Features

Warren Haynes: A Man in Motion (at the White House, Apollo Theater, Terrapin Crossroads, a Ramble and More)

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I’ve seen the version of “Smokestack Lightning” from the finale where there are about 35 people on stage and you sing the first verse. Was there a rehearsal for that or was it a case where everybody just jumped in and followed along?

I think about half of us rehearsed it a little bit and the other half of people weren’t around when we rehearsed. Steve Jordan, who was the musical director said, “Do you want to sing the first verse?” He was delegating who would sing different verses and that kind of thing. Other than that it was very impromptu though because it’s a one chord song.

You mentioned the Grammys earlier. If you think back to the Lifetime Achievement Award, that whole reception, what moment jumps out at you from that experience?

It was so wonderful in the way that George Jones was being honored and he’s one of my heroes. Also the Memphis Horns who I love and I’ve worked with. And people like Rudy Van Gelder who recorded some of the greatest jazz records of all time. It was really great company, Glen Campbell, Diana Ross, and Gil Scott-Heron. So we were honored just to be part of that.

I don’t know if they were prepared for how many of us were going to speak and for how many people were going to be on the stage (laughs). It was just a great feeling to see all the family and all the extended family up there. I don’t know if any of us had really thought about the entire journey until we were standing there and it hits you in an overwhelming way.

Now, I can only speak for my 23 years in the band but for the original guys these amazing memories came flooding back. We probably could’ve sat around in a circle and heard stories for eight hours that people haven’t told in years. It was a wonderful feeling. I’m proud of the guys, the original members, for creating what they created and for getting acknowledged and I’m proud to be associated and of my involvement.

When you were describing your schedule, you mentioned that you were in LA for ten days. What else were you working on out there?

For five of those ten days Gov’t Mule was writing and doing pre-production for an upcoming new record.

People will be excited to hear that. What’s the status and when do you plan to continue working on that record?

As soon as we get everybody in one spot again we’ll continue doing what we just did which was writing, rehearsing, and even recording. Jorgen has a studio in L.A. We went into his studio and worked up songs from the ground floor since all of us were there. We actually put a few songs down on tape and we’ll continue that process the next time the four of us are all together. It was very productive and we’re all very happy with what we got.

In terms of the Mule, you have Mountain Jam and then a handful of dates announced, including some in Europe. Is it looking like there’s going to be a full-scale Gov’t Mule tour in the U.S. before the album is done? Or are you using your time with the band to write and record?

I would say we’re probably going to add more dates and maybe even play some of the new songs live. At this point we haven’t completely made up our mind as far as are we going to record first or tour first or both, but there’s going to be a lot of Mule this year.

In terms of your songwriting process, when you’re just by yourself these days writing songs, are you in the Gov’t Mule mode or do you just wait and see where a song might fit once it’s complete?

If there’s an upcoming Mule record that always makes it easier to get into Mule mode as far as songwriting is concerned. Otherwise, I’m just writing for the moment and I figure out after the fact where a song belongs—if it belongs in any of these camps and if so which one. But now I’m really thinking a lot about Mule because we’re working toward a new record. When I get an idea for a song I instantly start thinking, “Is this a Mule song and if so how can I make it more so?” In some cases I might sit down and think about music with Mule in mind. So I guess it depends on which project is on the horizon. But now that there is a Mule project on the horizon, that’s in the forefront of my mind.

Continuing on your February timeline, can you talk about those shows, with Phil and Sco out in Colorado. What was your take? Was there a night, a song, or a moment that stands out?

I thought all three shows were really good. I thought in some ways we got better every night but I thought all three shows were really good and all of them had great moments. I didn’t feel there was a weak night of the three. I felt really positively and I think all of us felt really strongly about what we did and that the chemistry really worked and that we’d all like to see that chemistry explored more in the future.