Gov’t Mule takes an unexpected turn

“This will give me a chance to promote my solo record for a while,” said Haynes, who Rolling Stone has named one of the top 25 guitarists of all time. “People who have followed my career won’t be surprised.”

That’s because Haynes is something of a moving target, writing not just as a musician for the Allman Brothers, Gov’t Mule and Phil Lesh & Friends, but as a writer (he has co-written many well-known songs including Garth Brooks’ hit “Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House”).

With all of that in mind, it’s interesting that Gov’t Mule was born when the Allman Brothers were on break and Haynes was at loose ends. But those who know the guitar player, widely called the cornerstone of the Allman Brothers Band, probably aren’t surprised.

“Haynes is possibly the hardest working guitarist on the planet,” wrote Rolling Stone, going on to talk about his masterful playing.

What the hiatus means for fans is that Gov’t Mule will only play a handful of dates in 2011. The great news for the Washington, D.C.-area fans is that Haynes and his band mates are reaching out to fans with special New Year’s Eve celebrations in Washington and New York.

The band took to its Web site to ask fans to vote for their ultimate set list, which includes Gov’t Mule songs, cover songs the band has not tackled and more. Although the Washington show won’t include the “ultimate set list,” Haynes said the band is watching the votes come in and will likely select at least a few fan requests to play locally.

“I guess it was my idea,” said Haynes of watching one of his favorite bands, Steely Dan, do something similar when they played in Chicago. “We do a different set list every night anyway and we base it on the last time we were in a certain city. So when we come to D.C., we will make sure it’s completely different songs than what we have played there.”