Andy Hess speaks humbly, knowing that he has perhaps stepped into one of the most anticipated job openings in rock and roll, but it doesn’t come as a total shock. Towards the tail end of the summer, when the official announcement came as to whom the new permanent bass player for Gov’t Mule would be, the newly appointed Hess had an inkling it was going to be him. “I kind of new it was coming, somewhat, for a little while, [but] I’m really excited about it is all I can say.” And while he may be short on words, his impressive resume and reputation as a solid foundation for rhythm sections, speaks for itself.
As many a music fan knows, Allen Woody, the bass player of Gov’t Mule left this world in August of 2000. The ever-talented bassist, along with fellow frontman Warren Haynes, played a vital role in reviving the Allman Brothers Band engine in the early 90’s with their three remarkable comeback studio albums — Seven Turns, Shades of Two Worlds, and Back Where It All Begins, in addition to a solid, six years of touring with the seven piece institution. But with the Brothers back and full steaming ahead, Woody and Haynes left the band in 1996 to nurture their own baby — Gov’t Mule — a hard driving blues-based power trio with drummer Matt Abts. If Cream pioneered the power trio format and Mountain capitalized it, Gov’t Mule brought the tangibles of both bands — plus the blues, R & B, country, jazz, and gospel — into a flexible jam oriented approach. Of course, this was something that fans weren’t immediately ready for, but the six-legged beast soon grew to epic stature, with an ambitious touring schedule and legendary marathon performances.
Ironically, like many artists ahead of their time, the progress the trio made was often overlooked, and the band’s infamy came with the unfortunate passing of Woody, and the subsequent making of the Mike Gordon reflective documentary, Rising Low. An inside look at the making of an Allen Woody record tribute, Rising Low featured a revolving cast of all-star bassists — who had one time or another inspired Woody, as well as an arsenal of contemporary and legendary bass players from various music circles. As the project pushed on, so to did Warren, and his stature in rock grew, as the man with the feverishly emotive vocal range played with three demanding bands at once and earned the title — hardest working man in rock. Beyond Mule, Haynes regrouped with the Allman Brothers Band, and played a key part in the latest incarnation of Phil Lesh & Friends, a five piece that re-visited old Dead nuggets with fearsome abandon that hadn’t been heard in years. Adding a touch of worldwide acclaim to his burgeoning work, Haynes was recently named the 23rd greatest guitar player of all time in a recent Rolling Stone magazine survey — edging out the likes of Pete Townshend, Robert Fripp, David Gilmour, and Eddie Van Halen.
Since Woody’s passing, Haynes and Abts have endured with a revolving cast of bass players, including: David Schools, Oteil Burbridge, George Porter Jr, Greg Rzab, Mike Gordon, and even Jason Newstead, formerly of Metallica, played a show or two along the way. Many of the luminaries from Rising Low, such as Alfonso Johnson, Jack Casady, Tony Levin, Chris Squire, and of course the notoriously fact or fiction — Joey Arkenstat, all made guest appearances in the most revered spot. All brought unique elements to the postion, and shows were almost always fiery, yet Haynes had mentioned, “when we played with Andy Hess it felt like a band.” And when asked to elaborate as to what exactly, feeling like a band meant, Hess quickly replied, “well it felt pretty damn good when we played.”
But is what feels pretty damn good confined to just on stage or off? Hess adds, “both are important. I think that the hang, when you’re spending a lot of time with people, has to be positive also, offstage as well as onstage. Obviously the music has to click and the chemistry has to be good, and there has to be some gelling on stage where people are connecting. [But] I also believe that half is getting along, and being able to hang out with people that you’re traveling with and spending all that time with. The stage is like three hours, and then there’s the other twenty-one.”
Hess’ first show with Gov’t Mule was on August 18,th, 2002, in Ann Arbor Michigan, but it wasn’t exactly like he walked into a made for TV movie as he recounts. “I have to say, I never saw Gov’t Mule live. I had some of their records, and was aware of them, especially when their first record came out and I was like, ‘who are these guys?’ And I know this guy, Hook Herrera, who was a harmonica player and a friend of Warren and Matt’s and played on the first record. So, I was definitely aware of them, and I had their first record. But I was also so busy touring and making music and gigging myself that I wasn’t able to see shows with other bands. I actually regret that I never got to see them.”
