Warren Haynes Releases DREAMS & SONGS: A SYMPHONIC JOURNEY Album

GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and Gov't Mule frontman Warren Haynes has released his new live album, Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey, via Evil Teen Records in the U.S. and Provogue/Artone Label Group in Europe.

Co-produced by Don Was (The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Bonnie Raitt) and Haynes, the long-awaited 16-track collection was recorded over two nights in 2019 alongside the Asheville Symphony Orchestra and explores all aspects of Warren's incredible catalog and 30+ year career with music from Gov't Mule, Allman Brothers Band, The Dead, his solo albums, and more.

Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey includes the previously released singles 'Shakedown Street,' 'Banks of the Deep End,' 'Raven Black Night' and 'Thorazine Shuffle' as well as new focus track 'Dreams,' a symphonic take on the Allman Brothers Band classic.

'I'm not a fan of just marrying a symphony with rock music for the sake of doing it,' shares Haynes. 'I wanted this record to reflect what I've been up to these last 30-odd years but in a way that's completely unique. I had a lot of material to choose from, but, in my opinion, most of the songs wouldn't make sense with a symphony. So, we tried to choose the right songs then the right arranger for each one. Part of the beauty of this project is experiencing these songs in a completely different way. This was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and I'm so happy with it. Not only is it a great snapshot of those two shows in Asheville, I think, in some ways, Bob Clearmountain's mix takes it beyond that.'

Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey, mixed by Bob Clearmountain (David Bowie, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones), reimagines Haynes's acclaimed songbook and storied musical journey with bold new orchestral arrangements. To help create these unique takes, Warren enlisted a team of orchestral arrangers – including David Campbell (Adele, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce), Jim Gray (Barbra Streisand, Imagine Dragons), Tom Matta (Aretha Franklin, Art Garfunkel), Vince Mendoza (Sting, Elvis Costello, Joni Mitchell), Sean O'Loughlin (Josh Groban, Sarah McLachlan), and Chris Walden (Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder) – tasked with transforming some of his best-loved songs from across his gamut of projects.

Appropriately opening and closing with Gov't Mule's 'Dreams & Songs,' Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey includes the aforementioned Mule favorites 'Banks of the Deep End,' 'Raven Black Night' and 'Thorazine Shuffle' along with 'Broken Promised Land' and 'Spots of Time' to highlight Haynes's solo work. Then, there are the nods to Warren's 25-year career with the Allman Brothers Band with new versions of 'Whipping Post' and 'Instrumental Illness' in addition to 'Dreams' as well as his co-write with Gregg Allman, 'Just Another Rider.' Haynes chose 'Shakedown Street,' 'Terrapin Station' and 'Black Peter' to showcase his long association with the Grateful Dead and a few special covers – a haunting take on U2's 'One' and The Band's 'It Makes No Difference.'

Serving as both a homecoming and a step into the unknown, the new live album spotlights the debut of Haynes's Dreams & Songs symphonic show, recorded at the Thomas Wolfe Auditorium in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, and captures the collision between his lineup of rock 'n' roll improvisers – Oteil Burbridge on bass, John Medeski on organ and keys, Jeff Sipe on drums, Greg Osby on saxophone, and Edwin McCain and Jasmine Muhammad on background vocals – and the 64-piece orchestra, led by conductor Rich Daniels from the Chicago City Lights Orchestra.

Since its debut seven years ago in Asheville, the Dreams & Songs Symphonic Experience has taken on its own life. Haynes's show has performed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre as well as in New Orleans, Indianapolis, Detroit, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, among other cities. Next up for The Warren Haynes Dreams & Songs Symphonic Experience are two nights in Nashville next year, Thursday, March 11 and Friday, March 12, 2027, at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Until then, Warren Haynes remains busy on the road with his bandmates in Gov't Mule. This Wednesday, September 23rd, the GRAMMY-nominated quartet will kick off the Dreaming The Same Dream Tour with reggae icon Ziggy Marley in New York City at The Rooftop at Pier 17. The 16-date co-headlining outing, also featuring a guest DJ set from YOLA, will travel along the eastern seaboard – including a stop in Asheville on September 25th – and throughout Florida and Texas until October 17th.

New for this year, Gov't Mule is moving their annual New Year's Eve show to Boston for the first time for a special 'Gov't Mule & Friends' show featuring special guests Jaimoe, Marc Quiñones, Chuck Leavell, Steve Gorman, Audley Freed, Reese Wynans, and Kevn Kinney, marking their first NYE celebration outside of NYC in over 20 years. Tour dates and tickets are available at www.mule.net.

Dreams & Songs: A Symphonic Journey Track Listing

1. Dreams & Songs (Part 1)

2. Dreams

3. Banks Of The Deep End

4. Spots of Time

5. Broken Promised Land

6. Thorazine Shuffle

7. It Makes No Difference

8. Terrapin Station > Slipknot! > Terrapin Station

9. Raven Black Night > Silent Scream > Raven Black Night

10. Just Another Rider

11. Black Peter

12. Instrumental Illness

13. One

14. Shakedown Street

15. Whipping Post

16. Dreams & Songs (Reprise)

About Warren Haynes

GRAMMY Award-winning artist Warren Haynes is a cornerstone of the American music landscape, lauded as one of the most formidable guitarists and vocalists of the modern era and a prolific songwriter and producer. Throughout his career as part of three of the greatest live groups in rock history – Allman Brothers Band, Gov't Mule and the Dead – and as an acclaimed solo artist, he has become one of music's most treasured storytellers. He has performed and recorded with a diverse array of artists, including Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Chris Stapleton, Coheed and Cambria, Dave Grohl, Carlos Santana, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton, among many others.

After joining the Allman Brothers Band in 1989, Haynes released his first solo album, Tales of Ordinary Madness, in 1993 and soon after, he formed Gov't Mule originally as a side project during band breaks. Following a handful of solo live releases in 2003 and 2004, Haynes released his GRAMMY-nominated sophomore solo album, Man In Motion, in 2011 and his third solo collection, Ashes & Dust, in 2015. After nearly a decade, Warren issued his fourth solo album, Million Voices Whisper, in November 2024, debuting at the top of Billboard's Blues Albums Chart. The self-produced collection includes multiple appearances from his longtime ABB bandmate Derek Trucks as well as guest spots from Lukas Nelson and Jamey Johnson. He followed that up with its companion album, The Whisper Sessions, in September 2025, featuring stripped-down versions of select songs from Million Voices Whisper.

Haynes also curates and hosts the Christmas Jam, an annual holiday charity show in his hometown of Asheville, North Carolina, which will celebrate its 34th year in 2026. The Christmas Jam has raised nearly $3 million for Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity, constructing over 50 homes, and helps the region's housing needs through newer partner BeLoved Asheville.

Photo Credit: David Simchock