Gov't Mule Around the World in 14 Days - Delta Boogie Press Releases
Delta Boogie Hairy Larry
invites you to
join the
Delta Boogie
email list
Home Network Search Table of Contents Links
Music Video Radio Bands Bands

Gov't Mule Sits In with Many Musical Friends
While Around The World In 14 Days

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Gov't Mule, whose Life Before Insanity album (Capricorn Records) has spawned great press and a new radio track, "Fallen Down," which follows the Top 20 "Bad Little Doggie," has recently shared a lot of stages with a lot of famous friends.

On the heels of its 52 day record-breaking East Coast and Midwest theater tour, the Mule just returned from a whirlwind eight show, three continent journey that brought them from Los Angeles to Australia (where they played the East Coast Blues and Roots Fest), to Japan (three cities, three shows), to Hawaii, then back to Nashville and New Orleans -- all in the space of two weeks. (Talk about frequent flyer miles!)

While in Lawrence, Kan., on April 11, guitarists John Scofield and Derek Trucks joined the Mule onstage. Mule guitarist Warren Haynes played on their shows across town later that night. In Minneapolis on April 7, Jonny Lang -- recording in the Twin Cities -- sat in with the Mule. At the Australian Blues Festival, the Mule sat in with bluesman "Steady Rolling" Bob Margolin. On March 31, in Indianapolis, Warren sat in with Kenny Wayne Sheppard. And on April 19, Haynes joined Phil Lesh at New York's Beacon Theater for Lesh's entire second set, and sang four songs: "Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys," "Just A Little Light," "Sugaree" and "Love Light."

And on May 5 in Kona, Hawaii -- in a charity show in support of the Kona's Pacific School scholarship fund for underprivileged children -- the band joined former Youngbloods leader Jesse Colin Young and his accompanist, Crosby Loggins (son of Kenny Loggins), in a rendition of "Get Together." "I don't want to sound too patchouli oil about it," says Allen Woody, "but it was one of those really beautiful moments."

While in New Orleans during JazzFest, Warren did a late night jam Sunday night at Tipitinas in New Orleans with DJ Logic, John Medeski (of Medeski, Martin and Wood) and John Fishman (of Phish). It went into the wee small hours; Warren crawled back to his hotel at 7:30 a.m. ? which, of course, is business as usual in the Big Easy.

Prior to the release of the album, Warren Haynes completed a well-received solo acoustic promotional tour of major markets, including the nationally-syndicated "Bob and Tom Show" and "Mancow in the Morning."

According to Haynes, "Obviously we love the trio format and have no intentions of expanding on a permanent basis, but we also love augmenting the trio with our friends who are great musicians. A lot of times these days we'll play 90 minutes or so as a trio, and finish the night augmented by a guest or guests. It's like the best of both worlds to us." * * *

While obviously on a high cycle for performances and touring, the only low light on the Mule tour was a bus mishap in Philadelphia. Late for a recent radio performance in for WXPN-FM's "World Cafe" in Philadelphia, the band found itself in standstill traffic.

"We were lost, traffic was at a standstill, we were late for a gig, and we'd actually begun to walk when this woman came by -- we never ascertained whether it was because we were a rock'n'roll band or she'd taken too much Prozac -- and was driving like Mannix," says Mule bassist Allen Woody. "She hit us and just took off."

In its initial weeks of release, the press has had many kind words for the Mule: "With both skill and muscle, Gov't Mule pushes the old Allmans fusion closer to the hard rock of Cream and Jimi Hendrix," wrote the New York Times. Guitar World added: "On Life Before Insanity, (Gov't Mule) demonstrates expansive growth, stretching out in many different directions while somehow remaining true to the band's original, ass-kicking intent." Maxim calls the album "...meatier than your favorite rib joint." And Goldmine goes so far as to say: "This could very easily be the album that put Gov't Mule over the top." And finally Allstar wrote of their live show:

"Gov't Mule was breathtaking! As a white soul singer, Warren Haynes could give Paul Rodgers a run for his money. The fact that he can also play a guitar that moves effortlessly from Coltrane-like abstract to searing blues rock makes the man one of the finest musical commodities yet to be listed on Wall Street."

Gov't Mule is gearing up for a two-week festival tour followed by a 22-show amphitheater coast-to-coast tour with Steve Miller in June and July, and then several summer blues festivals with blues legend Little Milton.

Cary Baker The Baker/Northrop Media Group (818) 986-5200 x 222 or cary@bakernorthrop.com http://www.bakernorthrop.com

Michelle Roche Capricorn Records (404) 954-6636 or mroche@capricornrecords.com

Tour Press: Jodie Thomas Capricorn Records (404) 954-6632

Delta Boogie Press Archive



Email Delta Boogie
Copyright by Larry Heyl and Vivian Heyl, 1997