Young Tom Petty Fan From Paramus Will Rock Out For Dogs Saturday

PARAMUS, N.J. — Jake Thistle is using his love of Tom Petty to help others.

Thistle, 12, has been playing guitar since he was a child and performs at Kilwins on Saturday nights. When he heard Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers perform at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2008, he was hooked. He consistently strives to get better and is mostly self-taught thanks to YouTube and Skype.

"I've also met and played with some amazing guitarists," said Thistle, a Paramus resident. He's played with Lou Pallo from the Les Paul Trio and met Dave Gellis, the former lead guitarist from Meat Loaf.

"He's been very fortunate to play with all of these great guitarists," Thistle's father, Greg said.

Thistle landed a gig playing at Kilwins on Saturdays throughout the summer. He will donate all of the proceeds to Rock The Dogs, a non-profit Mike Campbell runs with his wife to help shelter dogs. Campbell is the lead guitarist for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

Campbell saw a video of Thistle performing one of their songs. He sent Thistle an encouraging message and Thistle wanted to thank him in a meaningful way. Thistle will donate all the money from his Kilwins performance Saturday to Rock The Dogs.

"I wasn't expecting to hear back, but he liked my Facebook page and I wanted to thank him in a meaningful way, so I came up with the idea of doing the fundraiser," Thistle said.

The performance is 7 to 9:30 p.m. at Kilwins, 121 East Ridgewood Ave. Click here for more information. To make a donation online, email Greg Thistle at gthistle@yahoo.com.

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Jake Thistle plays his electric guitar. — Courtesy of Jake Thistle