Gov’t Mule

‘The Deepest End’

Capricorn

By Bradley Farberman

Collegian Correspondent

The impetus for Gov’t Mule’s new live record, “The Deepest End,” can be traced back to August 2000. Founding bassist Allen Woody was found dead in a hotel room in Queens, NY on the 26th and the band’s tremendous forward momentum was in jeopardy. The trio, featuring Warren Haynes on guitar and vocals and Matt Abts on drums, was formed in 1994 as a side project; Haynes and Woody, then touring with the Allman Brothers Band (Haynes remains their guitarist to this day), felt the need to branch out. In 1997, the project became a priority, with Woody leaving the Allmans to concentrate on the Mule. Four years into a no-nonsense regiment of touring and recording, the band was in trouble.

But Haynes and Abts carried on. Nearly half a dozen records under their belt, the group began updating its repertoire with the likes of bassists Oteil Burbridge and Dave Schools, of the Allman Brothers Band and Widespread Panic respectively. In 2001, Abts and Haynes released “The Deep End Volume 1,” a Mule album featuring a different bass player on each of its 13 tracks. Participants included Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, John Entwistle of The Who, and Mike Gordon of Phish. “Sco-Mule,” featuring Chris Wood on bass and John Scofield on guitar, was nominated for a Grammy.

“The Deep End Volume 2”, released in 2002, followed suit, pairing a different bassist with the Mule on each song. Included this time around were heavyweights like, Jason Newsted, formerly of Metallica, Les Claypool of Primus, and George Porter, Jr. of The Meters.

Which brings us to the present. On May 3, the band staged a performance of epic proportions. At The Saenger Theatre in New Orleans, as part of The New Orleans Jazz ‘ Heritage Festival, the Mule (now augmented by permanent keys-man Danny Louis) performed for six hours, documented here in its entirety on “The Deepest End”, a set of two CDs and one DVD. Joining them throughout the evening were a vast array of musicians, many of whom had performed on either of “The Deep End” records, and many of whom had not.

Long time collaborators Dave Schools and Karl Denson lend bass and tenor saxophone, respectively, to a powerful rendition of the Mule original “Blindman In The Dark.” Denson’s playing is always articulate and pronounced, but especially interesting in this context in that he is not known to play with rock bands. His lines and phrasing retain a jazz feel, but are more aggressive here, and really add a lot to the tune.

Bass deity Victor Wooten joins in on the aforementioned “Sco-Mule,” which also features Bernie Worrell, of Parliament Funkadelic and Talking Heads fame, on organ. Wooten, playing with restraint and delicacy, rides the groove until Haynes gives him the nod to let loose. His funk-strewn lead work is reminiscent of his work with Bela Fleck and The Flecktones, and does not disappoint. This version is incendiary.

“Patchwork Quilt” is up next, with Wooten still on bass and Bela Fleck on banjo. This vocal-driven Phil Lesh tune is punctuated by Fleck’s short, tasteful solo. Always refined, his playing shines here on this Grateful Dead-ish gem.

Closing out the first disc is the traditional “John The Revelator,” filled out by The Dirty Dozen Brass Band horn section, featuring tenor and baritone saxophones, trumpet, trombone and sousaphone. The horns give this tune a real New Orleans feel, appropriate for the setting. The interplay between Sammie Williams’ trombone and Roger Lewis’ baritone sax is great fun, and Haynes plays slide.

Sandwiched between verses of “Beautifully Broken” is an excellent cover of Prince’s “When Doves Cry,” all with George Porter, Jr. on bass and backing vocals. A mellow second disk opener, the medley merely hints at what’s to come.

“Banks Of The Deep End,” an enormously catchy tune, features Phish’s bassist Mike Gordon, an old friend of Haynes’ who filmed the recording process of “The Deep End” for his documentary “Rising Low.” Gordon’s playing is solid, and never showy. The Robert Johnson classic “32/20 Blues” follows, with the ubiquitous Will Lee on bass, Sonny Landreth on slide guitar, and Denson on flute. Landreth’s playing is sublime, and reaches its greatest heights when dueling with Haynes, also on slide. Arguably, however, the coolest part of the song is the mid-tune flute breakdown, where Denson is accompanied only by Abts.

The Haynes-penned “Slow Happy Boys,” a ballad, features Jack Casady of Jefferson Airplane on bass. When Haynes sings that he “tried anything to stop the pain,” you can feel the pain and desperation in his voice. Oftentimes, the band’s impressive playing overshadows his subtly affecting, emotionally charged vocals, but not here, where his voice takes center stage.

Disk two closes with “Soulshine,” the Mule’s most lyrically impressive song. “When you can’t find the light/ To guide you through a cloudy day/ When the stars ain’t shining bright/ it feels like you’ve lost your way/ when the candlelight of home burns so very far away/ you got to let your soul shine, just like my daddy used to say … ” Haynes’ vocals send chills up your spine, as he brings his words to life.

The DVD also includes a number of highlights from the show. A take on Herbie Hancock’s “Chameleon,” featuring Paul Jackson, Jr., the original bass player on the track, comes off well, and the Dirty Dozen horns add a lot to the track. James Brown’s “Down And Out In New York City” also receives a fine treatment, with famed Brown sideman Fred Wesley sitting in on trombone. And “Greasy Granny’s Gopher Gravy (Part 1 ‘ Part 2),” featuring Les Claypool on bass, is a fun romp through a psychedelic soundscape, as is anything showcasing the inimitable Claypool on bass.

This marathon exercise in musical ecstasy is a must-have. Three disks chock full of guests from all genres of music and all areas of expertise, not to mention the Mule in top-form (who recently named Andy Hess, formerly of the John Scofield Band, as their permanent bassist), is easy on the ears.