{"id":31591,"date":"2025-10-31T09:14:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:14:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=31591"},"modified":"2025-10-31T09:14:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:14:10","slug":"on-stage-govt-mule-embraces-holiday-with-special-show-at-the-met","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/?p=31591","title":{"rendered":"On Stage: Gov\u2019t Mule embraces holiday with special show at The Met"},"content":{"rendered":"
By Denny Dyroff<\/strong>, Entertainment Editor, The Times<\/em><\/div>\n
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Gov\u2019t Mule<\/p><\/div>\n

When Gov\u2019t Mule headlines a show on November 1 at The Met (858 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/themetphilly.com<\/a>), the band\u2019s fans will be in for a special treat.<\/div>\n

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Every year, Gov\u2019t Mule plays a special show at the end of October — Mule-O-Ween.<\/div>\n
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Gov\u2019t Mule — Warren Haynes\u00a0\u2013 guitar, lead vocals (1994\u2013present), Matt Abts\u00a0\u2013 drums, percussion, vocals (1994\u2013present), Danny Louis \u2013 keyboards, guitar, trumpet, vocals (2002\u2013present) and Kevin Scott \u2013 bass (2022\u2013present) \u2013 has a long-standing tradition of performing annual Halloween tribute-themed shows.<\/div>\n
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It is usually a one-night event on All Hallow\u2019s Eve. This year, it stretches out over two nights with a show in Washington, D.C. on October 31 and November 1 in Philadelphia.<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re doing Mule-O-Ween on Friday and Saturday this week,\u201d said Haynes, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from a tour stop in New Haven, Connecticut.<\/div>\n
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\u201cNormally, Mule-O-Ween is just one night. But when it\u2019s on a weekend — Friday and Saturday \u2013 we do two nights.<\/div>\n
\u201cWith Mule-O-Ween, we play two sets. The first set is 90 minutes of Gov\u2019t Mule songs. Then, we take a break and come back with a special 75-minute themed set.<\/div>\n
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\u201cSome of our Mule-O-Ween themed sets in the past have been Black Sabbath, Traffic, \u201cWho\u2019s Next,\u201d Neil Young, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Free.\u201d<\/div>\n
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This year\u2019s 75-minute themed set will feature the music of Aerosmith.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis is our first time to do Aerosmith,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cWe\u2019ll be focusing on the first four albums by Aerosmith.<\/div>\n
\u201cWe get ready by rehearsing on the bus and at venues during sound check. This year\u2019s preparation has been going on for a few weeks.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Aerosmith\u2019s first four albums were \u201cAerosmith,\u201d \u201cGet Your Wings,\u201d \u201cToys in the Attic\u201d and \u201cRocks.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Best-selling hits from the quartet of LPs included \u201cDream On,\u201d \u201cSame Old Song and Dance,\u201d \u201cSweet Emotion,\u201d \u201cWalk This Way\u201d and \u201cBack in the Saddle.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The opening act for Gov\u2019t Mule at The Met will be Corey Glover, the former frontman for Living Colour.<\/div>\n
\u201cCorey will open for us and then join us for the Aerosmith set,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cWe\u2019re doing 11 Aerosmith songs. I\u2019ll sing half of them and Corey will sing the other half.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Gov\u2019t Mule\u2019s first set will feature songs from the band\u2019s current \u201cBack In The Saddle Tour,\u201d the band\u2019s first big tour run since February 2024.<\/div>\n
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The first leg of the 29-date outing <\/b>included five co-headlining shows with longtime friends Tedeschi Trucks Band. The second leg of the headlining tour launched October 10 <\/b>in Bowling Green, Kentucky <\/b>and included a stop at Santander Arena in Reading earlier this week.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ll do three more shows after this weekend and then take most of November and part of December off,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cThen, we\u2019ll do out annual New Year\u2019s Eve shows at the Beacon Theater in New York.<\/div>\n
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Gov\u2019t Mule is still touring its \u201cPeace…Like A River\u201d album which was released in 2023. Haynes also has been doing shows in support of his \u201cMillion Voices Whisper\u201d album which was released last year.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s been a long year \u2013 for sure,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cI\u2019ve been bouncing back and forth with the Warren Haynes Band and with Gov\u2019t Mule.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis is the 30th\u00a0anniversary of our first album from 1995. After Allen Woody died in 2000, we became a quartet. We were a trio up to that point. After Woody died, it seemed natural to be a quartet.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOur new bass player Kevin Scott joined about three years ago. Right now, we have Terrence Higgins on drums filling in for Matt Abts. Matt is 60 years old, and he\u2019s been having back problems.