Gov’t Mule tour rings in the New Year with new bassist

Just a month before kicking off the Kinder Revolution fall tour, southern jam band Gov’t Mule is introducing a new bassist to replace founding member Allen Woody, who died in 2000. Swedish musician Jorgen Carlsson is stepping in as the permanent fill-in for Woody, who was previously replaced by Andy Hess in 2003.

After what the band has called “six months of rehearsing, jamming, and hanging out,” Carlsson will make his debut performance at the concert opening on October 30 at the Flynn Center for the Performing Arts in Burlington, VT. The 19-city trek continues through December, when Gov’t Mule will perform a four-night run in New York City to ring in the New Year. The rockers will perform acoustic sets on December 27-28 at Angel Orensanz Theatre before changing venues for a December 30-31 electric jam at the city’s historic Hammerstein Ballroom.

Other multi-night gigs are scheduled for November 14-15 at Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis, MN, and November 21-22 at the Fillmore in San Francisco, CA.

“We were faced with the daunting task of replacing a one-of-a-kind musician, which I’m sure was intimidating for Andy, who did a wonderful job and brought his own personality into the music,” vocalist Warren Haynes explained in a statement on the band’s Web site. “Jorgen’s style is somewhere between Woody’s and Andy’s. He brings some of Woody’s aggressive spirit back although he is very much his own man.”

Customarily, the band would play their traditional year-end concerts at the Beacon Theatre, but it is closed for renovations. Despite the venue change, Gov’t Mule will perform the usual three sets for the seventh annual New Year’s Eve celebration. According to the band’s statement, VIP and travel packages will be available to fans, with details and on-sale dates announced next week.

Gov’t Mule was formed as an Allman Brothers Band side project by band mates Haynes and Woody, along with drummer Matt Abts. Keyboardist Danny Louis, who joined in 2003, and Carlsson complete the current lineup.

Earlier this week on September 16, the southern rockers released the live double DVD “The Tale of Two Cities,” which features performances from their 2004 and 2006 tours. In June, Gov’t Mule released a live double CD, “The Haunted Holy House,” the band’s complete Halloween 2007 set, including a start-to-finish cover of the Led Zeppelin album “Houses of the Holy.”

Gov’t Mule itinerary:
(Dates subject to change.)