Gov’t Mule has announced the release of their anticipated 10th studio albumRevolution Come… Revolution Go out June 9th on Fantasy Records. Steeped in the roots and mystique of rock, blues, soul, jazz and country, Revolution Come… Revolution Go enriches Gov’t Mule’s distinguished legacy with cleverly crafted songs, intelligent and timely lyrical commentary, and downright incendiary playing, while the depth and breadth of the band’s stunning songwriting are displayed with full force.
“Revolution Come… Revolution Go” is also available on other media including an 180-grade double gatefold vinyl which includes a download of the Deluxe Record which features 6 Bonus Tracks.
Pre-sales for the new record are now available, including instant downloads of the first two singles “Sarah, Surrender” and “Stone Cold Rage” in the Gov’t. Mule Webstore, on iTunes and through Amazon. Be sure to check out all the new offerings in the Webstore as you can get exclusive access to a listening party in New York City, VIP Meet & Greets, Signed Guitars, Drums and more!
Last night my brother-in-law and I renewed our tradition of seeing Gov’t. Mule in concert. This was the 6th time we’ve witnessed the Mule and they never, ever disappoint. 😉
Truth be told I’ve seen Warren Haynes play guitar 11 times live. Six times with the Mule, three times with the Allman Bros. Band, once with the Grateful Dead and once at the 100 year Salute to the Blues with Gregg Allman.
The concert took place at the College Street Music Hall in New Haven. The converted Palace Theatre allows standing room for general audience down front. I don’t particularly care for the excessive concrete architecture of the venue. The sound is not bad but seating isn’t as comfortable as it once was. But enough about the aesthetics of the venue.
How was Gov’t. Mule you ask? In a word, fantastic! Warren Haynes was in a happy, energetic mood and it showed from the get go.
Photo: Heath Robson
The concert began with “Where’s My Mule?” which defined the evening’s mood and temperament. I love watching Warren Haynes play guitar. He is very skillful at his craft.
The band featuring Matt Abts on drums, Jorgen Carlsson bass guitar, Danny Louis on keyboards, trombone and guitar is a tight nucleus. A fluid jam band with a rare instinctual feel for each other when they play their repertoire.
They were joined periodically by Steve Elson on alto, baritone sax and flute. He created a cool edge to the songs. He drove it forward well, meshing with the Mule as he did.
Set 1:
Where’s My Mule >
Banks Of The Deep End
Rocking Horse >
Birth Of The Mule with Hit The Road Jack tease
On Your Way Down > with Steve Elson
Sco-Mule with Steve Elson
Unring The Bell
Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home with Steve Elson & Give You All the Love (Inside of Me) lyrics
Set 2:
Thorazine Shuffle with Oye Como Va tease
Lively Up Yourself with Jessica tease
Game Face with American Bandstand, Birdland & Mountain Jam teases
Sad & Deep As You > with Steve Elson
Drums >
Kind Of Bird > with Steve Elson
In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed > with Steve Elson
Kind Of Bird > with Steve Elson
I’m A Ram with Glad tease
Encore:
Tastes Like Wine with Steve Elson
Just Got Paid
The Mule played two sets of music. My favorite was the second set. Gov’t. Mule extended the Allman Bros. classic “In Memory of Elizabeth Reed” with “Kind of Bird” and “I’m A Ram”. That was the shining moment that knocked it out of the park for me.
When Gov’t. Mule released the album, “High & Mighty” followed by “Mighty High” they infused Jamaican Dub and Reggae with their jam band sound. This was a major pivot point for the Mule. I always love when Warren and company honor that tradition. I also enjoyed that they played “Unring the Bell” during the first set.
There is a great Mule Web page at Jam.Buzz with many of the songs hosted on YouTube. Thanks Steve Roche!
Tonight , 10/29 the Mule will do their annual Halloween, Mule-O-Ween show in Albany, NY. Warren asked the audience how many of you are coming. He got a favorable response to that question. This year’s Halloween classic features the music of Traffic. I know that will be bitchin’ as I saw them perform “Low Spark of High Heeled Boys” three years ago at Ives Park in Danbury. If you’re going you are in for a trick or treat.
I now have two Mule 2016 concerts to download from Mule Tracks, Cool!
Ticketed to see Gov’t. Mule, October 28th, College Music Hall in New Haven, CT.
Next month, Gov’t Mule will be hitting the road with ZZ Top. In honor of this bringing together of two of the finest guitar-based blues-rock bands around, Gov’t Mule have made an animated video for their cover of ZZ Top’s “Just Got Paid.”