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Despite being a band for three decades with more than 20 studio albums, Gov\u2019t Mule has never gotten in a rut \u2013 never been satisfied with doing the same thing over and over again.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe play a different set list every night \u2013 always have,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cSometimes, we\u2019ll do three or four shows in a row without repeating a song.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re doing a lot of stuff from early records. We keep track of what we\u2019ve played in every city and never repeat songs from previous shows.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Keeping track of set lists is much easier now that we\u2019re in the digital age.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe had a big blue binder with every set list, and we\u2019d consult it prior to every show,\u201d said Haynes. \u201cThankfully, we don\u2019t have to do that now. With 30 years of concert set lists, it would be tough.\u201d<\/div>\n
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So, fans attending this weekend\u2019s show at The Met will hear nothing but songs they\u2019ve never heard performed live by the band before \u2013 and a treasure trove of songs from Steven Tyler and Joe Perry\u2019s catalog.<\/div>\n
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Video link for Gov\u2019t Mule \u2013 https:\/\/youtu.be\/qyUvxFokkiE<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The show at The Met on November 1, which has Cory Glover as the opening act, will start at 7:30 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Ticket prices start at $34.25.<\/div>\n
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Other upcoming shows at the venue are Jon Batiste on October 30, Of Monsters and Men on November 4 and Jon Legend on November 5.<\/div>\n
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On October 31, the focus at Jamey\u2019s House of Music (32 South Lansdowne Avenue, Lansdowne, 215-477-9985,www.jameyshouseofmusic.com<\/a>) will be on Early Times.<\/div>\n
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Renaissance Man Early Times<\/p><\/div>\n

Despite the name, this is not a show looking at happenings in the past. It is a show featuring modern day Renaissance Man Early Times (yes, that is his real name).<\/p><\/div>\n

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On Friday night, Early Times will take the stage at Jamey\u2019s with the High Rollers, his NYC-based band which specializes in original rock and soul music.<\/div>\n
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Times is a native of Sacramento, California. While performing in and around California\u2019s state capital, Times was awarded Best Guitarist in the Sacramento Music Awards.<\/div>\n
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Times helped usher in a new wave of broadcasting as he was tapped to help start Sirius Satellite Radio. He hosted a daily show on Sirius Blues from the channel\u2019s opening until its closing.<\/div>\n
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After some time away from broadcasting, Early was once again brought on to help the blues channel, now branded as B.B. King\u2019s Bluesville, where he currently hosts a daily program.<\/div>\n
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In addition, he hosts a three-hour show four days per week playing classic rock on Deep Tracks. He also has his own blues-centric station called Piranha.<\/div>\n
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As a recording artist, Times has released a number of well-received albums including \u201cHit and Run,\u201d \u201cThe Corner,\u201d \u201cElectric City,\u201d \u201cZodiac Griot\u201d and recently released \u201cFallen Angels.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cI grew up in Sacramento, and I\u2019ve been into music my whole life,\u201d said Times, during a phone interview Wednesday afternoon from his home in upstate New York.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAs a kid, I listened to my parents\u2019 stack of 45s \u2013 Little Richard, Chuck Berry, acts like that. I started playing guitar when I was 12 and I got full into it.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWhen I was 14 and a freshman in high school, I had a band, and we played parties and began making money. It was off-and-running from that point.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIn high school, I got more heavily into the blues. I saw B.B. King play when I was 15 or 16. I also saw Bo Diddley and John Lee Hooker with a full band.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI was especially impressed with B.B. King. There was something really remarkable about his show.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAfter high school, I was touring around a little. In my early 20s, I toured around England for a few months.\u201d<\/div>\n
Now, Times is known around the country for his uniquely individual musical style.<\/div>\n
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\u201cIn Sacramento, I was playing six or seven nights a week,\u201d said Times. \u201cI was playing blues clubs and jazz venues. I was doing rock shows and acoustic shows.<\/div>\n
