Warren Haynes, between jam band, rock and solo career
At the end of last week, news arrived that shook the world of American rock, and in particular that of jam bands: Phil Lesh, one of the founding members of the Grateful Dead, died. A few hours before this news we had heard from Warren Haynes via Zoom: his Gov’t Mule are among the Dead’s greatest heirs, and he himself has been called several times in the past to be part of the bands created by members of that band. It is no coincidence that in a long message on social media, Haynes defines Lesh as a “north star”, someone who helped create a musical community.
The jam band is a typically American genre, born with the Dead but continued even after the end of the band with the death of Jerry Garcia in ’95. But now Haynes shows up alone: “Million Voices Whisper” is his first album without the band in almost 10 years. “The jam band scene is definitely thriving in America,” he explained to me. “Bands like Phish, Widespread Panic, Dead & Company and Gov’t Mule, Goose among the younger ones. But it is not highly regarded abroad: I think the European public sees us more as a rock band, even if there is a lot of improvisation in our music, a lot of jams in fact.”
This new album by Warren Haynes is simply rock. Indeed, rock with soul tinges, he is keen to point out. Even if it sounds like a live in the studio, without giving up the stylistic features of jam bands: one of the central pieces is “Lies, Lies, Lies >Monkey Dance >Lies, Lies, Lies”: if you know that world you know that the sign “> ” indicates a transition from one song to another, as is done in concerts – and it is no coincidence that the piece begins with a guitar that sounds like that of the Grateful Dead: “It’s not just a jam,” he downplays, explaining that it’s a method that he also used in the studio with Gov’t Mule.
But these songs took another path: “In recent years I have written so much that I wanted to record as many songs as possible. So I separated the songs into categories and eventually I had enough songs that weren’t for the band. After almost 10 years it seemed like the right time. I usually just write. When I start to have four or five songs going in a similar direction, I know there’s a project on the horizon. From then on I tend to write specifically for that project, and thus this solo record was born.”
So the songs ended up having a common musical denominator and more: “Lyrically, the songs try to look at life through a more positive lens, accept the changes we’ve all experienced, but look forward with a new perspective, embracing the important things and forgetting the unimportant things,” he explains.
The title “Million Voices Whisper” comes from the chorus of “Day of Reckoning”, recorded with Jamie Johnson and Lucas Nelson.
The chorus goes: “Millions of voices whisper, growing louder as we sing, millions of spirits waiting for the day of reckoning” – a political subtext with elections looming. A subtext that becomes explicit in the cover of “Find the Cost of Freedom” by Crosby Stills Nash & Young included as a bonus track: “I wanted to redo it partly for the message of the song, which is similar to that of ‘Day of Reckoning, but also’ to showcase my three-part harmony , by Jamie Johnson and Lucas Nelson Our voices blend very well and we always enjoy singing together,” he explains.
His solo concerts and those of his band have turned covers into an art: Gov’t Mule have dedicated thematic tours and shows to Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones and other big names in rock: “I think sometimes it’s fun and important show the audience songs that have had some influence on their musical career. For me, I usually like to do a cover if I feel that at least one of these three conditions exists: one, if it’s a song I’ve always wanted to sing; two, if it’s a song I wish I’d written. And three, if I think we can create a version that is unique, that stands on its own and that is different from the original.”
A solo album, but Gov’t Mule have no intention of stopping: “Next year will be our 30th anniversary, we plan to release some archive albums and will do some special concerts. The band, with new addition Kevin Scott on bass, is in a fantastic moment. I think it’s amazing that 30 years later we all still get along, which can’t be said about many bands…”
