As they prepare for the release of their 12th studio album, Peace…Like A River, Gov’t Mule, led by guitar legend, vocalist, songwriter and producer Warren Haynes, has issued one final tease with their new single “Made My Peace.”
When writing the new song, Haynes – who recently performed at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday extravaganza and CMT Music Awards’ Lynyrd Skynyrd tribute and is a featured player on Dolly Parton’s forthcoming Rockstar album alongside Steven Tyler – drew on another rock-solid artist for inspiration: The Beatles.
Haynes sought to double-track his vocals the way John Lennon often did on Beatles and solo recordings and included a harmony slide guitar in the song’s middle that was informed by George Harrison. “Made My Peace” also features a sweeping orchestral backdrop from The Kerhonkson Philharmonic.
‘Made My Peace’ is one of the first songs we recorded for this new album and portrays the most Beatles influence we’ve ever utilized on a recording. It deals with a lot of different aspects of what we’ve all gone through.
Warren Haynes
It touches on the emotions I was having to get past with the loss of my dad, who was an extremely important figure in my life. There are several songs that reflect on loss, but more in a way of making the future count. Taking the rest of your life and looking at it with a fresher, more aggressively positive attitude.
Peace…Like A River was recorded during the same sessions as Heavy Load Blues at The Power Station New England with co-producer John Paterno (Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos) alongside Haynes. The albums, however, were created in different rooms, with no shared gear or instruments, keeping the two concurrent projects with their own unique identity and character. Thematically, the forthcoming collection explores the seismic changes the world has gone through over the past few years.
Influenced both in his songwriting and playing by what Haynes calls “the golden era of rock, soul, jazz and blues,” Gov’t Mule combines the best and most enduring qualities from all those musical strains to create a timeless piece of art on Peace…Like A River that could have easily come out in the 1970s.
Gov’t Mule will be out on the road all year in support of Peace…Like A River bringing their acclaimed live show across the U.S. The band recently wrapped a headlining spring tour that took over the famed Ryman Auditorium for a sold-out evening featuring a variety of special guests including Peter Frampton, Jamey Johnson, and Audley Freed.
Ahead of the tour’s two-night finale in his hometown of Asheville, NC, Haynes made a special stop at his elementary school alma mater, Claxton School, where he was joined by his grand-nephew’s music class to perform for the students and teachers and donated a gift to the entire student body.
Up next, Gov’t Mule will launch a June headlining tour on June 9th taking the band to the West Coast and Midwest for a mix of headlining shows and dates with The Avett Brothers before launching their Dark Side of the Mule Tour on July 22nd. The 18-date summer amphitheater outing will feature a full Gov’t Mule set leading into their extremely rare Pink Floyd tribute Dark Side of the Mule, in addition to special guest Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening opening, and will mark the final time Mule will perform the acclaimed set, which first debuted in 2008 and has only been performed live 10 times in total.
Additionally, Gov’t Mule will appear at select dates on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour as well as various festival appearances this summer and fall. The band’sNew Year’s Run from last year has also been rescheduled for December 29th in Philadelphia and December 30th and 31st in New York City. See below for full list of upcoming tour dates and head here for ticketing details and to purchase.
GOV’T MULE TOUR DATES:
June 9 – Jacksonville, OR @ Britt Pavilion
June 10 – Saratoga, CA @ The Mountain Winery
June 11 – Valley Center, CA @ Harrah’s Resort Southern California
June 13 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Red Butte Garden Amphitheater
June 15 – Kansas City, MO @ Grinders KC
June 16 – Camdenton, MO @ Ozarks Amphitheater +
June 17 – Rogers, AR @ Walmart AMP +
June 18 – Wichita, KS @ TempleLive
June 20 – Peoria, IL @ Peoria Civic Center Theater +
June 22 – Cedar Rapids, IA @ Alliant Energy Power House +
June 23 – Mankato, MN @ Vetter Stone Amphitheater
June 24 – Fargo, ND @ Outdoors at Fargo Brewing Company
July 22 – Atlantic City, NJ @ Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena *
July 23 – Patchogue, NY @ Great South Bay Music Festival ~*
July 25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE *#
July 26 – Columbus, OH @ KEMBA Live! *#
July 28 – Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center *#
July 29 – Bethel, NY @ Bethel Woods Center for the Arts %
July 30 – Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater %
August 2 – Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre *
August 3 – Noblesville, IN @ Ruoff Music Center *
August 4 – Tinley Park, IL @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre *
August 5 – Council Bluffs, IA @ Stir Concert Cove – Harrah’s Council Bluffs *
August 7 – Morrison, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
August 9 – Dallas, TX @ Dos Equis Pavilion *
August 11 – Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion *
August 12 – Atlanta, GA @ Cadence Bank Amphitheatre at Chastain Park *
August 13 – Cincinnati, OH @ PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center %
August 15 – Bridgeport, CT @ Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater *
August 17 – Gilford, NH @ Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion *
August 18 – Boston, MA @ Leader Bank Pavilion *
August 19 – Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center *
August 20 – Vienna, VA @ Wolf Trap *
September 16 – Fredericton, Canada @ Harvest Music Festival ~
October 6 – West Palm Beach, FL @ iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre %
October 7 – Tampa, FL @ MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre %
October 8 – Orange Beach, AL @ The Amphitheater at The Wharf %
October 15 – Columbus, GA @ RushSouth Fest ~
December 29 – Philadelphia, PA @ The Met
December 30 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
December 31 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
~ festival appearance
+ with The Avett Brothers
% Outlaw Music Festival dates
* Dark Side of the Mule dates
# Gov’t Mule only/No Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening
