Posts Tagged ‘Gov’t Mule’
Double Dose of Warren Haynes
January 30th, 2010
Posted in Concerts
I was fortunate enough on Friday to get two servings of Warren Haynes, guitarist of both Gov’t Mule and the Allman Brothers Band. Warren stopped by the studios of WNKU on the campus of Northern Kentucky University, where a few fans were treated to a couple acoustic songs and watched on as DJ Forrest Griffen gave a brief interview. This appearance was played live on the air from 4:30 to 5 pm. Warren was running behind schedule, but that’s quite alright when you end up getting to meet one of your musical heroes.
He kicked things off with the Allman Brothers “Old Friend” and ended with ”Railroad Boy”, a brand new song off their latest record By A Thread. With the combination of acoustic slide blues and the passion found in his voice, he sent chills down my spine. The interview part of the session covered his days playing in David Allan Coe’s band and Mule’s annual Christmas Jam, a concert benefit for Habitat for Humanity that has been going on for over twenty years. People from all around the world attend the concert, which over the years has featured sets from both Gov’t Mule and the Allman Brothers Band, as well as Dave Matthews, Ben Harper, and the members of both Phish and Widespread Panic, just to name a few. Warren summed it up nicely when he mentioned that there’s something special about the musicians coming together at Christmas Jam, not getting paid and being able to give back to charity, and also that he feels there are no great venues, only great audiences.
Just a few hours later, thousands would brave the chilly winds for the Mule’s show downtown at the Taft Theatre. Once again, it appeared they were running behind schedule but that was quite alright for the two set show that was soon to come. The lights went off and they kicked things off with a Mule classic, “Blind Man in the Dark.” The first set continued on, covering songs spanning the Mule catalogue, as well as the Allman’s “Rocking Horse.” But just as expected, they finished set one strong with an appearance from Cincinnati’s own Peter Frampton, on the popular blues tune, “Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home”, which was written by Timothy Lee Matthews and turned into a hit by Ann Peebles, and The Beatles “While My Guitar Gently Weeps.”
After a short break Mule came back onstage for set two, which featured a couple of my favorite Mule songs: “Patchwork Quilt”, a song about the death of Jerry Garcia and the strong, close-knit community of the Deadheads, and “Time to Confess”, a staple song which I believe was the first Mule song I ever heard. But once again the highlight of the evening would be the appearance of Frampton, this time covering Ray Charles “I Don’t Need No Doctor.” Things managed to get even better from there, when they took their jams for a ride, breaking into The Beatles “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” and Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love?” which faded into Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.” The regular set ended with perhaps the most popular song written by Warren Haynes, “Soulshine”, and the one song encore of “Forevermore.”
I’ve seen a lot of Mule shows, especially here in Cincinnati, and this was by far the best performance I’ve seen of them in town. They typically come to town every year, going back and forth from the Taft Theatre and Madison Theater, but I hope that they stick with the Taft from here on out. And it’d be nice to see local boy Frampton join them every year.
Mule Set to Rock the Taft This Weekend
January 25th, 2010
Posted in Concerts
Southern blues rock/jam band, Gov’t Mule, is making their way up north this week, returning to Cincinnati’s Taft Theatre. The band that formed sixteen years ago as an Allman Brothers side project, returns with new material from their first studio album in three years, By A Thread. There’s enough history in this band, that they could write and release an encyclopedia devoted to just themselves. They’ve got quite a catalogue of releases, but if you’ve ever seen them perform, then you know this a band that shines onstage. Led by guitar virtuoso, Warren Haynes, you can go in expecting a lot of guitar solos, pounding drum beats from Matt Abts, fat bass lines from newer member Jorgen Carlsson and Danny Louis playing some silky smooth notes on the keys. You can also expect to hear a great setlist, which change every show, full of Mule classics like “Soulshine”, “Beautifully Broken” and “Time to Confess”, and covers straight out of the 60’s and 70’s, from bands like the Rolling Stones, the Beatles, Zeppelin, the Dead, Stevie Wonder and Neil Young, to name just a few. Gov’t Mule is fresh off their Island Exodus tour, which took place earlier this month in Negril, Jamaica. The four-night run featured appearances from Grace Potter, Ron Holloway, Willie Green, Scott Tournet and DJ Logic, and covers of the Allmans, Johnny Cash, the Stones, Neil, Leonard Cohen, the Dead, Steve Miller, The Band and Al Green.
