Mules and Geckos

Many of the keen eared WNM faithful have been asking, so here’s the answer:  Yes. That is indeed Wrinkle Neck Mules you hear in the new Geico “Texas” commercial. It’s been running seemingly non-stop since the Sunday before Thanksgiving. The song is one of our new ones called “Central Daylight Time”. The song will most certainly be on our upcoming record due out in February 2012 but we are working to release it as a single as soon as we can. Stay tuned.

Our thanks to the folks at Geico and our hometown super agency, The Martin Agency, for getting the gecko to show off his dance moves to the WNM.

If you haven’t seen it…..

Check it out

 

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Apprentice to Ghosts

Our fifth album, entitled “Apprentice to Ghosts”, will be released on February 21, 2012. Like all Mules albums, this one has been no small task in getting finalized and out the door because of numerous unforeseeable incidents and accidents (see other posts). Regardless, we are pleased to have finally reached the finish line and are pumped about the record in its final form.

We recorded 11 of the 12 tracks in Charlottesville, Virginia over 5 days in December, 2011. The only overdubs were a result of a single human being not being able to play two instruments at once. This has long been a goal of ours; to make a live record in a short period of time under one roof. The roster of songs for Apprentice seemed to fit that format perfectly especially when catalyzed by a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle 12 Year Old that Andy and Mason once received as payment for doing a show for our friend Billy Reid. We’d been saving it for a special occasion. Thanks Billy. Unfortunately, the bottle didn’t last until day two of the session. Our rate has increased to 2 bottles / show now.

As always, our thanks to Chris Kress for running the board and keeping us on task.

The track listing (in no particular order) is as follows:

- Apprentice to Ghosts
- On Wounded Knee
- Liberty Bell
- Double Blade
- Parting of the Clouds
- Central Daylight Time
- Banks of the James
- Patience in the Shadows
- Leaving Chattanooga
- Stones Above Your Head
- When the Wheels Touch Down
- Dry Your Eyes

 

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Where We’ve Been

Judging from your emails, we guess you all probably wrote us off for dead. We’re happy to say otherwise. The Wrinkle Neck Mules are alive and well. Thanks for staying with us and giving us some time to get our collective shit together.

Since we’re not sure where the story left off, let us give you a brief synopsis of the last 12 months in the life of Wrinkle Neck Mules. Back in December 2010, we spent about 6 days in a studio in Charlottesville recording a brand new record that we thought we’d put out sometime during 2011. Well, 5 weeks after that recording session, Andy flew off of a 30 foot cliff in a pickup truck while travelling in Argentina with his brother. See below.

 

Yes. Hardcore stuff. Luckily, all he sustained from this daring feat was a badly rearranged clavicle bone and some psychological scars that we probably haven’t seen the full impact of just yet. Needless to say, his injury put all Mules plans on halt for a while. In fact, we only played one show in the whole of 2011.

Alas, now he’s all healed up and we’re glad to announce the release of our new record “Apprentice to Ghosts” sometime in February 2012. The album was recorded live in studio – a departure from our previous methods – and we’re pumped to FINALLY get it out there for you folks.

You may have heard one of the songs from the album already without even knowing it. One of the tracks, “Central Daylight Time” is featured in a Geico ad that is currently running all over the country. It’s the one with the gecko in the honky tonk in Texas during his Epic Journey across the US. Stay tuned for more on this.

We’ll finally dust off all the instruments and hit the streets some in 2012. We’re confirming a few shows right now for February in association with the record release.

So, what have we been doing with our time this year?   Good question. Well, Mason, Chase and Andy took the time to form and launch their own clothing company called Howler Brothers. Check it out at howlerbros.com. We think you’ll dig it.

We’re glad to finally launch our new site and get on with the show. Thanks to all of you for your emails and messages. Sorry to be gone so long. We’re back on track and look forward to seeing you in 2012.

Happy Thanksgiving.