Govt. Mule

Rock-n-roll bands have become like the elusive Grail. Geezers like myself have bemoaned the fate of the disappearing acts that flourished on the power chords. However, the power trio, Govt. Mule (Warren Haynes guitar, Matt Abts drums, insert prodigy hereÕ bass), have put a new polish on a weary genre. Sets can include an Allman Brothers standard like Soulshine (written by Haynes) before jetting off into Miles Davis country and then setting the brain afire with homage to Frank Zappa. Haynes leads the frontal assault with a guitar that needs someone shoveling coal into its fiery furnace. Behind the kit is Matt Abts, a beast of a drummer recently named 2002Õs best R&B/Blues Drummer in the world by Drum! Magazine.

The bass player position is a more elusive picture. The great Allen Woody, who passed away in 2000, helmed the position since Govt. Mule was formed. In his place have been thumpers like George Porter Jr. (the Meters), Dave Schools (Widespread Panic), and Jason Newstead (Metallica). Since WoodyÕs untimely death, Govt. Mule has ushered forth, The Deep End Volumes I and II, which feature an array of bass players to honor their passing brother. The albums have featured two dozen well known bass players and included Phil Lesh (Grateful Dead), Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna), Les Claypool (Primus, Oysterhead), and Mike Gordon (Phish).

Gordon created a 90-minute documentary, Rising Low (available on DVD) about the making of the Deep End. The film recently won the Audience Choice Award at the Newport Film Festival. In addition, Soulshine (from The Deep End Vol. I) won Song of The Year at the 2002 Jammy Awards which were held on Oct. 2 at The Roseland Ballroom in New York City.

Who will play bass at the X-Mas Jam? Most likely Dave Schools, but Govt. Mule is notorious for last minute surprises. Whatever happens, expect a cranial assault by one of the best rock-n-roll bands in the universe.

John Hiatt and the Goners

Hiatt (and his sometimes band, the Goners) may be the treat of the X-Mas Jam. A regal songwriter, Hiatt penned numbers for (take a deep breath) Bob Dylan, B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Bonnie Raitt, Jewel, Iggy Pop, Greg Allman, Marshall Crenshaw, John Doe, Don Henley, Rodney Crowell, Rosanne Cash, Emmylou Harris, Jeff Healey, Paula Abdul, and Three Dog Night. Still, no one can replicate John HiattÕs imprint on the songs. No matter how big the luminary, they still canÕt come within a hectare of HiattÕs flair. He can write about the human condition with a Hemingway sneer, comically reveal the absurdity of SUVÕs and smashing guitars, and delve into the Delta for some neck bone soul. Although HiattÕs been at it for 30 years, the last seven has seen his star rise considerably. His shows have constantly sold out, heÕs hosted the PBS program, Sessions at West 54th; HiattÕs acoustic disc, Crossing Muddy Waters, was nominated for a Grammy, and his most recent album, The Tiki Bar is Open, was a reunion between him and The Goners (featuring slide master Sonny Landreth).

Last year, Hiatt and the Goners toured with B.B. King, who enjoyed his biggest commercial success with Riding with the King Ñ a collaboration with Eric Clapton. Hiatt wrote the title track, which was on his 1983 album of the same name.

Despite the success, Hiatt happily remains in the shadows. I like beinÕ under the radar, he told Harward. I like beinÕ a little stealthy. I get recognized just enough to enjoy it. Any more, and itÕd be a pain in the ass.

Moe.

Please donÕt call us a jamband, Moe. has pleaded to both fans and press over the years. Yet, itÕs hard not to usher the primal adjective because the spirit of Moe. exudes jamm Éexcuse me, experimenting. Set lists are never replicated, and one would be hard pressed to find a song played the same way.

Moe. formed in Buffalo in 1991, their name derived from an old Louis Jordan tune, Five Guys named Moe. From the outset they adhered to instrumental experimentations, and their lyrics had an elusive wit to them. Over the years, the band has sharpened its sound, and they remain committed to creating a new experience every night:

The music is the statement, said guitarist Chuck Garvey on their website. If you come to three different shows, youÕre going to have a different experience each time, and each one will emphasize distinct portions of our music. And a lot of how that manifests itself depends on the band-audience interaction. Our shows are organic events, and there is a very real social aspect to performing that influences what and how we play on any given night.

