Gov't Mule frontman talks 4 decades of Southern rock ahead of Gilford show

It's rare for a band to spend three decades producing quality material in both a studio and live setting, but that’s what you get with Gov’t Mule, led by Warren Haynes.

One of the top guitarists of the last four decades, Haynes is also songwriter for Gov’t Mule, a band born in 1994 that blends Southern rock, blues, and jam into a unique experience. The Gibson-playing guitarist has made a name for himself with his contributions to two top-tier rock 'n' roll institutions: The Allman Brothers Band, and the post-Jerry Garcia iterations of the Grateful Dead.

Gov’t Mule has a show coming up Aug. 1, which happens to be Garcia’s birthday. Haynes recently talked to The Daily Sun about where it all began, and how an incredible journey brought him to where he is now.

A young musician

Haynes grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and music was in his life since he was a child. He started singing when he was 8, and picked up guitar just three years later. His oldest brother had an acoustic guitar, and Haynes said he ended up playing it more than his brother did. This led to his dad getting him a guitar for his birthday when he was 12, and suddenly, the doors were opening.

Some of his early inspirations were Otis Redding, James Brown, and Wilson Pickett, but when he heard Sly and the Family Stone, that’s where the bridge to rock was built. Haynes discovered the likes of Cream, with Eric Clapton leading the way on guitar, and other greats like Jimi Hendrix and Johnny Winter.

When he was 14, he'd visit a local folk club called Caesar’s Parlor. The stage was too small to even hold a drum kit, and the club was full of bluegrass players and singer-songwriters.

“I’d sneak in,” Haynes admitted.

Haynes would sit and listen to the musicians, who were inspiring him at a young age. Then, one day, someone made it known he could play guitar. Haynes got up and played, and he was hooked.

“I played with everyone, and local singer-songwriters took me under their wings, and showed me the ropes.”

Opening doors with The Allman Brothers Band

The Allman Brothers Band had a wildly successful career that ended in 2014, and much of its resurgence can be attributed to Haynes.

The band was formed in 1969, in Jacksonville, Florida, by Gregg (keyboard) and Duane Allman (slide guitar), along with Dickey Betts (guitar), Berry Oakley (bass), Butch Trucks (drums), and Jaimoe Johanson (drums). Duane Allman and Oakley died in motorcycle crashes, in 1971, and 1972, respectively, after just two acclaimed albums, but the band continued until 1976, with Chuck Leavell and Lamar Williams coming onboard. Clashes within the band led breakups in 1976, and 1982.

Haynes was a diehard fan of The Allmans, and in 1986, fandom became a true connection, when Betts asked him to play guitar in the Dickey Betts Band. Haynes said during this time, he'd also been writing songs. Gregg Allman heard “Before the Bullets Fly,” and used it as the title track of his solo record.

At that point, they never talked about reuniting. Whenever it got brought up, they’d say “no way.” Then Haynes got a call, in January 1989, asking him to join the band. The Allman Brothers Band was coming back, with Haynes on guitar.

“I was shocked, because I thought they’d never reunite,” Haynes said. “That kind of changed everything for me, because now I was part of an institution, and also a band that was one of my all-time favorites.”

One of the biggest studio contributions Haynes made to the band is also probably one of his most well-known songs. He wrote “Soulshine” around 1987, and it was recorded in 1993, with Gregg Allman on vocals, for the album “Where It All Begins.” He still plays the song with Mule.

Haynes said it was under consideration for his first solo record, produced by Chuck Leavell, but they decided it didn’t fit with the rest of the album. Fast forward to “Where It All Begins,” and they had recorded every song they rehearsed for the album, and found themselves in the rare position of having extra studio time.

Allman recommended playing “Soulshine.” Haynes knew he liked it, but it was never talked about as an Allman Brothers song until that moment. Most of the band members never heard it, Allman never said he wanted to sing it in the past, but once he heard him, “it made perfect sense.

“It was all his idea,” Haynes said.

