

Band considering legal action against Swag's label, which claimed Tom Petersson was power-pop collective's bassist.

Cheap Trick want their fans to know that bassist Tom Petersson is not a member of the power-pop collective Swag, and that he only played on two tracks on the band's Catchall album.

The Rockford, Illinois, rockers issued a statement Wednesday apologizing to any of its fans who were misled into thinking that Petersson is the bassist on Catchall's entirety. The statement said that Petersson merely sat in with some old friends — Swag members Robert Reynolds of the Mavericks, Sixpence None the Richer member Jerry Dale McFadden, former Wilco drummer Ken Coomer and singer Doug Powell — on a couple of the album's tracks, even though the Yep Roc/Plug Records release lists him as a band member.

Petersson has never been a member of the group, according to a Cheap Trick spokesperson.

Cheap Trick said they are considering taking legal action against Yep Roc, Plug and Redeye Distribution for misleading album buyers by including Petersson's name on a sticker on the CD packaging and mentioning him prominently in press materials. The band, which is on tour in Europe, claimed in their statement that efforts to settle the situation amicably have failed.

"Yep Roc Records has always proceeded in good faith in dealing with all parties involved and will continue to do so to resolve matters," label spokesperson Glenn Dicker said.

The original incarnation of Swag, which also included Cheap Trick guitarist Rick Nielsen and the Mavericks' Paul Deakin, issued a well-received vinyl single called "Sweet Lucinda," a tribute to singer/songwriter Lucinda Williams. The current line-up played a handful of live dates this spring, with different bass players at different shows (see [article id="1441531"]"Members Of Swag Coordinate Schedules For Brief Tour"[/article]).

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