Warren Haynes: Interview with the guitarist hitching his post from the Grateful Dead to the Allmans

Guitarist Warren Haynes spent the month of June on tour with The Dead. Then he hooked up with the Allman Brothers Band for their tour in July. He will rejoin the Allmans for a stint late in August, then follow by hitting the road with his band Gov't Mule a month later.

Sunday night, the much in-demand performer will be re-hitching his six-string to The Dead's musical wagon at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where he will perform with the band on what would have been Jerry Garcia's 62nd birthday, as well as delivering an opening solo set in advance of the group's appearance.

And while the 44-year-old guitarist could be forgiven for going onstage some nights with his mind scrambled somewhere between "Whipping Post" and "Sugar Magnolia," he says that hasn't been the case. Mostly, anyway.

"It can be a little confusing at times," laughs Haynes, all these years later still carrying a raspy twang from a North Carolina upbringing. "But it's definitely different in terms of the (group's) fans. The Dead is part of a culture where people follow the band around the country. They go and see as many shows as possible," Haynes says. "The Allman Brothers and Gov't. Mule are a little like that - but not to that degree."

Haynes grew up at the foot of his older brother's turntable, listening to the sounds of Otis Redding and the Four Tops pouring out of the speakers. At the age of 12, he got his first guitar and fell hard for the blues-turned-rock of Eric Clapton. By the early 1980s, Haynes was touring with David Allan Coe and performing on solo projects by Dickey Betts and Gregg Allman, which gained him access to the inner circle of the Allman Brothers Band.

When the group reformed in 1989, Haynes was asked to join. Keeping busy in the 1990s, Haynes also issued a solo album and founded the band Gov't Mule. In 2003, he began doing supplemental shows as a soloist, a task that was rewarding and a little frightening.

"In some ways, I've been doing it all my life, but I really just started doing solo acoustic (appearances) at Bonnaroo, which was inspirational and also a little bit intimidating," he says. The annual Bonnaroo, Tennessee music festival draws thousands from around the country for a three-day musical celebration in June. In 2003, it was the venue that Haynes chose to go it alone, performing with nothing but a guitar and his voice in front of 80,000 fans. After listening to recordings, he was sufficiently pleased with the results.

The newly released 16-track "Live at Bonnaroo" CD is the second solo release of Haynes' career. The music is guitar playing to acocmpany his soulful voice and tone more reminiscent of an "After the Goldrush"-era Neil Young meets REM, than the southern rocker/jam band phenom one might expect from Haynes. Wearing his musical versatility on his sleeve, Haynes delivers his rendition of songs by The Eagles, Otis Redding and Grateful Dead, as well as U2's "One" and Radiohead's intense "Lucky."

Haynes denies he has crossed some musical taboo in covering contemporary tunes by post-punk bands.

"To me, a great song is a great song," he says. "And the reaction has been nothing but positive. Some people enjoy hearing a song they haven't heard before. For others, they like hearing it stripped down to just guitar and vocals." Haynes' road meanwhile will continue to wind its way through North America, catching some tourist time when he can.

"It's nice if there are multiple nights (at the same venue), that's when you get a chance to explore a little," he says. His personal decision for picking favorite destinations however, usually comes down to one thing. "It's mostly based on how it sounds."

Onstage, Haynes is cognizant about giving people something different every time around. In fact, his band Gov't. Mule keeps a running log of every set list performed in each town so there is no duplication. The Dead have been changing it up, as well, performing two sets a night and with very few songs, if any, being repeated from one city to the next, mixing the 20-odd song set with everything from new jams to classic Dead and a handful of cover tunes like"8 Miles High," and "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds."

With the variety of musicians Haynes has performed with, there are some collaborations that will always remain a fantasy. "Miles Davis. Jimi Hendrix. Howlin' Wolf," replies Haynes in a heartbeat when asked which musicians he wished he could have played with. "Those are the big three." With the passing of each musical legend, it is up to musicians like Haynes to continue the legacy.

by Thomas Dimopoulos
published in The Saratogian and The Pink Sheet, Summer 2004