New song is available on forthcoming album
Renowned Grammy-nominated band Gov’t Mule, led by guitar legend, vocalist, songwriter and producer Warren Haynes, has released the new single “Same As It Ever Was,” the opening track of their forthcoming studio album, Peace…Like A River, out June 16th via Fantasy Records. “Same As It Ever Was” features a soaring arrangement – anchored by Jorgen Carlsson’s thunderous bass and Matt Abts’ precise yet soulful drumming – that helps bring the song’s heartfelt sentiments home. The band has also shared a behind the song video for “Same As It Ever Was.”
Peace…Like A River, the band’s 12th studio album and follow-up to their chart-topping, Grammy-nominated blues album, Heavy Load Blues, will be released on June 16th via Fantasy Records. The 12-song rock collection also features guest appearances from Billy Bob Thornton, Celisse, and Billy F Gibbons, the latter of whom performed with Haynes this past Sunday night at the CMT Music Awards for an incredible tribute to Lynyrd Skynyrd. A deluxe edition of the album will be available on CD only and includes the original 12-track album plus the special five track Time Of The Signs Bonus EP, which features four new, unreleased tracks and an alternate version of the album track “The River Only Flows One Way,” with Warren taking lead vocals.
“‘Same As It Ever Was’ is such an opus, an expansive piece. It goes in all these different directions, but lyrically and conceptually it makes sense to be the opening track,” shares Haynes. “Life throws challenges at you when you least expect it, but in some ways, the disruption of the lockdown period is no different than what could happen at any given moment. We’ve all dealt with what in some cases seem like insurmountable hardships, but in my lifetime, the pandemic is the first time that the entire planet went through it together. The whole message of the tune is we’ve come a long way, but now we’re on the other side and life is normal, life is good. Same as it ever was.”
The album’s lead single “Dreaming Out Loud” featuring Ivan Neville and Ruthie Foster is currently impacting AAA radio nationwide. For the stirring song, Haynes wove together inspirational quotes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Robert and John Kennedy, and the late civil rights leader and US Representative John Lewis.
The album 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.
One distinguishing difference on Peace…Like A River is the presence of talented friends in important guest roles. Billy F Gibbons’ trademark vocals underscore the tasty ZZ Top textures that inform the humor-infused “Shake Our Way Out,” while Billy Bob Thornton adds his distinctive vocals to “The River Only Flows One Way.” For introductory track “Dreaming Out Loud,” Haynes wanted a Sly and the Family Stone vocal style where different singers take different sections of the song, so he called upon previous collaborators blues great Ruthie Foster, whose backing vocals graced Mule’s 2006 album High & Mighty, and longtime friend, New Orleans soul legend Ivan Neville. Lastly, rising soul artist Celisse adds her incredible vocals to “Just Across The River.”
Gov’t Mule will be out on the road this year in support of Peace…Like A River. First, the band heads out on a 10-date spring headlining tour, which kicks off May 5th in New Orleans during Jazz Fest, stops at The Ryman in Nashville on May 12th and wraps in Haynes’ hometown of Asheville, NC with back-to-back shows at Salvage Station’s Outdoor Stage on May 19th and 20th. Then, this summer, Gov’t Mule is bringing back their extremely rare Pink Floyd tribute Dark Side of the Mule for a 12-date summer amphitheater tour that includes a stop at the famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre on August 7th. The Dark Side of the Mule Tour, produced by Live Nation, will feature a full Gov’t Mule set leading into DSOTM, as well as special guest Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Evening, 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 perform select dates with The Avett Brothers and on Willie Nelson’s Outlaw Music Festival Tour this summer as well as various festival appearances. The band’s New Year’s Run from last year has also been rescheduled for December 29th in Philadelphia and December 30th and 31st in New York City.