Hess’ bass beginnings scratch from the west coast, where he honed his early four string skills. Laying the rhythm lines with various musicians in the Oakland and San Jose areas, the young player shared eclectic gigs in blues, R & B, and soul bands, and eventually ended up in New York City playing with Leo Noncentelli of the Meters. Since those formative days, he has played bass in a variety of session work spots, including a diverse roster spanning from Tina Turner, to David Byrne, and even made an appearance on Britney Spear’s first record. An “appearance” in which he never formally met or played with the pop princess, other than laying down a bass track for a ballad called “From the Bottom of My Broken Heart.” But it was later that Hess got a call to become the bass player for the Black Crowes, a gig that was unfortunately at the tail end of the band’s recent history — as they’ve been on indefinite hiatus for close to two years now.
Following Johnny Colt’s departure the band broke ties with Sven Pepien and Greg Rzab, before regrouping with Hess, who played on the Crowe’s last live release, aptly titled — The Black Crowes: Live. Hiatus leans towards promise, so if the band reunites in the future, would Hess be interested in rejoining the Robinson brothers and company on top of his Mule spot? For sure Haynes, who does time with two other bands wouldn’t object to the crossover, but Hess steadfastly replies, “the Crowes have been over for two years, and I really haven’t heard anything. It’s not really something that’s on my mind.”
In between his sporadic gigs with Gov’t Mule over the course of the past year and a half, Hess had the opportunity to tour with jazz/groove guitar honcho John Scofield. A learning experience that enabled him to dive headfirst into the more improvisational mode of expression, which can only help playing alongside two go anywhere/play anything at moment’s notice behemoths like Haynes and Abts.
Playing with Matt Abts- perhaps one the most underrated drummers in rock, is quite the musical partnership. Like a pilot and co-pilot, the bass-player and drummer work in equal harmony in keeping the ship afloat — never disrupting their passengers — or in this case the legions of diehard Mule fans. The relationship of the two according to Hess is all about communication. “We’re listening to each other a lot. He’s checking out what I’m doing and I’m listening to what he’s doing. He’s played this music a lot longer, so I think there’s a little bit more of me kind of really listening to him. [Maybe] not necessarily more, but being newer to the music than he is, I’m just a little more engaged almost maybe in that sense. ‘Cause I’m still learning some of the stuff, and it’s newer to me. But, we have a really good communication on stage and we get into really nice grooves. I think we add to each others playing in a real positive way that works with the group. And Matt can play lots of different things…he’s really broad and puts it out.”
Although Gov’t Mule has been forever known as a three piece, the addition of Danny Louis on keyboards provides Mule a new level of resounding complexities. Although the ivory position has been filled by Rob Barraco and Chuck Leavell on recent tours, Louis is now the official keyboard player, and the power trio label is a long lost phrase that will have journalists and fans scrambling for their next four piece slogan.
But the struggle for any newcomer arrives in learning a band’s entire repertoire of material, which can be even more elusive and challenging than just going with the flow on moments notice. Songs like “Thorazine Shuffle”, with its ominous and trembling opening lines present an immediate learning curve, and Hess is well aware of the challenge that lay before him. “That’s a line that you have to play note for note. Bass lines like that you have to play and respect, and to feel that part. But there are also sections where the band opens up and stretches out and starts improvising. And that’s where you can bring your own thing to the table.” And in the same breath, he’s also not afraid to admit that it’s an adjustment for any new band member to walk in and learn a catalog that stretches beyond just the five studio albums, going into a vast array of cover songs, side-project numbers and jazz and blues standards. “I’m learning a lot of songs and lots of materials, and there will be more stuff that Warren and Matt will say let’s do this or that. It’s a lot of music though, let’s just put it that way.”
And inevitably, any new band member comes to expect the comparisons and criticisms attached to taking over for a departed bandmate. Jason Newstead had it with Metallica, Brent Mydland faced it with the Grateful Dead, and most recently George McConnell has come into his own as the new guitarist for Widespread Panic, despite initial skepticism. Though as an accomplished session player, Hess is no stranger to walking into established situations as he proved with the Black Crowes. “I have to say that I think the amazing thing about Gov’t Mule is, on those records, and live records of theirs, the interplay with those three guys, they definitely had serious connectry was just really good, the way they played together and that comes across on the records they made. I love Allen and he’s great, but I can’t be him, I have to be myself.”
Which in fact lead to the timing of the Rebirth of the Mule tour and a new chapter in the band’s history. Hess looks at it as a grand opportunity, while never thinking too hard about his new role and allowing himself to fall prey to pressure, put on only from himself. “I view it as, I’m coming into it and I’m just going to be me, and be respectful to the music and bring my own stuff to the table and grow with those guys.”