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\u201cAll that stuff has paid off. I toured with E.C. Scott and did a couple records with her.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Times joined E.C. Scott\u2019s band and toured internationally and recorded two CDs with E.C. for the Blind Pig Label \u2013 \u201cHard Act to Follow\u201d and \u201cMasterpiece.\u201d<\/div>\n
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While in Sacramento, Times operated Fantasia Music, a record label that had international distribution through Bayside. He released\u00a0\u201cSociety for the Misunderstood\u201d\u00a0(Best CD in Sac This Week), \u201cHobo Deluxe\u201d (Best CD nomination Sacramento Area Music Awards). \u201cThe Comedown\u201d (Best CD nomination Sacramento Area Music Awards), and \u201cTickle Your Fancy.\u201d<\/div>\n
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During his time in Sacramento, he received an unprecedented 10 nominations in the Sacramento Area Music Awards (Sammies), more than any other artist in the area. These nominations were for Best Rock Musician\/Vocalist (multiple); Best Singer\/Songwriter; Best Rock Band; Best Blues Band; Best Local CD (multiple); Early was also the recipient of the Critics\u2019 Choice Award as Sacramento\u2019s Best Guitarist.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI moved to New York from Sacramento in 1998,\u201d said Times. \u201cI was in Manhattan for a long time and then Queens. Now, I live in upstate New York.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Times operates\u00a0Manhattan Recording\u00a0and\u00a0Dealer\u2019s Choice Records\u00a0out of his New York studio. There, he recorded his latest album, \u201cFallen Angels,\u201d which was produced by\u00a0Jay Messina.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis was my first album that I also released on vinyl,\u201d said Times, a highly respected guitarist and songwriter. \u201cThere\u2019s something special about recordings on vinyl.<\/div>\n
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\u201cOn this album, I played all organ. I downplayed guitar and did more organ solos. I didn\u2019t want to keep doing the same thing over and over again.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI get a little restless if I\u2019m doing the same thing. I have a couple projects that are different. I have a solo acoustic album that\u2019s almost finished.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Times\u2019 previous album was \u201cZodiac Griot.\u201d<\/div>\n
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\u201cI made that album last year with a jazz trio \u2013 a drummer, a Hammond organ player and me,\u201d said Times. \u201cIt had all original songs.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Now, Times is returning to Jamey\u2019s.<\/div>\n
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\u201cI\u2019ve played Jamey\u2019s three times so far,\u201d said Times. \u201cIt\u2019s a great place to play. It has a great sound system — and the food is wonderful.<\/div>\n
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\u201cMy band will be organ, bass, drums and me on guitar. We\u2019ll be doing original musis and an occasional cover. We\u2019ll be playing songs from \u2018Fallen Angels,\u2019 \u2018Electric City\u2019 and \u2018The Corner.\u2019<\/div>\n
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\u201cThis will be my last date of the year. Next, I\u2019m going into the studio. I have two or three projects I\u2019m working on. I\u2019ll get back on the road in the spring.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Video link for Early Times — https:\/\/youtu.be\/ervG_aHw1W0<\/a>.<\/div>\n
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The show at Jamey\u2019s on October 31 will start at 8 p.m.<\/div>\n
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Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door.<\/div>\n
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The show is also available on pay-per-view for $15.45.<\/div>\n
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Other upcoming shows at Jamey\u2019s are Tracy Grammer on November 1 and The Philly Blues Kings\u00a0featuring Clarence Spady on November 2.<\/div>\n
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The wait is over.<\/div>\n
After waiting a long time for a new album by the Humbleman Band to drop, the group\u2019s fans will see their patience rewarded on November 1 when the band performs a \u201cRecord Release Show\u201d at the Black Squirrel Club (1049 Sarah Street, Philadelphia, blacksquirrelclub.com<\/a>).<\/div>\n
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The band will mark the official release of \u201cLooking Up,\u201d an album that was several years in the making.<\/div>\n
Humbleman\u00a0Band is one of the Philadelphia area\u2019s longest-running rock bands — and a band which has been involved in projects all over the country.<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band\u2019s current line-up is Charlie\u00a0Cooper\u00a0– writer, vocals, guitar; Wain Ballard – lead guitar; Kim Alexander \u2013 vocals; Boz Heinly \u2013 bass; and Buck Buchannan \u2013 drums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019ll be playing all the songs from the new album,\u201d said \u201cCholly\u201d\u00a0Cooper, during a phone interview from his home in Germantown.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThere are 14 songs on the record, and this will be the first time we\u2019ve played some of them live.\u201d<\/div>\n
