American guitarist, vocalist and composer Warren Haynes has been traveling since he was 20 when he joined singer-songwriter David Allan Coe's band.

Born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina in 1960, the musician played for many years with the southern rock pioneers The Dickey Betts Band and The Allman Brothers Band.

When Haynes founded his own company Gov't Mule in 1994, which was initially only intended as a side project, it grew over the years into an internationally almost cult-revered unique piece.

Therefore, on one of the hottest days of the year in Frankfurt's chilled Batschkapp, there is more than just a hint of Rockpalast night in the air.

The punctual debut of Gov't Mule with a crisp four-pack of songs from “Mr.

Man”, “Blind Man In The Dark”, “About To Rage” and “Wake Up Dead” self-penned.

First class in superb sound

Warren Haynes, bassist Jorgen Carlsson, drummer Matt Abts and Danny Louis on keyboards, electric guitar, trombone and vocals are already in top form.

The ensemble has rightly been awarded the title "Encyclopedia of Rock History" by its international fans.

Crossfade Gov't Mule optimally Blues, Jazz, Soul, Funk, Latin, Hard- and Southern Rock.

Also in the Batschkapp, the sworn mostly male fan community reacts enthusiastically from the first bar and waits eagerly for every further surprising song.

Band leader Haynes joins the same ranks as his colleagues Bob Dylan, Van Morrison or Neil Young: Instead of going through the nightly routine with an identical repertoire, Haynes spontaneously puts together the program shortly before the start of the performance.

From the start of their career, the quartet also gained an excellent reputation as the author of their own material, but as a second mainstay they also created an excellent reputation as interpreters of cover versions.

Whereby Gov't Mule manage to make foreign material sound like it comes from their own song breeding.

In the Batschkapp, the well-oiled team takes the classics "Snatch It Back And Hold It" by Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band, Tom Waits' "Make It Rain", Link Wray & His Raymens in their two sets separated by a half-hour break "Rumble" and "I Asked For Water (She Gave Me Gasoline)" by Howlin' Wolf.

In part, the selection is integrated into overly long jams consisting of several titles.

Haynes and his team, whose band name is derived from "government mule", which means something like "government mold", confidently serve first-class craftsmanship in a superb sound pattern for more than two hours.

As a farewell, Gov't Mule go full throttle again with blues covers of Robert Johnson's "Come On In My Kitchen" and James 'Beale Street' Clark's "Look On Yonder Wall".