The song appears on their recently released The Tel-Star Sessions album, which brings together the first recordings the band made back in 1994 at Tel-Star Studios in Bradenton, Fla. It was intended to be a self-released album, when the group was a side project for guitarist Warren Haynes and bassist Allen Woody to do when the Allman Brothers Band were taking a break. But word of the band grew, which led to them getting signed to a label, who gave them a bigger budget for their 1995 self-titled debut.
Gov’t Mule’s tour with ZZ Top begins at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, N.Y. on Sept. 9. They will play eight dates in total before winding it up at the Starlight Theatre in Kansas City on Sept. 20.
“I’ve played with Billy [Gibbons] and Dusty [Hill] a few times,” Haynes told Ultimate Classic Rock. “We’re looking forward to this tour that we’re going to do together. I think it’s kind of a nice full-circle thing. I’m glad to see them still doing it all these years later and keeping what they do alive as part of the overall picture. ZZ Top has reinvented themselves a few times, and very few bands have that opportunity. But everything they do still has the blues as the core of it.”
After finishing the dates with ZZ Top, Gov’t Mule will immediately begin a headlining tour of their own, starting at the Tabernacle in Atlanta on Sept. 23. You can see their complete calendar at Gov’t Mule’s website.
Gov’t Mule has released a new archival album entitled The Tel-Star Sessions on Evil Teen Records. The LP consists of the band’s very first, and never-before-released, demos made in June 1994 at Tel-Star Studios in Bradenton, Florida. These newly mixed and mastered recordings feature the original line-up – Warren Haynes, Allen Woody and Matt Abts – and capture the rawness and excitement of the earliest days of Gov’t Mule.
Recorded during the infancy of Gov’t Mule, the demos heard on The Tel-Star Sessions are from a time when Mule was an adventurous side project, formed during a year when Warren Haynes and Allen Woody had some down time from their work with the Allman Brothers Band. Becoming one of the most enduring, respected and active bands in the world was the furthest thing from the band’s imagination; the plan was to record a low-budget album and play a few shows.
It’s now clear that they had stumbled upon something special, but at that point Mule was an experimental rock trio: Haynes, Woody and drummer Matt Abts, who Haynes brought in after playing with him in the Dickey Betts Band. Fans will love the chance to hear their early improvisational interplay, an impressive skill that has since become a signature of Gov’t Mule’s albums and live shows.
I am itching to see Gov’t. Mule live in concert again. I’ve seen the band five times during the decade from 2005 – 2015. This jam band has so much kick. They have never disappointed me with their versatility and showmanship.
I waded in the deepest when Gov’t. Mule released their studio recording, Mighty High almost 7.5 years ago on October 16, 2007. Of all the Gov’t. Mule recordings that I own, Mighty High is my personal favorite, I am renewed when I revisit it. Gov’t. Mule gave Dub a newfound purpose and meaning.
Mighty High was a direct outgrowth of the seeds germinated by Gov’t. Mule and friends the year before in NYC. In honor of that pivotal concert, Dub Side of the Mule will be released on April 7th via Evil Teen Records.
Recorded during Mule’s fabled New Year Eve 2006 performance at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, the show features three-plus hours of Mule standards and covers, including a 1-hour reggae/R&B set featuring Toots Hibbert, the legendary founder of Toots & The Maytals. This set includes many of Toots’ revered songs including: “Pressure Drop,” “54-46 Was My Number,” “Reggae Got Soul,” and a rendition of his version of the Radiohead song, “Let Down.” The album also includes special appearances by Gregg Allman & Friendsand John Popper (from Blues Traveler).
All 34 tracks have been remixed and mastered. The album will be available in three formats: standard edition CD (1 CD of the entire set with Toots, plus two additional Mule-only reggae songs), standard edition vinyl (two 180-gram vinyl’s of the Toots set, plus two additional Mule-only reggae songs & a download code for the digital files), and a deluxe edition (3 CDs of the entire 3-hour performance, plus a DVD of only the entire reggae set with Toots Hibbert.
Check out this video clip from that blissful evening.
I find Gov’t Mule one of the most versatile jam bands around. They constantly prove their mettle by performing the music of other bands they admire with a clear intent. I have seen them do many covers and full albums they are totally amazing when they get cranking.
Gov’t Mule just released, Dark Side of the Mule. The 2008 Halloween Show from Boston’s Orpheum Theatre is now available in Deluxe CD/DVD, Double Vinyl, Standard CD and Digital Download versions. Dark Side of the Mule features 90 minutes of Pink Floyd covers and 3 hours of music and video.
