Published: 2009/10/26
by Brian Robbins
- Gov't Mule
- By A Thread
Evil Teen
It would seem ridiculous to say something like “The Mule is back” after listening to their new release By A Thread. After all – they’ve never gone anywhere, right? With a healthy touring and recording schedule, Gov’t Mule is pretty much a constant target on the jamband radar screen. (The only thing preventing them from playing 24/7 is leader Warren Haynes’ near-compulsive tendency to play gigs with anybody that breathes, including Mrs. Johnson’s 7th Grade clarinet corps – check out the download!)
While a blow like the death of founding member bassist Allen Woody in 2000 would’ve been enough to derail most bands, Haynes and drummer Mat Abts simply put their heads down and played music, subscribing to the healing-by-working method. An army of bassists – from classic rock monsters like John Entwistle and Roger Glover to modern-day jam heroes such as Mike Gordon, Oteil Burbridge, and Dave Schools – orbited in and out of the Mule’s path; some were one-shot cameos while others were cases of friends lending a hand for a bit in between their own gigs. The addition of full-time keyboard/guitar/any-damn-thing-he-puts-his-mind-to player Danny Louis in 2002 expanded the Mule’s sound from power trio to infinity. With ex-Black Crowe Andy Hess settling into the bass slot in 2003, the band was able to hunker down and concentrate on figuring out who they’d become.
The Hess years provided some great musical moments and experiments – from the dub-soaked reggae of the Mighty High sessions to the Halloween ’07 tackling of Led Zep’s Houses of the Holy. Fearless and versatile, Hess was the perfect player to be holding down the fort while the Mule pushed the envelope and watched what happened.
Sometimes in life, it takes a bad thing to make a good. The news of Hess’ departure last year was unsettling; the follow-up announcement of the arrival of a young bassist named Jorgen Carlsson was undoubtedly met with more than one “Who?”
Well, I’m guessing nobody’s asking that now.
If Carlsson’s live trial-by-fire on stage with Gov’t Mule (commencing with the Kinder Revolution Tour in October of ’08) wasn’t enough to show people what he was all about, the Mule’s new By A Thread album will seal the deal.
The Carlsson-driven Mule has all the rawness and passion of the Allen Woody days without sounding like a step backwards. The story goes that young Jorgen had never paid attention to Gov’t Mule prior to a pre-audition listen to a few of their CDs. This isn’t the sound of someone who grew up trying to imitate Allen Woody down in the basement; it’s a clear case of kindred musical souls separated by years and geography. In fact, sounds like isn’t the right phrase; feels like is more appropriate.
The Mule holed up in ol’ Wiile Nelson’s Pedernales Studio just outside of Austin, Texas for the basic tracks on By A Thread. As it turns out, there’s a shitload of Texas packed into the opening cut, “Broke Down on the Brazos,” courtesy of a guest appearance by ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons. (Even if you’ve never been into ZZ Top’s music, you need to know something, folks – Jimi Hendrix himself was blown away by a young Billy Gibbons back in the day. The man is the real thing.) Pick scrapes and feedback squeals punctuate the jousting as Haynes and Gibbons go Gibson-to-Gibson over a monster bass/drums foundation laid down by Carlsson and Abts. At the 3:40 mark the band breaks clear of the final chorus and steps back to give the howling/snarling/barking Les Pauls room to do their thing. I’ll bet you’ll flinch at least once before the music fades out.
Speaking of Hendrix, “Any Open Window” could almost be mistaken for a long-lost Experience track with its “Stone Free”-style rhythm (Abts was definitely channeling Mitch Mitchell) and wild-ass guitar soloing. Louis strapped on a six-string himself for this one which, along with some organ overdubs, adds to the driving feel of the cut.
Remember how Zeppelin turned “Gallows Pole,” an old traditional folk song, into a powerful little example of rock drama? The Mule does the same with “Railroad Boy,” Abts layering on the tension with his drum part as Haynes’ weird-sounding electric 12-string weaves around Louis’ keyboard lines. As the song crashes and tumbles to a close, we have a few moments of amp hum followed by Carlsson’s bass rising up onto its haunches and roaring like a big ol’ scaly beast. This clears the path for some cool Mule strangeness: “Monday Morning Meltdown” has everything from an almost-jazzlike Danny Louis key break to thickly-textured harmonies to head-spinning backwards guitar. Take slow, deep breaths – you’ll be okay.
Elsewhere, the Mule shows they haven’t forgotten their reggae souls (“Frozen Fear”) or the simple joy of just jamming your guts out to some slow blues (“Inside/Outside Woman Blues #3”). Throughout it all, Carlsson’s presence is constant – never over-playing, but never lost – sounding as natural as if he was a decade into this band, rather than just a few months at the time of the sessions.
Interestingly enough, the two final tracks on the album, “Scenes From A Troubled Mind” and “World Wake Up” are holdovers from the Andy Hess days. Good songs both – with “World” taking the album out on a reflective mood – but you really do notice the difference in the feel of things. The sort of push-it-to-the-edge attitude and bowels-of-the-earth tone that Allen Woody naturally possessed has returned to this band with the arrival of Jorgen Carlsson – and it is well-documented on By A Thread.
You know, maybe it would be fair to say it after all:
The Mule is back.
*****
Brian Robbins is a musician and former offshore lobsterman who lives on the Maine coast.
Comments
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Invomaboamy, www.magnatumclub.it/ August 1, 2010, 08:35:09
sliplerbfer August 1, 2010, 19:18:28
BrearfWed, www.computerworld.com/ August 2, 2010, 10:56:26
dipoamusst, www.stopdigitalamnesia.com/ August 3, 2010, 04:34:04