Credit: Valen CoscarellaThe 2016 edition of Mountain Jam, the annual festival co-founded and co-organized by ex-Allman Brothers Band guitarist Warren Haynes, gets underway this Thursday in Hunter, New York. As usual, Haynes will perform at the event with his group Gov’t Mule, and this year’s lineup also includes with Beck, Wilco, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Train, The Avett Brothers and many others.
Gov’t Mule is among the headliners on Friday, day two of the four-day fest. Haynes tells ABC Radio that unlike 2015, when his group did a Pink Floyd-themed tribute dubbed “Dark Side of the Mule,” the band will “do more of a traditional Gov’t Mule set this year.” That being said, Warren points out that “it’s not gonna be predictable. It’s gonna be something new and exciting that will also contain elements of early Gov’t Mule.”
Mountain Jam, now in its 12th year, continues to focus on jam bands, but has seen its lineup diversify into a wider range of musical styles over its existence. As Haynes explains, “I think [it’s] the natural process of trying to reach out to more people and not just adhere to one genre.”
Although this year’s bill doesn’t feature many famous classic-rock acts, Train will pay homage to Led Zeppelin during its set on Thursday, Marco Benevento & Superhuman Happiness will pay homage to David Bowie that same evening.
Warren says the Bowie tribute “makes sense on so many different levels, [because] Bowie was such a pioneer, and he also was a resident in that area.”
As for whether Haynes plans to join any of the other artists during the fest for some onstage collaborations, he tells ABC Radio that the jams usually happen in a completely impromptu fashion, which is “one of the things that I love about it.”
Visit MountainJam.com for more details about the festival.
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