When singer-guitarist Warren Haynes formed Gov't Mule with fellow Allman Brothers Band member Allen Woody in 1994, it was just for kicks.
Power trios were a dying breed that needed fresh DNA, they reckoned. So, along with drummer Matt Abts, the men began jamming, writing songs, touring and recording.
"We were having a blast," Haynes, 45, remembers. "We felt like (the power trio) was a format in rock `n' roll that had kind of been forgotten about.
"Bands like Cream and the (Jimi) Hendrix Experience were so good at doing that- had such a fresh approach to improvisation."
Within three years, Gov't Mule became so important to Haynes and Woody that they did the unthinkable: They quit the Allmans, one of rock music's defining guitar groups.
But when Woody died unexpectedly in 2000, Gov't Mule's future was forever reshaped.
"When Woody passed away, the first inclination was that was the end of Gov't Mule," Haynes says, phoning from his home in New York City. "Then a couple months later, we realized that, `No, we need to keep it together. But it's going to take some time to get it back to where it was.'"
These days, Gov't Mule is in a different place. After an extensive search, Woody was replaced with bassist Andy Hess.
Just as important, keyboardist-guitarist Danny Louis has joined, crushing Gov't Mule's power-trio skeleton forever.
As proven by 2004's "Deja Voodoo"- the first studio album since Woody's death - the second version of Gov't Mule is more eager to explore soul, jazz and other fusion-oriented territories.
Haynes has discovered that fronting a quartet has advantages.
"Some songs don't sound as good three-piece," he says. "... Even songs like `Soulshine' that I'd written a long time ago, when we played it as a trio, it never really worked. But once we added keyboards, it works great.
"Part of the beauty of being in a trio is how liberating it is and how free it is. But there's also the frustration of sometimes wanting a larger sound that's not there," he said.
"One of the great things about working with Danny Louis is that he respects the original trio so much that there are times he'll go, `Well, why don't I lay out on this song? I think it sounds better as a three-piece.' And, also, Danny plays guitar, so eventually we'll do more and more stuff with two guitars and no keyboards."
At the invitation of longtime friend Gregg Allman, Haynes rejoined the Allman Brothers Band in 2001.
When he's not touring with that band, he's on the road fronting Gov't Mule, a role that satisfies his equal urges to sing, write and play guitar, he says.
Haynes, who started as a singer before he ever picked up a guitar, recently has become a more widely respected vocalist. He even sang on jazz guitarist John Scofield's recent Ray Charles tribute CD.
"I just feel extremely fortunate to have been able to do the things that I've done in the music business," Haynes says finally. "Because the music business is a hard nut to crack. And I've managed to play music that I love for a living for quite some time and watch my career just getting bigger and bigger and bigger. I'm very grateful for that."
