Warren Haynes and his Gov’t Mule crew aren’t the type of guys to let one thing like a pandemic sluggish them down. Throughout the top of the Covid lockdown, they hauled a ton of substances to a studio and recorded not one album, however two. Heavy Load Blues and Peace… Like A River present the band in preventing form with robust songs, stellar taking part in, unimaginable sounds, and some particular company. Peace… Like A River is the most-ambitious challenge Gov’t Mule has ever accomplished, and Haynes can’t wait for everybody to listen to it.

You recorded Peace… Like A River and Heavy Load Blues on the similar time.
We made a mission of discovering a spot the place we may arrange in two completely different rooms with two completely different units of apparatus, make two completely different data, and bounce forwards and backwards. We had been in a position to try this in a approach the place each data would sound fully completely different from one another. I’m actually proud of the best way it turned out.

Had been you involved they’d bleed into one another?
Our concern from the start was to be sure that didn’t occur. However all the pieces fell into place. The 2 rooms had been aspect by aspect however fully completely different. For the blues file, we arrange all these small classic amplifiers in a small room with a low ceiling, a small drum package, an organ, piano, and just a little bass amp. I sang by means of a few distorted mics and was listening by means of a monitor with no headphones.

For Peace… Like A River, we had been arrange within the large room with all of our regular gear with a very excessive ceiling. The plan was to return in round midday and work on Peace… Like A River till 9, then a break and play blues for the remainder of the night time. It allowed us to clear our heads on the finish of the day and cease pondering. Engaged on Peace… Like A River, there was a variety of pondering, a variety of preparations, meticulous instrumental sections, and a variety of stuff to recollect. On Heavy Load Blues, we’d shut our brains off and have time. It was an superior method. I’m unsure I’d suggest it for the longer term, however so far as what we wanted throughout lockdown, it was the proper treatment.

What’s with the album’s title?
I observed after I was going by means of all of the lyrics, the phrases “Peace” and “River” appeared to be repeated many instances all through the songs. I assumed it will be cool to provide you with a title that mirrored that. We had been having a dialog throughout dinner one night time, and our engineer requested, “What’s your favourite Paul Simon tune?” I stated, “I don’t know. There’s so many.” I assumed “Sounds Of Silence” as a result of that’s the primary one I fell in love with after I was seven years outdated. He stated, “Mine is ‘Peace Like a River.’” I used to be like, “Oh! I don’t know that tune… Let’s hearken to it!” We listened and thought of overlaying it, which we by no means did.

Then we realized there was a ebook that pre-dated the tune, so I researched that. It appeared like what I used to be attempting to say, lyrically, appeared to be summed up by that phrase. It was a type of kismet conditions. After what all people has been by means of during the last three or 4 years, inside peace is what we want greater than something.

You might have a couple of particular company sharing that sentiment.
It was cool to have company concerned with this file as a result of all of them match the songs so properly. After I take into consideration Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster on “Dreaming Out Loud,” my preliminary thought was the tune had a Sly & The Household Stone vibe, and I envisioned a state of affairs the place there have been a number of lead singers that shared vocal components all through the tune, which is what I all the time dug about Sly. Ivan and Ruthie each sang on my solo file, Man In Movement. They’re each nice singers, and our voices mix properly, in order that was nice. And, in fact, having Billy Bob Thornton doing loopy spoken phrase on “The River Solely Flows One Means” was an ideal match. Billy Gibbons singing on “Shake Our Means Out” was the proper crowning glory as a result of that tune had a ZZ Prime affect. Billy and I’ve been doing a variety of stuff just lately. It solely took a fast telephone name to ask, “Hey, you are feeling like becoming a member of in on this?” He did, in fact, and it completes the image.

I didn’t know [guitarist/singer] Celisse previous to working along with her for this album. I found her by means of watching Youtube movies. She’s such a cool guitar participant, singer, and persona. I spotted I wished a feminine gospel-type voice for “Simply Throughout The River.” She popped into my thoughts, and it seems we’d accomplished a profit collectively in New York. All of it fell into place.

“The River Solely Flows One Means” has a hip reggae really feel.
That monitor turned out nice. Danny Louis performed keyboards, trombone, and trumpet, and he’s shining all through that tune. That tune goes to be attention-grabbing stay as a result of I believe it’ll change complexion on a nightly foundation. It’ll be a variety of enjoyable to discover.

What was it like recording with Billy Bob Thornton?
It was cool. He has his personal studio, and we frolicked fairly a couple of instances. We’ve been pals for fairly a couple of years, and we wrote a tune collectively just lately. After I was fascinated about “The River Solely Flows One Means,” I wished the verses to be spoken-word, like beat poetry however with a darkish and twisted narrator. There have been solely a handful of individuals I’d take into consideration for that type of factor, and I assumed, “Billy Bob could be nice. Let me name him and see if he’s obtained time to do it.” Man, he simply knocked it out of the park. He has a powerful presence.

Did you watch “Goliath”?
I’m a giant fan of that present. Have you ever seen “1883?” He performs Sheriff Jim Courtright and has the road, “When you wanna dance with the ladies, dance with the ladies. When you wanna drink on the bar, drink on the bar. But when anyone right here fancies himself a gunman, you’re within the unsuitable city. There’s just one killer in Fort Value, and that’s me.” Then he shoots 14 folks (laughs). I’m an enormous fan of his work. I dig his music factor, as properly. He’s very enthusiastic about that aspect of his profession, and it was simply cool to convey him into the fold.

Did Billy Gibbons play guitar on “Shake Our Means Out?”
After we did “Broke Down on the Brazos” for By a Thread, he simply performed, so we swapped it round for this, and he simply sang. His presence is felt all through the monitor. After we added Billy, Celisse, Ivan, and Ruthie to the challenge, the music was completed. I felt just a little regretful that we weren’t in a position to embrace them from a taking part in standpoint as a result of they’re all such nice gamers, so I suppose we’ll have to try this sooner or later.

