Gov't Mule
(pronounced Government Mule) is a rock and jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project. They released their debut album Gov't Mule
in 1995. Gov't Mule has become a staple act at music festivals across North America, boasting members from other notable bands.
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History
1990s
When
The Allman Brothers Band reformed in
1989 in response to the popularity of their
Dreams
box set,
Warren Haynes was added on lead guitar and
Allen Woody was added on bass. The two shared a love for '60s
power trios, like
Cream,
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, and the
James Gang. Haynes, Woody, and former
Dickey Betts drummer
Matt Abts came together as Gov't Mule during Allman Brothers breaks. They released their debut album
Gov't Mule
in 1995, which was followed by
Live from Roseland Ballroom
, released in 1996.
When the Allman Brothers were not forthcoming with any new material, Haynes and Woody left to concentrate full-time on Gov't Mule in 1997.
Dose
, their second studio effort, was released in early 1998. They were joined by members of the Allman Brothers, the
Black Crowes, and
Parliament/
Funkadelic for their 1998 New Year's Eve concert. This was released in both a two and four CD version as
Live... With a Little Help from Our Friends
. The performances exposed some of the bands' influences, covering
Neil Young,
Free,
Traffic,
Jimi Hendrix,
Little Feat,
Black Sabbath, and
Mongo Santamaría (via
John Coltrane).
2000-2003
In February, 2000, the band released
Life Before Insanity
, to critical praise, and although the band had already experienced previous successes, they anticipated a greater commercial success with this album. Unfortunately, Allen Woody was found dead in
New York City in August of that year. On
September 21,
2000 a benefit concert was organized called "One for Woody", with the proceeds going to Woody's daughter, Savannah Woody, for her education. The Allman Brothers, The Black Crowes,
Phil Lesh and Friends,
Jimmy Herring,
Edwin McCain and other friends of Woody and Gov't Mule also performed at the concert. Haynes and Abts considered ending the band after Woody's death, but continued to do limited touring in the Fall of 2000 supporting
Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals as an homage to Woody. Their subsequent "Smile at Half Mast Tour" that followed was named in reference to a poem Haynes wrote for Woody's funeral.
At the "One for Woody" performance and subsequently at other shows, Haynes began appearing with the Allman Brothers Band again. With Dickey Betts' departure from the Allmans, Haynes came back full time to the band at the beginning of 2001 and has continued splitting his time between the Allman Brothers, Gov't Mule and for a period Phil Lesh and Friends and the reformed Grateful Dead bands.
The next year, Haynes and Abts began to record a tribute CD using some of Woody's favorite bass players. These sessions resulted in two CDs
The Deep End, Volume 1
(2001) and
The Deep End, Volume 2
(2002). A documentary of the recording sessions was also made by
Phish bassist
Mike Gordon called
Rising Low
. Bass contributions to the CDs came from
Jack Bruce of
Cream,
John Entwistle of
The Who,
Mike Watt of
Minutemen,
Les Claypool of
Primus,
Flea of the
Red Hot Chili Peppers, and
Chris Squire of
Yes among others.
When it came to touring in support of the Deep End CDs, Haynes and Abts used a revolving door of keyboardists and bassists. Keyboardists included
Chuck Leavell, formerly of the Allman Brothers and known for his current work with the
Rolling Stones, Rob Barraco of
Phil Lesh and Friends and Zen Tricksters,
Phish's
Page McConnell and Danny Louis. Bassists included, among others, Dave Schools of
Widespread Panic,
Oteil Burbridge of the Allman Brothers, Les Claypool of Primus,
Victor Wooten of the
Flecktones,
George Porter Jr. of
The Meters,
Greg Rzab formerly of The Black Crowes and the
Buddy Guy Band, and
Andy Hess, also formerly of The Black Crowes. Louis and Hess were eventually named as permanent members of Gov't Mule.
2004-2008
The first CD with Louis and Hess,
Deja Voodoo
, was released in September 2004, and additional material from those sessions was released in 2005 as
Mo' Voodoo
. The new lineup's second full release,
High & Mighty
, was released on
August 22,
2006, and it was followed in 2007 by a dub/reggae album called
Mighty High
- including versions of covers and original songs with special guest appearances by
Michael Franti,
Toots Hibbert, and
Willi Williams.
Gov't Mule continues to tour extensively and have become staple acts at many music festivals including
Bonnaroo,
Wakarusa, Mountain Jam, Vegoose,
All Good, and their annual New Orleans Jazzfest night show (where they filmed and recorded the last show of the Deepest End tours, with 17 guest musicians in a 6 hour show).
Every year since 1989, Warren Haynes hosts the
Annual Christmas Jam
in his hometown of
Asheville. The concert usually takes place the weekend before Christmas at the Asheville Civic Center, as a fundraiser for
Habitat For Humanity. Many artists who play at the X-Mas Jam also perform separate gigs in various Asheville clubs, usually the day before the Jam proper. The Pre-Jam, as it is called, features many of the same artists, in a smaller club. The 19th edition of the Jam took place on December 15, 2007 with performances by Kevn Kinney,
Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, Shelly Colvin,
Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit,
Jackson Browne,
G. Love,
Bruce Hornsby and
Peter Frampton among others. Gov't Mule headlined.
On June 28, 2008, Gov't Mule performed as a Power Trio for the first time since 2000, this time with its regular bassist Andy Hess. The band titled their set "Old School Mule" and ran through some of their older songs such as "Wandering Child" and "Thorazine Shuffle."
On September 15, 2008, Stefani Scamardo (Warren Haynes' wife) announced on her Sirius radio show that Andy Hess would be leaving the band and a new bassist would be in place for the fall tour. Hess was subsequently replaced by Jorgen Carlsson, who had been rehearsing with the band for six months.
2009
On August 17, 2009, it was announced on the band's official website that Gov't Mule's eighth studio album, entitled
By a Thread
, is scheduled to be released on October 27th, 2009.
On the same date, the first track of the new album, called “Broke Down On The Brazos” (featuring
Billy Gibbons of
ZZ Top), was made available for listening on the website.
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Discography
- Gov't Mule
, 1995
- Live from Roseland Ballroom
, 1996
- Dose
, 1998
- Live... With a Little Help from Our Friends
, 1999
- Life Before Insanity
, 2000
- The Deep End, Volume 1
, 2001
- The Deep End, Volume 2
, 2002
- The Deepest End, Live in Concert
, 2003
- Deja Voodoo
, 2004
- ''Mo' Voodoo (EP), 2005
- High & Mighty
, 2006
- Mighty High
, 2007
- Holy Haunted House
, 2008
- By a Thread
, 2009
Members
- Matt Abts - drums, percussion (1994-present)
- Warren Haynes - guitar, vocals (1994-present)
- Andy Hess - bass (2003-2008)
- Danny Louis - keyboards, guitar, vocals (2002-present)
- Allen Woody - bass, vocals (1994-2000)
- Jorgen Carlsson - bass (2008-present)
Notes
- http://mule.net/news/index.php
References
- http://mule.net/news/index.php