In the wake of the death of bassist Allen Woody over the weekend, Gov't Mule have cancelled all of their concert appearances through the month of September. According to a Capricorn Records spokesperson, it is not clear whether surviving band members Warren Haynes and Matt Abts will be ready to return to the road in time for Gov't Mule's support dates with Ben Harper, which were scheduled to begin Nov. 9.

Woody, forty-four, was found dead in a Queens, N.Y., hotel room on Saturday and will be buried Thursday in Hermitage, Tenn. The cause of his death is still unknown. "It's going to be awhile," the spokesperson said. "As far as I understand, they will be doing further investigation into the cause of death, but at this point the autopsy was inconclusive."

Gov't Mule had just finished a tour opening for Steve Miller. In addition to the Ben Harper tour in November, they were also slated to tour in coming months with Phil Lesh and Friends. On Aug. 6, Woody, Haynes and Abts jammed with the Allman Brothers Band in Scranton, Penn.

Woody was expected to be featured on an upcoming "Warren Haynes and Friends" double live album along with Susan Tedeschi , Edwin McCain and other guests. According to the Capricorn spokesperson, the album was originally slated for a November release but its current status is uncertain.

RICHARD SKANSE
(August 31, 2000)