Gov't Mule's Haynes Talks New Kevn Kinney LP

By archive-David-Basham

April 26, 2000 / 2:45 PM

Gov't Mule is currently kicking it overseas with concerts in Australia and Japan, and the trio plans on returning to the U.S. for a handful of dates next month before hooking up with the Steve Miller Band for a run of amphitheaters in June and July.

In addition to tending to the Mule and the recording of its just-released album, "Life Before Insanity," frontman Warren Haynes recently took time out to produce and play on "The Flower And The Knife," the new album from Drivin' N' Cryin's Kevn Kinney.

MTV News caught up with Haynes shortly before he and the band headed overseas, and he talked about how he came to produce Kinney's album, the singer-songwriter's first solo project since 1994's "Down Out Law.

[article id="1445021"]"I had produced one song for Drivin' N' Cryin' in the past,"[/article] Haynes said, [article id="1445021"]"but it was full-blown electric. And I've done a few other artists and bands here and there,

and it's something I want to get more and more involved with in the future, but Kevn had asked me to do it and I thought, 'Why not?'[/article]

[article id="1445021"]"We have a great relationship and I understand his music, and I understood what he was trying to do, and I think it turned out to be a really good marriage. We just kind of let things happen and didn't force them to happen, and I think it really turned out great." [RealAudio][/article]

Haynes also discussed how the original sessions for "The Flower And The Knife" suggested a stripped-down acoustic record, but that Kinney's reputation eventually brought out an all-star cast of guest players.

"Y'know, it was intended initially to be a solo-acoustic type of record," Haynes said. "It was gonna be mostly just [Kevn]

with an acoustic guitar,

then I was gonna play on a few songs, but then one by one, all these great people started volunteering to be part of it. Edwin McCain, John Popper, Ken Block from Sister Hazel, and of course Matt and Woody [from Gov't Mule], and Oteil [Burbridge], Derek Trucks, Jimmy Herring and Danny Lewis.

"And one after another, people started expressing an interest in playing on Kevn's record, and I think a lot because they loved what he was doing and the direction of it and what a talented artist he is. Everybody who heard it became more intrigued and wanted to be part of it, so the next thing you know we had all these great people on it."

"The record really turned out amazingly well. I think Kevn has written some of the best songs of his entire career." [RealAudio]

In addition to the

guest appearances,

"The Flower And The Knife" also features acoustic reworkings of two classic Drivin' N' Cryin' tunes, "Scarred But Smarter" and "Straight To Hell," as well as covers of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released" and "The Ballad Of Hollis Brown.

The Flower And The Knife" is due out on Capricorn Records on May 2, and Kinney will kick off a solo tour in support of the album on April 30 in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Dates for Kevn Kinney's upcoming solo tour: