Photo by Anna Webber
Gov’t Mule, Jackie Greene
Friday 10/31/14
Taft Theatre, 317 E 5th St, Cincinnati, OH
7pm doors, 8pm show, Buy Tickets
As Gov’t Mule’s 20th Anniversary rolls on, the legendary rock torchbearers are diving into their vault and for the first time have announced a series of one-of-a-kind live archival releases that speaks to the Mule’s rich, sonically colorful history and shines a light on their incendiary live sets and improvisational heartbeat. These releases will coincide with Gov’t Mule’s ongoing Fall tour and their always-anticipated Halloween and New Year’s Eve shows. Also in store for early next year, fans will get their long-awaited dose of SCO-MULE, the highly revered collaboration between Gov’t Mule and jazz guitar great John Scofield.
Stoned Side of the Mule: Volume 1, to be released on Record Store Day’s Black Friday November 28th, available only at select independent record stores, will feature seven impassioned, expertly executed Rolling Stones covers as only the Mule can deliver. Recorded on Halloween 2009 at the Tower Theatre in Philadelphia, PA, the live album will be available as a limited edition vinyl only, newly-edited and mastered with the vinyl lacquers cut from the old Stax Records lathe in Memphis. The release also features special guests Jackie Greene and Steve Elson.
Dark Side of the Mule, to be released on December 9th, will feature 90 minutes of Pink Floyd covers. Recorded on Halloween 2008 at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, MA, the live album will be available in three configurations – a standard version (1-CD), a deluxe version (3-CD/1-DVD package of the entire 3-hour performance) and a double vinyl version. All configurations feature audio newly-mixed and mastered.
Dub Side of the Mule, to be released in early 2015, will feature a 45-minute set of reggae songs with special guest, reggae legend Toots Hibbert, founder of Toots & The Maytals. Recorded on New Year’s Eve 2006 at the Beacon Theatre in New York City, the live album, newly-mixed and mastered, will be available in three configurations – a standard version (1-CD), a deluxe version (3 CD package of entire 3-hour performance and 1-DVD of the Toots set) and a double vinyl version. The release also features special guests Gregg Allman & Friends and John Popper.
With the New Year will come a very special release that will thrill Mule fans – the long-awaited SCO-MULE album, due for release in January 2015. In late September of 1999, John Scofield teamed with Gov’t Mule, then featuring original bass player the late Allen Woody, along with keyboardist Dr. Dan Matrazzo, in Georgia for two legendary shows of mind-bending live prowess. Both shows were recorded and included the Mule’s first-ever all instrumental sets. The band had begun preparing the music for eventual release while working on their third studio album Life Before Insanity. However, less than a year later, their beloved bassist Allen Woody passed away, setting the Mule on a different path. The idea of releasing SCO-MULE came up over the years, but the timing was never as right as it is now – helping to mark Gov’t Mule’s 20th Anniversary. While Scofield and the Mule did reunite briefly for a set at Warren Haynes’ 25th Annual Christmas Jam in December 2013, fans have been clamoring for the return of the project ever since those lauded 1999 shows, and for more than a decade the Mule have been eager to share the music from these shows through an LP. Now for the first time, fans can experience the SCO-MULE magic first-hand in album form, newly mixed and mastered. The 3- hour all-instrumental album is a jazz romp laced with rock riffs and will be available as a 2-CD set as well as a double vinyl.
Gov’t Mule will be on the road with their “20 Years Strong” Tour throughout the Fall (watch www.mule.net for all show info). This year the tradition continues once again with Gov’t Mule’s beloved annual Halloween-themed show, this year called “Young Mule” and featuring special guest Jackie Greene, set for October 31st at the Taft Theatre in Cincinnati,OH, and November 1st at the Orpheum Theatre in Madison, WI . Their annual run of New Year’s Eve shows is set for December 30th & 31st at New York City’s Beacon Theatre with special guest Myles Kennedy on 12/31 (of Alter Bridge and Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators) and January 2nd & 3rd at Philadelphia’s Tower Theatre. VIP ticket packages for New York go on sale Tuesday, October 7th, and the public on-sale will be Friday, October 10th. The public on-sale for Philadelphia will be Friday, October 17th.
Few bands have a reputation for making music as consistently honest, organic and daring as Gov’t Mule. The enduring, globally revered group, fronted by visionary Grammy Award-winning singer guitarist Warren Haynes, has showcased its virtuosity, intelligence and breadth over the course of 15 studio and live albums, millions of album and track sales and thousands of performances. The flexible interplay in the studio and on stage amongst Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist Danny Louis and bassist Jorgen Carlsson provides the band’s sonic foundation and makes them a true living, breathing ensemble. Haynes, named in Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” and lauded as one of the most formidable guitarists and vocalists of the modern era, effortlessly cross-pollinates genres and unfurls solos that broil with passion in his distinctive, signature style. He is a beacon of creativity and excellence that inspires fans as well as fellow musicians, evidenced by the diverse array of artists that he has performed and recorded with. 20 years strong, Gov’t Mule has become a human encyclopedia of great American music while adding to that cannon with their signature sound.
Gov’t Mule “20 Years Strong” Tour Dates:
10/31/14 Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
11/1/14 Madison, WI @ Orpheum Theater
11/2/14 Milwaukee, WI @ Pabst Theater
11/5/14 Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre
11/6/14 Washington DC @ Warner Theatre
11/7/14 Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE
11/8/14 Ann Arbor, MI @ Michigan Theatre
11/11/14 Lexington, KY @ Opera House
11/12/14 Atlanta, GA @ One More For The Fans – Lynyrd Sknynyrd Tribute
11/14/14 Albany, NY @ The Palace Theatre
11/15/14 Ithaca, NY @ State Theater
12/30/14 New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
12/31/14 New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
1/2/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theatre
1/3/15 Philadelphia, PA @ Tower Theatre
1/14/15 – 1/18/15 Negril, Jamaica @ Island Exodus VI
