The Weekender talks with Grammy-winning guitar legend Warren Haynes ahead of his stop at the F.M. Kirby Center on September 20 with his rock jam band, Gov’t Mule.
Photo Credit — pitpony.photography, Wikimedia Commons
Gov’t Mule and their Peace…Like A River World Tour come the F.M. Kirby Center on Wednesday, September 20.
WILKES-BARRE – Warren Haynes and his band Gov’t Mule head to the F.M. Kirby Center on Wednesday, September 20. The Weekender spoke to Haynes ahead of his Wilkes-Barre show to dig deeper into their new album and world tour.
Warren Haynes is a Grammy-winning guitar legend who played in the Allman Brothers Band for many years before founding Gov’t Mule with fellow bandmates Matt Abts and Allen Woody in 1994. He went full-time with the band in 1997 and they’ve been touring the world and dropping new music ever since.
The Peace…Like A River World Tour stops in Wilkes-Barre to celebrate the newest album from the Grammy-nominated quartet.
“It doesn’t sound like anything we’ve done before, but it sounds like Gov’t Mule,” said Warren Haynes in his interview with The Weekender.
Peace…Like A River was released June 16 through Fantasy Records. It’s the 12th studio album from the revered band. The record is a follow-up to Gov’t Mule’s chart-topping, Grammy-nominated blues album, Heavy Load Blues. Interestingly enough, these two albums were recorded at the same time.
Yep — during lockdown while they weren’t able to perform on stage, Gov’t Mule decided to try something crazy. They recorded Heavy Load Blues and Peace…Like A River simultaneously, in two very different rooms at Power Station New England.
“The concept was creating two albums that sounded completely different from each other,” said Warren Haynes. “We decided to find a studio that we could have two completely different setups at the same time.”
In one space, they had their full-fledged studio production for Peace…Like A River. Then, in another small room, he said they used small vintage amplifiers and drumkits while recording live, as if in a blues club for Heavy Load Blues. Their concept was to go into one room and work on Peace…Like A River until 9:00 p.m. then go into the other room and play the blues for the rest of the night.
Warren Haynes said this is how the blues were meant to be played — raw, unplugged, and after sundown. Playing the blues late at night was a way of cleansing their brains and gave them a fresh start for Peace…Like A River each morning.
On paper, recording two completely different albums at once sounds daunting, but the ambitious scheme paid off. Now, both albums have been released with wide acclaim. Haynes couldn’t be more pleased with the way Peace…Like A River turned out.
“The album is my favorite that we’ve done to date, song by song,” said Haynes. “In some ways it’s touching on some new influences that have been with us all along and haven’t pulled up until now. It’s also in many ways about where we started, which is already almost 30 years ago.”
Haynes said his favorite song off the newest album changes all the time, but if he had to pick one right now — he’d go with “Made My Peace.” Haynes elaborated, “It’s different from anything we’ve ever done. A lot more Beatles influence than we’ve ever had.”
As for what guests can expect at the September 20 show, Haynes said they’re looking forward to playing as much of the new material as possible. “We’ve already played six of the songs and will keep adding to the repertoire,” said Haynes.
As fans may know, Gov’t Mule plays a different setlist every night, at every show. Attendees at the Kirby Center will hear a mix of all the eras of the band’s impressive discography. You never know what you’re going to experience live at a Gov’t Mule show!
“We try to do a little bit from each part of the band, but we don’t know what we’re going to play until the night before,” said Haynes. “That’s the fun part — that you don’t have to play all the same songs.”
Improvisation is a big part of what defines a jam band, so Gov’t Mule is definitely a part of that space. But, Haynes said they’re heavier on the rock side than many other band jam bands out there.
“Well, we’re a combination of our influences, which kind of spans the gamut,” said Haynes. “We’re a rock band that’s influenced by jazz, blues, soul, reggae, and folk music. So many different influences are there but we’re predominantly a rock band.”
“We’re doing what we love to do, we’re doing music exactly the way we want to do it and we’ve been able to build an audience around that philosophy,” said Warren Haynes. “And I love that we’re able to do that.”
Gov’t Mule and Warren Haynes spread the word everywhere they go with their memorable shows and contagious energy. “With music like ours that isn’t mainstream and media-driven — you really have to bring it to the people.”
The Peace…Like A River World Tour begins September 13 starting in Toronto. After wrapping up in North America, Gov’t Mule heads to Europe to complete their world tour.
Haynes looks forward to returning to Northeastern Pennsylvania on this album run. His memories of Wilkes-Barre go back to their very first Gov’t Mule tour when they still had just a tiny fan base. Both the audience and the band enjoyed a great show that night, and now with over two decades under their belt — they’re ready to show NEPA how they’ve grown.
See guitar legend Warren Haynes and his band Gov’t Mule at the F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts on Wednesday, September 20.
