Blues/Rock Performers Gov't Mule to Appear in Center for the Arts

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The University at Buffalo Center for the Arts will present acclaimed blues/rock group Gov't Mule at 8 p.m. on April 15 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

Gov't Mule was formed by guitarist Warren Haynes, bassist Allen Woody and drummer Matt Abts in 1994. At the time, Haynes and Woody were touring with the Allman Brothers Band, with which they had performed since the band's successful revival in 1989. The two met Abts during a jam at a Los Angeles club following an Allman Brothers Band show. "It was pretty exciting," says Haynes. "As we played together more and more, we got to thinking that maybe we should put the time and effort into making it a real band." In April 1997, Haynes and Woody amicably departed the Allman Brothers to focus on their efforts with Abts and Gov't Mule.

The band's first album, 1995's "Gov't Mule" reached No. 5 on the Billboard album charts. 1996's "Live at Roseland Ballroom," a one-hour journey through the band's 1995 tour with Blues Traveler, also achieved critical and commercial acclaim. After signing with Capricorn, Gov't Mule released their major label debut, "Dose," in February 1998. In the spring of 1999, they followed-up with a double live album, "Live...With a Little Help From Our Friends." Since their conception, Gov't Mule has toured relentlessly with growing fan bases all over the U.S., Canada, Japan and Brazil. They have toured with Dave Matthews Band, Black Crowes, Blues Traveler, H.O.R.D.E. 98, Widespread Panic, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Jethro Tull and Steve Miller. In the summer of 1999, the Mule was one of the four founders of the Summer Session tour along with Galactic, moe., and String Cheese Incident. The summer jam tour debut was smashing with 21 dates across the country, including many sold out runs at such venues as Red Rocks and the Greek Theater.

When Woody died unexpectedly in August 2000, Haynes and Abts were left contemplating how to continue. "When Woody passed away we were kind of in the middle of preparing for what would be the next Gov't Mule record anyway," says Haynes. "After Allen passed, we didn't know how to continue that process. We didn't want to start auditioning bass players to try to find a permanent replacement. So the idea came about that all of our favorite bass players might be too busy to join the band, or even do a whole tour, but maybe they wouldn't be too busy to do one song."

So Gov't Mule brainstormed a lengthy list of bassists whom they most respected and who had most influenced Woody musically, and invited them all to collaborate with the band on its next album. The response was overwhelming, and Gov't Mule wound up recording more than two full albums' worth of material. The first album to be culled from these sessions is "The Deep End Vol. 1," and the collection of top modern stars and legends of rock music that join Gov't Mule is remarkable. Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers), Bootsy Collins (James Brown, P-Funk), Mike Gordon (Phish) and John Scofield are some of the artists that appear, alongside rock legends like Jack Bruce (Cream) and John Entwistle (The Who).

The Deep End project will continue through the winter with the release of Mike Gordon's film, "On The Banks," a documentary on the recording sessions. "The Deep End Vol. 2" is planned for a late spring 2002 release, and will feature bass players including Me'shell N'degeocello, Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead), Les Claypool (Primus), and George Porter, Jr. (The Meters, Tori Amos).

Haynes currently is a member of the Allman Brothers Band and Phil Lesh and Friends, in addition to being the lead guitarist and vocalist for Gov't Mule. Gov't Mule's performance at the CFA will include Haynes, Abts, bassist Dave Schools (Widespread Panic) and keyboardist Danny Louis (Joe Cocker, Tracy Chapman)

Tickets for Gov't Mule are $21.50. Tickets are available from noon to 6 p.m. Tuesday-Friday at the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including Kaufmann's and Movies Plus. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call (416) 870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information call 645-ARTS or visit the Center for the Arts Web site at http://www.arts.buffalo.edu.