Vintage Guitar - September 2017 - open - 95

producers Don Was and Gordie Johnson.
Did that result in a different approach?

Gordie and I had worked together a lot - this
was the third Mule record we co-produced,
along with one of my solo records. We know
each other's work habits very well, including
our strengths and weaknesses. I've known Don
for three or four years and we've played a lot
onstage, but this is the first time we worked in
the studio. It was great. He co-produced two
songs with me - "Pressure Under Fire" and
"Dreams & Songs." He's a wonderful presence
in the studio and we've become friends.
Both guys are great at helping steer everything in the right direction. It was a pleasure
all the way around.
The press release says there was a
change of course while it was being recorded. What happened?

We'd been writing and rehearsing and had
five days of pre-production with Gordie prior
to going in the studio. We had 22 songs and
were scheduled to start recording November
8, which was Election Day. We loaded in, set
up mics, started getting sounds and all the
tedious stuff you do the first day, and every
time we'd take a break, somebody would
glance at the news on TV. Nobody thought
Trump could win - we figured all the talk was
the normal media blowing everything out of
proportion. And once we started recording,
we immersed ourselves in the music. When
we came out at of the end of the night, Trump
was president.
It changed the tone for everything. We'd
written a few political songs, but wound up,
day by day, finding our way, vibe-wise. In some
ways, it had a reverse affect - it made us focus
on some of the positive-message stuff. There
are a lot of songs that talk about everybody
working together, getting out of the place we're
in now, which is the biggest divide I've seen in
this country in my lifetime.

Warren Haynes: Danny Clinch.

Were you concerned about alienating
some fans via politics?

We didn't take a hard stance; most fans
know where we stand. The Allman Brothers
and The Grateful Dead raised over $1 million
for Obama's campaign. We look at songs like
"Stone Cold Rage" as simple observations
of what's going on. The takeaway is that no
matter who wins an election, approximately
half the people in this country are going to
be pissed off about it because that's where we
are. I'm just observing what's going on, and
songs like "Revolution Come... Revolution
Go" and, for that matter, "Stone Cold Rage,"
are a bit tongue-in-cheek - a humorous look
at it. It's not intended to be visceral, but it is
analyzing a pretty vitriolic situation. There
are more of the songs talking about everybody
coming together.

If fans were opposed to your politics,
they probably wouldn't be fans.

It's a little odd because there's this faction
of people who don't want celebrities to speak
out about their political views. But I'd ask
those people, "If somebody asked you about
your political views, wouldn't you answer the
question?" I think they would.
Many music fans simply want to tune
out the world and hear you sing and play
guitar. They want an escape from conflict
and politics.

I understand that, and I think the record
is good for that, as well. It's music first and
foremost. Whatever political connotations
exist are miniscule compared to the overall
feeling you get while listening. Political connotations have been on every record we've
ever done - it's nothing new. If someone is
spooked by the title, they should first listen
to the music, then form an opinion.
"Sara Surrender" has a '70s soul vibe.
What went into that track?

"Sara Surrender" was the last song written
for the album. I wrote it after we finished
recording in Austin and had this sense that,
"Maybe this is the missing piece to the puzzle."
We went to a studio in New York City and
recorded it in one day. It was brand new, so we
were finding our way. I played the jazzy stuff
on a '58 Gretsch jazz body that was gifted to
me recently and has a really unique sound.

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I love the way the drums have an Al Green
feel. Danny Louis' organ is prevalent in the
mix and the bass line drives the tune, so there
are times when the guitar is not even present, but it weaves in and out in a cool way. It
reminds me of Curtis Mayfield, Hi Records,
and some of that era of soul music.
Which guitar did you use on "Stone
Cold Rage?"

I actually played a Tele for the first time
on a Gov't Mule record - a Whitfill Custom
T Style. The solos are live - I really prefer to
have a performance that includes playing the
solo live - but I overdubbed a little piece at the
end. I also played the Whitfill for the first half
of "Drawn That Way," which was cut in two
pieces; the first is that Tele and the second is
my '59 Les Paul, which made an appearance
on quite a few songs on the record.
Is that Les Paul new to your collection?

I've had it about three years, and it was well
broken-in before I got it (laughs). I've played
it a lot and it just sounds beautiful.
Is that your main guitar right now?

My signature Les Paul is probably what I
play more than anything. I bounce back and
forth mostly between Les Pauls, Firebirds,
and 335s. I did play an SG on a couple tracks.
On "Revolution Come... Revolution Go" it's
the SG tuned down a whole step, which was
very bizarre. It had a huge sound doing that.
When Gordie and I went into rehearsals,
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