Going Furthur On Up (and Down) the Road Feeling Bad
December 4th, 2009
Posted in Concerts
Very few people may understand the title of this post. The title was actually something I came up with, combining two song titles together. The great blues song “Further On (Up the Road)” and the Grateful Dead’s “Going Down the Road Feeling Bad.” Although I’ve chosen a alternate spelling of the word “further”, which actually has to do with the Grateful Dead.
Furthur is actually a new jamband on the scene, featuring former original Dead members, Bobby Weir and Phil Lesh, as well as Jeff Chimenti (who has collaborated on a number of Dead-related projects), John Kadlecik (of Dark Star Orchestra, a Grateful Dead tribute band), Jay Lane (of RatDog, which is Weir’s band that creates their own spin on Dead songs as well as the solo work of Bobby) and Joe Russo (of the Benevento/Russo Duo, an instrumental drum and organ duo favored by the jamband community).
The Dead are actually taking a hiatus, after just playing a few shows over the past couple years, that included an Obama Rally and a headlining slot at this past summer’s Rothbury Festival. Furthur will be hitting the road next week, kicking things off in New York for a vert short tour during the month of December, which includes a two-night stand at the Billy Graham Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on the 30th and New Year’s Eve. They’ll go back on the road in early February, where they’ll go out on another month-long tour, for the most part stopping up and down the east coast. Unfortunately for the Deadheads in the Cincinnati area, they won’t be stopping anywhere that close to here. Fortunately, us Cincinnatians have the Gov’t Mule show to look forward to, when they make a return to the Taft Theatre. Those tickets go onsale tomorrow morning.
Furthur Tour Dates
Dec 8 & 9 – New York City – Hammerstein Ballroom
Dec 11 – Wallingford, CT – Chevrolet Theater at Oakdale
Dec 12 & 13 – Asbury Park, NJ – Asbury Park Convention Hall
Dec 30 & 31 – San Francisco – Billy Graham Civic Auditorium
Feb 5 – Miami – Bayfront Park Amphitheatre
Feb 6 – Orlando – Hard Rock Live
Feb 8 – Atlanta – The Tabernacle
Feb 9 – Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium
Feb 10 – Charlotte, NC – Bojangles Coliseum
Feb 12 – Hampton, VA – Hampton Coliseum
Feb 13 – Fairfax, VA – Patriot Center
Feb 14 – Ithaca, NY – Barton Hall
Feb 15 – Bethlehem, PA – Stabler Arena
Feb 17 – Buffalo – Shea Performing Arts Center
Feb 18 – Manchester, NH – Verizon Wireless Arena
Feb 19 – Amerst, MA – Mullins Center
Feb 20 – Utica, NY – Utica Auditorium
Feb 22 – Newark, DE – Bob Carpenter Center
Feb 23 & 24 – New York City – Radio City Music Hall
Feb 26 - Uncasville, CT – Mohegan Sun Arena
Feb 27 – Atlantic City – Trump Taj Mahal
Mar 2 & 3 – Chicago – Auditorium Theatre
Mar 8 – Portland, OR – Portland Memorial Coliseum
Gov’t Mule Tour Dates
Warren Haynes 21st Annual Xmas Jam
Dec 12 – Asheville, NC – Asheville Civic Center
New Years Eve Run
Dec 30 & 31 – New York City – Beacon Theatre
Island Exodus
Jan 15-19 – Negril, Jamaica
By A Thread Tour
Jan 20 – Ft Lauderdale – Revolution
Jan 21 – Tampa – The Ritz
Jan 22 – Lake Buena Vista, FL – House of Blues
Jan 23 – Mobile, AL – Saenger Theatre
Jan 26 – Charleston, SC – The Music Farm
Jan 27 – Oxford, MS – Lyric Theatre
Jan 28 – TBA
Jan 29 – Cincinnati, OH – Taft Theatre
Jan 30 – Grand Rapids, MI – Orbit Room
Feb 2 – Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
Feb 3 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
Feb 4 – Champaign, IL – Canopy Club
Feb 5 – Chicago – House of Blues
Feb 6 – St Louis – The Pageant
Feb 9 – Davenport, IA – Capitol Theatre
Feb 10 – Lawrence, KS – Liberty Hall
Feb 12 – Englewood, CO – Gothic Theatre
Feb 13 – Denver – Fillmore
Feb 14 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up
Feb 17 – Tulsa, OK – Flytrap Ballroom
Feb 18 – Dallas – House of Blues
Feb 19 – Austin, TX – Stubb’s
Feb 20 – Houston – House of Blues
2010 Summer Festival Dates
Jul 24 – HullabaLOU – Louisville, KY – Churchill Downs