There will also be an added attraction.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe\u2019re also going to be playing a new song that was just written and is not on the album,\u201d said Cooper, one of several musicians to come from the Norristown area along with a pair of late jazz greats \u2014 bassist Jaco Pastorius and Hammond legend Jimmy Smith.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe song is called \u2018No Kings\u2019 and was inspired by the recent \u2018No Kings\u2019 events.\u201d<\/div>\n
The band has been around for more than a quarter-century.<\/div>\n
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\u201cHumbleman\u00a0Band\u00a0was formed in 1999,\u201d said\u00a0Cooper. \u201cWe get along really well musically and as friends. We have a lot of respect for each other.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band is not very prolific when it comes to releasing albums.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe seem to have a cycle of putting out an album every five years,\u201d said\u00a0Cooper. \u00a0\u201cWe put out an album a few years ago called \u2018Least Bad of\u00a0Humbleman\u00a01984-2009.\u2019 That album was a 25-year compilation starting with our days in 1984 as a punk band called The Proles.\u201d<\/div>\n
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The band released its albums \u201cLate Bloom\u201d in fall 2014 and \u201cBeautiful Day\u201d in November 2018.<\/div>\n
Humbleman\u00a0Band, a rock band that is socially conscious, features songs that band members have written and arranged \u2013 songs with lyrics inspired by current events.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe just finished wrapping up our next album which has been two years in the making,\u201d said Cooper. \u201cWe went into the studio a few months ago.<\/div>\n
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\u201cWe recorded the rhythm section in a big studio — Rittenhouse Soundworks in Germantown. Then we did the overdubs at our home studio, J-Street Studios.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe last recordings happened in March. Then we sent it to Rittenhouse Sound for mixing and mastering.\u201d<\/div>\n
The LP, which has an up-tempo feel and an uplifting vibe, is the band\u2019s best recording yet.<\/div>\n
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\u201cThe title track \u2013 \u201cLooking Up\u201d \u2013 showcases the group\u2019s optimism with lyrics such as, \u201cNot so bad, could be worse, could be surrounded by flowers in the back of some hearse\u201d and \u201cThings are looking more up, my friend, that\u2019s how I\u2019m feelin\u2019 today.\u201d<\/div>\n
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Humbleman\u00a0Band has consistently delivered social commentary and positive messages, often with humor and a light touch, using spoken word lyrics, and generally delivered with dance beat arrangement.<\/div>\n
Video link for\u00a0Humbleman\u00a0Band \u2014 https:\/\/youtu.be\/01Clk69MaAU<\/a><\/i>.<\/div>\n
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The show at the Black Squirrel on November 1 will start at 7:30 p.m. with opening act Reverend Chris.<\/div>\n
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Tickets are $10.<\/div>\n
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Other upcoming shows at the venue are Lizdelise, Lexxie Mathis and Elly Kace on October 30, Root Settaz: All Hallows Reggae Bash on October 31 and Philly Roda de Samba e Choro on November 2.<\/div>\n
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Kennett Flash (102 Sycamore Alley, Kennett Square, 484-732-8295, http:\/\/www.kennettflash.org<\/a>) is hosting the Dale Melton Trio on November 2.<\/div>\n
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Uptown! Knauer Performing Arts Center (226 North High Street, West Chester, www.uptownwestchester.org<\/a>) will present a screening of \u201cNosferatu\u201d with a live soundtrack by Not So Silent Cinema on October 30.<\/div>\n
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Elkton Music Hall (107 North Street, Elkton, Maryland, www.elktonmusichall.com<\/a>) will host The Dude Ranch and Meatfits on October 31, Winslow on November 1 and Parker Barrow on November 5.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times When Gov\u2019t Mule headlines a show on November 1 at The Met (858 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, http:\/\/themetphilly.com), the band\u2019s fans will be in for a special treat. Every year, Gov\u2019t Mule plays a special show at the end of October — Mule-O-Ween. Gov\u2019t Mule — Warren Haynes\u00a0\u2013 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":31589,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4357],"tags":[3162,4607,12205],"class_list":["post-31591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-d-arts-entertainment","tag-featured","tag-govt-mule","tag-renaissance-man-early-times"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=31591"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31591\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":31592,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31591\/revisions\/31592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/31589"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=31591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=31591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/downingtowntimes.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=31591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}