Humor and guitar wizardry battle back and forth as the quintet takes its fans on a road that never has a set destination. However, in the mayhem, the band maintains that their biggest committal is to the pen:

The songs are the most important aspect of our work, said guitarist Al Schnier. Songwriting drives what we do. We can improvise live on a stage, and encourage the live music experience, but we need to have material in the first place. The challenge of songcraft drives us as much as pulling off live things that seem impossible. You know, sometimes the stars line up, the band and the audience meld, and you know it canÕt get any better Ñ but somehow it does. And thatÕs how we try to write, too.

Recent accolades include winning Best Live Performance of the Year at the 2002 Jammy Awards (ah, the irony), as well as becoming a national touring titan. Be ready for anything when Moe. plops down in Asheville. But whatever you do, donÕt tell anybody that these guys jaÉ I mean É well, you get the picture.

Robert Randolph and the Family Band

This is the fourth time this year IÕve written something about Randolph. I wish I could do it every week. His pedal steel makes critics, fans and musicians swoon to its Pentecostal power. The token instrument ascends to the name of sacred steelÕ when itÕs played in RandolphÕs Pentecostal Church of God in Orange, N.J. Conditioned on church services that exceeded five hours, Robert learned many of his musical chops innately.

ItÕs interesting to hear Robert play stuff that sounds like Duane Allman, or Edward Van Halen, even, and heÕs never heard those things, guitarist Luther Dickinson (of the North Mississippi Allstars) told the San Francisco ChronicleÕs James Sullivan. That kind of unconscious ability reinforces the idea that music is really just out there for anybody to get.

Randolph and his Family Band first swiveled heads when they opened for LutherÕs band, The North Mississippi Allstars. Two weeks later, Randolph cut an album with Dickinson and John Medeski entitiled The Word. A band called by the same name did an East and West Coast Tour, and RandolphÕs steel had exorcised a whole new audience. Used to critical church crowds (Really, thereÕs no harder place to play than the church, he told the NYTimesÕs Neil Strauss, YouÕve got some major critics in the church.) Randolph warmed to his new fans immediately.

The Family Band hit the road, and soon after, released the searing, Live at the Wetlands (Dare Records). In two years, the Family Band played the Telluride Festival, the High Sierra Festival, opened for Dave Matthews Band and Widespread Panic, and created devout followers at every festival, theater, music hall, and private party. Now, his Family band will (shred) shed the gospel at WarrenÕs little get together.

Bob Weir

No X-mas Jam would be complete without a visit from one of the Pranksters who started all this crazy mess. Mr. Weir Ñ veteran guitarist for the jam inceptors, the Grateful Dead Ñ visits Asheville for the first time as a solo act. HeÕs toured with his band, RatDog (featuring Grammy award winner Rob Wasserman on bass), and right now, heÕs on the road with the Other Ones, featuring the surviving (and strong) members of the Grateful Dead.

Expect Dead and Ratdog numbers, slices of 50Õs and 60Õs blues standards, and a peppering of WeirÕs solo material. Good things seem to sprout whenever BobbyÕs in town, and the X-Mas Jam is a perfect conduit for the unexpected. Keyboardist Rob Barraco and drummer John Molo (who have both played in the Other Ones and Phil Lesh and Friends) are in town; and thereÕs no telling what other faces will appear when Weir takes the stage.

Expect Dead and Ratdog numbers, slices of 50Õs and 60Õs blues standards, and a peppering of WeirÕs solo material. Good things seem to sprout whenever BobbyÕs in town, and the X-Mas Jam is a perfect conduit for the unexpected. Keyboardist Rob Barraco and drummer John Molo (who have both played in the Other Ones and Phil Lesh and Friends) are in town; and thereÕs no telling what other faces will appear when Weir takes the stage.