In late September of 1999, John Scofield teamed with Gov’t Mule, then featuring original bass player the late Allen Woody, in Georgia for two legendary shows. These shows were recorded with the intention of it being a live release after the studio album Life before Insanity. After the passing of Woody, and the start of The Deep End project, those plans had been set aside. There are no audience recordings from these shows, so this will be the first time that anyone will be able to hear or relive what took place that night. Newly mixed and mastered, Sco-Mule features 2.5 hours of music and will be available as a 2-CD set and as a Double Vinyl Release.
2015 SCO-MULE WINTER TOUR!
Gov’t Mule is pleased to announce the 2015 Sco-Mule Winter Tour featuring Gov’t Mule with special guest John Scofield. Pre-sale tickets for the tour will go on sale beginning next Tuesday, December 9th at 12pm local time. The public on sale will follow next Friday, December 12th at 10am local time.
2.18 at Moore Theatre in Seattle, WA
2.19 at McDonald Theatre in Eugene, OR
2.20 at Fox Oakland Theatre in Oakland, CA
2.24 at The Ogden Theatre in Denver, CO
2.26 at State Theatre in Minneapolis, MN
2.27 at The Riviera Theatre in Chicago, IL
2.28 at The Egyptian Room (Old National Centre) in Indianapolis, IN
3.01 at LC Pavilion in Columbus, OH
3.03 at Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, NC
3.05 at Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, TN
3.06 at The Paramount Theater of Charlottesville, VA
3.11 at State Theatre in Portland, ME
I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Brian Farmer. To me he will always be the heart and soul of Gov’t. Mule.
He was a vibrant character, dedicated to his craft as the road and equipment manager for The Mule. He was a focused guitar tech and incredible buddy with Warren Haynes.
I have two videos I want to share with you about Brian.
The first is a video of Brian Farmer participating with Gov’t. Mule in the song, “Don’t Step On The Grass Sam” by Steppenwolf. We saw Brian do this with The Mule at the Ives in Danbury a few years back. It really made the evening for us.
The second video is a beautiful moving tribute to Brian Farmer performed at Bob Weir‘s TRI Studios. You can feel Warren’s heart breaking as he plays “I Know You Rider”
I take comfort that the soul ascends and that Brian Farmer has joined Rock and Roll Heaven.
Rest in Peace, Brian Farmer. We miss you dearly. #ThankYouFarmer
“He was a close friend, a devoted worker, and a lover of life,” says Warren Haynes. “We traveled around the world together and shared many experiences-mostly while laughing. He will be missed by a huge circle of friends and family.”
A challenge I especially enjoy as a music enthusiast is staying in league with artists I admire. The Doors hold a sacred place in the music of our heart.
This past week provided exciting moments for Doors fans. Robby Krieger and John Densmore, the surviving Doors members made an appearance together on December 5th at the Los Angeles screening of Mr. Mojo Risin’ : The Story of L.A. Womanat the Bing Theatre, Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA).
The multi-tiered event “An Evening With the Doors” provided a warm atmosphere for Krieger and Densmore to reflect upon The Doors, Jim Morrison and Ray Manzarek.
The special surprise was that Robby Krieger and John Densmore performed four Doors songs together, “People Are Strange”, “Love Me Two Times”, “Spanish Caravan,” and “Riders On The Storm” (with a little “Ghost Riders In The Sky”).
Here is a YouTube video of their performance that was leaked onto the Web.
I also refer you to the Rolling Stone Magazine article listed in the Related Articles section below. You will find an interview conducted after the event with Robby Krieger and John Densmore.
The Doors iPad App Version 2.0
Earlier that same day The Doors iPad app was updated to include a new section, “Ray Remembered” which features drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger’s first interview together in more than a decade, held to commemorate keyboardist Ray Manzarek. “Ray Remembered” also includes a new slide show of rare and unseen images and an essay about Ray Manzarek by Adam Holzman, son of Elektra Records’ Jac Holzman, the architect behind The Doors iPad app.
Mule Tracks
I had reported in October that Gov’t. Mule would host Robby Krieger of The Doors for their annual Halloween concert, Mule-O-Ween.
The event went so well (it was a two night gig, with a 10/31 show in Oakland) that Gov’t. Mule and Robby Krieger are repeating the event for East Coast fans on New Years Eve 12/31 at where else but The Beacon 😉
Pre-sales for the new record are now available, including instant downloads of the first two singles “Sarah, Surrender” and “Stone Cold Rage” in the Gov’t. Mule Webstore, on iTunes and through Amazon. Be sure to check out all the new offerings in the Webstore as you can get exclusive access to a listening party in New York City, VIP Meet & Greets, Signed Guitars, Drums and more!
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