eMusic

Start Your Trial

Mule

Mule

Rate it!

Avg: 4.5 (12 ratings)

  • Formed: 1991 in Ann Arbor, MI
  • Disbanded:1996
  • Years Active: 1990s
  • Group Members: P.W. Long

Biography

Mule's brand of sloppy, whisky-drenched backwoods punk had a similar feel to the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, though vocalist and guitarist P.W. Long's affinity for the Southern hillbillies of traditional country (as well as the shouty forms of Captain Beefheart) gives him a different slant than Spencer's blues- and R&B-influenced shouting. Originally, Long was named Preston Cleveland, and after playing in Detroit's Wig until 1991 (appearing on only the EP Lying Next to You), he formed Mule with bassist Kevin Munro (aka Kevin Strickland) and drummer Jim Kimball, both from Ann Arbor's Laughing Hyenas (whose frontman John Brannon is Long/Cleveland's brother). The trio's self-titled debut, released in 1992 by Chicago's Quarterstick Records, was a raucous record full of Long's throaty shouting and bluesy hooks, produced by Steve Albini. After Kimball left to join the Dennison-Kimball Trio, Daniel Jacob Wilson stepped in on drums, and the new trio recorded the Wrung EP and, later in 1994, If I Don't Six. The second LP lacked just a bit of the energy of Mule's debut, but made up for the deficiency with an increased sense of musicianship and several great songs. It was the last album for the trio, though, as Long disassembled Mule to begin playing solo shows in 1996 before forming another band. Always known for picking instrumentalists with more than enough energy to suit his powerful recordings, Long recruited drummer Mac McNeilly (from the Jesus Lizard) and bassist Dan Maister to form P.W. Long's Reelfoot. The group released We Didn't See You on Sunday in mid-1997.
— John Bush , All Music Guide

Related Artists Ancestors, Peers and Acolytes

Similar Artists:

Tar, Killdozer, Laughing Hyenas, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, The Go

“ The indie iTunes — Hardcore music fans are migrating to eMusic, the iTunes Music Store's cheaper, cooler cousin.”


Rolling Stone
Start Your Trial

Recently Viewed

Back
Forward

© 1998 - 2010 eMusic.com Inc. eMusic and the eMusic logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks in the USA or other countries. All rights reserved.

All Music Guide © 1992 - 2010 All Media Guide, LLC
Portions of content provided by All Music Guide, a trademark of All Media Guide, LLC

Facebook®, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia® are registered trademarks of their respective owners, Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. and Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. Neither Facebook Inc., Google, Inc., Yahoo! Inc. nor Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. are partners or sponsors of eMusic. eMusic uses the Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia API but is not endorsed or certified by Facebook, Flickr, YouTube and Wikipedia. eMusic does not pre-screen, monitor, endorse nor assume any liability for websites, contents, products, services or claims made by Facebook, YouTube, Flickr™ and Wikipedia®.

Legal or copyright question regarding Facebook, YouTube, Flickr or Wikipedia content on eMusic? Please email us.