Haynes was with the band until 1994, along with Allen Woody on bass, who ultimately became a founding member of Gov’t Mule. At that point, there was once again turmoil in the Allman Brothers camp. Members weren’t getting along and there was no writing, rehearsing, or recording new music.

“In our Gov’t Mule camp, we were doing all that,” Haynes said. “In hindsight, it’s easy to see how my focus shifted to Mule.”

Haynes and Woody started Gov’t Mule, a Southern rock-driven trio with new material. They left The Allman Brothers to pursue Gov’t Mule full time — then the unthinkable happened.

“Things were full steam ahead and getting better until Allen’s untimely death, in 2000.”

Woody’s death crushed Haynes, and also Gregg Allman. Haynes was uncertain about the future of Gov’t Mule, and Allman called him up, and asked if he’d like to come back to The Allman Brothers.

“I would never have looked back if Woody hadn’t passed,” Haynes said. “It was a timing thing.”

Haynes went back on a trial basis, and it was working out with Trucks’ son, prodigy slide guitarist Derek Trucks, playing alongside Haynes. The next 14 years served as some of the band's most inspired work, touring summer after summer, playing legendary shows at the Beacon Theatre each spring.

It all still amazes him, and he's proud of the 25 years he contributed. Since then, he’s been able to play alongside some of the world’s best musicians.

“That is a byproduct of me joining,” Haynes said. “That is what opened all the doors.”

Gov’t Mule

“It really started out as a side project to the Allmans,” Haynes said. “Doing something for fun, and we had time on our hands. The Allmans only worked six months out of the year.”

Haynes thought it was going to be a one-time thing, where they’d make a record, play a short tour, and that would be the end of it. But that just couldn’t be, as the chemistry between Haynes, Woody and drummer Matt Abts was undeniable.

“It kind of caught a fire on its own,” Haynes said. “Our concept became bringing back the improvisational rock trio. A power trio. We had that. Whatever that is, we had it. We owed it to ourselves to pursue this.”

The band would play on breaks between Allman Brothers work at first, but from 1997 to 2000, they were touring hard, and released two studio albums and a pair of live records.

Since Woody’s death, the band has played as a quartet, which currently features Haynes and Abts, along with Danny Louis on keyboards and guitar, and Kevin Scott on bass.

The band has 13 studio albums to go with a myriad of live albums from the past 32 years, and Haynes said they are still inspired every time they hit the stage. Every night is a different show, complete with different arrangements and jams, unique sets, and more than 100 individual songs played on a tour.

“Always expect the unexpected,” Haynes said of a Gov’t Mule show. “Oddly enough, that was the motto for Caesar’s Parlor.”

An invite from Phil Lesh

Haynes is grateful for how doors have continuously opened throughout his career. One came less than four years after Garcia's death — almost a god to Deadheads — when Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh asked Haynes to join him in his project, Phil Lesh and Friends. Haynes was also invited to play with The Dead during their 2004, and 2009, tours.

“The two tours I did with The Dead; that was a total blast,” Haynes said. “That legacy is just going to live on and on and on. People take that for granted, the fact that the Grateful Dead created this improvisational chemistry that, at that point, was kind of unprecedented.”

Phil Lesh and Friends was a revolving cast of musicians. Lesh’s intention was to bring their own personalities to the table. He said this was the same as The Dead; nobody wanted him to try to sound like Jerry.

“It was always interpreting the music, and doing it your own way,” Haynes said.

Show in Gilford

Gov’t Mule is on the same bill as guitar virtuoso Joe Bonamassa, a longtime friend with whom Haynes has collaborated, but never joined for a tour. The co-headlining show at BankNH Pavilion, in Gilford, is at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1.

Haynes is no stranger to BankNH Pavilion, as he has played at the venue since the days when it was simply known as Meadowbrook. It was a regular summer haunt for the Allman Brothers Band, and he’s also played there with The Dead and Gov’t Mule.

Haynes knows there will be people out there who know their material front to back, but there are some who may have never seen a show. He implores them to see what a Mule show is all about.

“I think what we do is completely unique,” Haynes said. “It is all about the live performance. If you’ve seen us once or 50 times, you still haven’t seen tonight’s show.”