In the wake of the tragic death of Gov’t Mule co-founder/ bassist Allen Woody in 2000, surviving members Warren Haynes and Matt Abts spent nigh on three years collaborating with other musicians before settling on a new lineup, an ongoing initiative touted ‘The New School of Gov’t Mule.’ And when the guitarist/vocalist/songwriter and drummer/percussionist decided upon bassist Andy Hess and multi-instrumentalist Danny Louis, this reconfigured quartet was introduced to the world on a tour dubbed ‘Rebirth of The Mule.’ It was the logical culmination of and natural extension of the search for inspiration initially documented on The Deep End Volume 1 (released 10/23/01).
Released just a little over twelve months after the loss of their bandmate, the fourth Mule studio album provides bountiful insight into not only the regrouping of the band but its subsequent approach to both recording in the studio and playing live on stage. Sourced for the most part in original material tailored to the multiple bass players and other accompanists the Haynes and Abts recruited in the wake of their bandmate’s untimely demise, the overriding purpose and focus remained constant within two editions of The Deep End, released roughly a year apart (both of which also became available with bonus content dubbed Hidden Treasures), as well as the live-in-concert culmination of the initiative The Deepest End, which came out in 2003.
The extended original sessions took place in the wake of Warren Haynes and Matt Abts performing shows as a duo and found famous names like John Entwistle of the Who, Jack Bruce of Cream (both now deceased) and Roger Glover of Deep Purple assuming the role of the bass player on, respectively, “Same Price,” “Fool’s Moon” and “Maybe I’m A Leo.” The selections and personnel were chosen specifically to feature the unique styles of playing, while also giving a nod to Woody’s admiration of the musicians; these collaborations placed a premium on spontaneity in order to healthily challenge the capabilities of all involved, Haynes and Abst even got keyboardist Page McConnell and bassist Mike Gordon of Phish to play the blues on ZZ Top’s “Jesus Just Left Chicago.”
In taking such a novel approach, the two survivors did not want to pigeonhole themselves, but rather honor their lost comrade’s legacy. The incorporation of so diverse a roster of musicians led directly to the composition of new songs traversing a broad expanse of rock, country, blues, and jazz. On the latter front, “Sco-Mule” allowed Mule to move outside the power trio realm in which they were originally conceived (by Haynes and Woody while members of the Allman Brothers Band) without forsaking the visceral power of their earlier sound: it was a courageous move that eventually led to live appearances with John Scofield in 1999, the long-and often bootlegged recordings of which were officially released coincidentally with a 2015 tour alongside the venerable guitarist.
Still, apart from “Banks of The Deep end,” co-authored with the aforementioned Gordon, few of the tunes speak directly to that tragedy (those would come later—see Deja Voodoo). Instead, the provocative process served as the healing: Woody himself appears posthumously on “Sin’s A Good Man’s Brother.” Meanwhile, future member Louis makes his first appearance with the band during the course of this project on “Beautifully Broken,” one of the many tunes here that would become staples of the band’s future repertoire. Further documenting Haynes’ and Abts’ generosity of creative spirit is the additional CD in a limited edition of The Deep End Volume 1: Widespread Panic’s bassist Dave Schools and former Allman Brother (circa 1973) keyboardist Chuck Leavell appear on “Blind Man in the Dark” and “Fallen Down.”
In keeping from the vision of this band from its very inception as a modern-day power trio, Gov’t Mule’s innate sense of direction and self-discipline precluded sprawl in the recordings both in-studio and on the stage. In its realigned configuration, the four-man unit went on to codify the essential premise(s) of this protracted initiative in the most prolific period of the band’s existence. Covers of outside material evolved to take the form of entire performances devoted to entire albums of other artists—the homage to Led Zeppelin in the form of Holy Haunted House—even as guest sit-ins became one of the group’s main attractions when hosting opening acts such as Grace Potter & The Nocturnals and Blackberry Smoke.
The unmistakable element of surprise that permeates such music has unfortunately waned noticeably over the years (especially so for the Gov’t Mule lineup in place since 2008). Still, listening to The Deep End Volume 1 with the hindsight of two-decades, there’s not an iota of ennui.