It boggles the thoughts to think about two rooms filled with all of your guitar gear (laughs).
We introduced a semi-truck full of substances as a result of the studio was near my home, so we didn’t solely convey regular gear we’d take to any Mule session, we additionally introduced a truck from my home and a bunch of outdated gear I haven’t utilized in a very long time, or in some circumstances by no means recorded with. There was a lot gear; it was nearly an excessive amount of. We had to determine the place to place all of the circumstances, and a variety of them lived open air. It was a lesson in technique, determining how you can maintain all the pieces out of the best way. It was nice as a result of we had been within the studio longer than we usually could be, and it gave us an opportunity not solely to experiment with a ton of guitars and amps we wouldn’t often have entry to, however we went by means of the method to see if all the pieces was working. It had been such a very long time for the reason that classic gear had been used.

Did gear overlap between data?
It was fully completely different, nearly throughout the board – completely different guitars, completely different amps, completely different keyboards, and completely different basses. For the blues file, Matt Abts had a stripped-down classic drum package, then for the primary file, he had his large new multi-tom package. Matt had been taking part in fewer tom-toms, and now he’s obtained 5 or 6 going once more. And that large room gave us a variety of miking alternatives.

One of many issues that did overlap was my ’59 Les Paul, which I used on a couple of songs on every album. Apart from that, it was a very completely different setup. Within the large room, I had 100-watt heads and 4×12 cabs, however I often combine a small amp with large amps. There have been two small Alessandro amps that we blended in with my Marshall, Homestead, Diaz, Soldano, or no matter large amps I used to be utilizing. I’d often mix in one of many Alessandros. On the blues file, there have been a variety of Supros, Gibson Skylarks, tweed Champs, Gibson Vanguards, and stuff like that. I’m very proud of the best way it turned out, sonically.

Do you utilize your signature Les Paul a lot?
I performed my signature mannequin most likely greater than some other guitar. That’s the one I’m most comfy with. I’ve a number of I play onstage, and I understand how to maneuver them.

Which different guitars see probably the most motion?
I additionally performed my blond 335 fairly a bit, however there was a variety of experimentation; there have been some Firebirds and I even performed a Tele on a few tunes to get a unique sound. There are a variety of completely different sounds on this file.

How about acoustics?
I performed Danny Louis’ Gibson Hummingbird on a few tunes. I believe it’s a 1970, and it data actually properly. I additionally had a few Allen Woody’s acoustics – one was a Gibson 12-string I performed on a few tunes. I’m unsure what 12 months it’s, but it surely’s beautiful.

Did you write within the studio, or are available in with songs able to go?
The primary seven or eight days, we simply arrange and rehearsed. We wound up writing “Lengthy Time Coming” and “After The Storm.” These had been written within the studio. In each circumstances, I used to be sitting within the management room whereas Matt and Danny had been within the reducing room, jamming on what turned out to be the primary motif for these tunes. I began writing lyrics whereas they had been jamming. After they took a break, I went out and stated, “Hey, I believe these are going to show right into a tune.” They grew up from the ground upward. Each turned out cool.

Usually, we might organize and rehearse throughout sound checks on tour. However we weren’t on tour, so we couldn’t journey or be collectively; Danny and I are on the East Coast, Jorgen and Matt are on the West Coast. So, we wanted seven or eight days of rehearsal to get the songs the place they wanted to be earlier than we began recording. But additionally to get ourselves again into preventing form as a result of it had been so lengthy since we had performed collectively at that time.

Whenever you get collectively, are you having enjoyable, or is it, “Let’s get to work?”
It’s just a little of each. There’s a variety of jamming to get again into the spirit and again into form, particularly the primary few days. There’s a variety of “Let’s see what occurs,” and jamming for the enjoyable of it. That carried all through the method, particularly to start with. We didn’t wish to rush. We wanted to be someplace for an extended time period, so when issues began feeling proper, we’d begin rolling tape – however not earlier than. It turned out to be the fitting recipe.

How had been you in a position to keep the theme from tune to tune?
I felt like this album was the follow-up to Revolution Come… Revolution Go. I don’t consider it because the follow-up to Heavy Load Blues as a result of blues stands by itself. My mindset had modified a lot that I discovered myself from a lyrical standpoint, not desirous to get slowed down within the unfavourable aspect of being locked down throughout Covid. I wished to discover the intense aspect of the longer term, private relationships, and issues that imply probably the most to us. Even to the purpose that I felt we wanted some songs like “Shake Our Means Out” and “Head Full Of Thunder” which have a humorousness and aren’t the conventional a part of the general idea. They’re feel-good rock songs. It felt like we wanted a couple of of these as properly. They tie in, clearly, however “Shake Our Means Out” is a humorous tackle a fictitious character that’s choosing up somebody in a bar throughout Covid. Not from my very own private expertise, clearly, but it surely needed to be a precarious notion (laughs). “Head Full Of Thunder” is a couple of man ending a tormenting relationship, however once more, it’s a humorous outlook.

All of them tie collectively in their very own approach, and I really like the truth that there are fairly a couple of genres of music, from an affect standpoint. It’s by and huge a rock and roll file, however covers a variety of floor, stylistically.

You might have a lot nice materials. How do you select songs for the tour?
It’s downside to have, however I wish to play as a lot of the brand new materials as potential. Each present is completely different, so it’ll be cool to offer among the outdated songs a break. It’s going to even be cool to think about each present as a problem from a setlist standpoint.

This text initially appeared in VG’s September 2023 difficulty. All copyrights are by the writer and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.