Gov't Mule To Rock New Year's Eve. Then What, Warren Haynes?

posted in: Music News

Forget the Web rumors that Gov’t Mule co-founder Warren Haynes is putting the high-energy Southern jam band out to pasture.

Although Haynes is releasing a solo album and going on a solo tour”as well as continuing his musical partnerships with the Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh & Friends and others”the rumors of the Mule’s demise are false, he said.

“Absolutely not,” replied Haynes when asked if the Mule would soon be no more. “I actually feel like we are leaving on a high point right now. I’ll promote my solo record for a while and then we’ll find ourselves back writing for what will be a Gov’t Mule album.”

Although such a full plate of musical duties would arguably leave many creatively exhausted, various projects are what energizes Haynes.

“Actually, this keeps me from burning out,” said Haynes who Rolling Stone listed as No. 23 on its list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time. “If I did just one thing all the time I’d get sick of it. The fact that I bounce back and forth from one project to another keeps me fresh and energized all the time. With different challenges I use different approaches.”

That’s one reason that Haynes and the late Woody Allen, who was also a member of the Allman Brothers Band, formed Gov’t Mule, which released its debut album in 1995.

Although Haynes solo album won’t be out until Spring 2011, fans have gotten a taste of the soul-laden sound already. For the first time, Haynes played the annual Christmas Jam he started in his hometown of Asheville, NC as a solo act without Gov’t Mule. The 22nd annual jam continues the tradition of raising funds for Habitat for Humanity.

Joining Haynes on the new endeavor is George Porter Jr., Ivan Neville, Ian McCalgan, and others.

“This is the album I always knew I would make,” he said. “This harkens back to my earliest influence which was soul music. Long before I discovered rock ‘n’ roll, I was listening to the Four Tops, Sam and Dave, James Brown and Wilson Pickett. That’s where I developed my love of music. There’s where I learned how to sing, emulating those singers in my bedroom night after night after night before I ever picked up a guitar.”

For now, though, Hayne is concentrating on Gov’t Mule. Although the band is renowned for it’s improvisation, the members will take on a major challenge during the New Year’s holiday. At Haynes’ suggestion, the band set up a ballot so that fans can vote for the “ultimate set list” that includes their 10 favorite Gov’t Mule song, 5 cover songs that the band has never played, 5 cover songs that they have played in the past, and more.

Although the “ultimate set list” will only be played at the New York City show on December 31st, Haynes said he and his band mates will dip into the ballot results and grab a few “fan favorites” for the other concerts this year.

“We’re always looking for interesting concepts,” he said. “It will be curious to see what the fans want to hear. We do a different set list every night, anyway.”

For details about the planned Gov’t Mule concerts, check their site.

By Nancy Dunham

Nancy Dunham writes about music for Country Weekly, AOL Music’s site The Boot, The Washington Post, Relix and other publications.