Mule was an American

punk blues Punk blues (or blues punk) is a music genre that mixes elements of punk rock and blues. Punk Blues Genre AMG Allmusic.com, Retrieved on May 21, 2008 Punk blues musicians and bands usually incorporate elements of related styles, such as protop ...

band from

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

, active in the early 1990s. Formed by former members of

Wig A wig is a head covering made from human or animal hair, or a synthetic imitation thereof. The word is short for "periwig". Wigs may be worn to disguise baldness, to alter the wearer's appearance, or as part of certain professional uniforms. H ...

and

Laughing Hyenas Laughing Hyenas was an American post-hardcore band from Ann Arbor, Michigan, that existed from 1985 to 1995, fronted by Negative Approach vocalist John Brannon. According to AllMusic, "At first, the band specialized in dirges overlaid with th ...

, their music incorporated elements of

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

, blues-rock, and

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

History

Mule formed in

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

in 1991, anchored by former Wig member

P.W. Long Preston Wright Long III (aka Preston Cleveland) is an American musician, journalist and documentary filmmaker. He is best known as lead singer and guitar player for the groups Wig, Mule and P.W. Long's Reelfoot; most of his recorded work has bee ...

. The band's other members, Kevin Munro and Jim Kimball, had been members of the

Mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

This lineup recorded the band's self-titled debut, which was produced by

Steve Albini Steven Frank Albini (; July 22, 1962 – May 7, 2024) was an American musician and audio engineer. He founded and fronted the influential post-hardcore and noise rock bands Big Black (1981–1987), Rapeman (1987–1989) and Shellac (band), ...

and released on Chicago record label Quarterstick Records itself a division of indie super label Touch and Go. Kimball left the group in 1994 to join The Denison/Kimball Trio, and Daniel Jacob Wilson joined the group for their follow-up releases. ''If I Don't Six'' followed in 1994. Mule self produced and released two singles on Detroit's independent Nocturnal Records. The first is "Tennessee Hustler", backed by "Black Bottom". The second was the "I'm Hell" single backed by a cover of the

Bee Gees The Bee Gees were a musical group formed in 1958 by brothers Barry Gibb, Barry, Robin Gibb, Robin, and Maurice Gibb. The trio was especially successful in popular music in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and later as prominent performers in ...

hit song To Love Somebody. Next up is "Charger" from the ''Jabberjaw'' compilation. Long split the band up in 1996 to go solo. He formed

's Reelfoot in 1997 with

Mac McNeilly Carey Folk McNeilly Jr (born March 12, 1960), better known as Mac McNeilly, is an American musician, best known as the drummer for The Jesus Lizard. He also played drums in bands P.W. Long's Reelfoot, 86, Mouse, Come, Nadja, and played bass i ...

from

The Jesus Lizard The Jesus Lizard is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1987 in Austin, Texas by vocalist David Yow, guitarist Duane Denison and bassist David Wm. Sims. They relocated to Chicago, Illinois, in 1989, where they found kindred spirits in ...

and Dan Maister of Detroit band Bogue.

Members

– guitar, vocals *Kevin Munro – bass * Jim Kimball – drums (1991–1994) *Daniel Jacob Wilson – drums (1994–1995) *Jason Kourkounis – drums (1995–1996)

Discography

*1992 – ''Tennessee Hustler''/''Black Bottom'' – 7-inch, Nocturnal Records *1992 – ''I'm Hell''/''To Love Somebody'' – 7-inch, Quarterstick Records *1993 – ''Mule'' – LP/CD/CS, Quarterstick Records *1994 – ''Wrung'' – 12-inch EP/CD/CS, Quarterstick Records *1994 – ''If I Don't Six'' – LP/CD/CS, Quarterstick Records *1997 – ''Soul Sound'' – a split 7-inch w/ Shellac, Laff & Go Records Also Appears On: *1993 – Dead End Destiny Compilation Tennessee Hustler *1994 – Jabberjaw Compilation – Good to the Last Drop (CD, Comp) Charger Mammoth Records *1996 – Metallurgy2 – Reasons To Be Fearful (CD, Comp) Charger Hard Stuff Division *2006 – Sweet Fifteen – 1991 To 2006 Mississippi Breaks

Rough Trade Records Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London, England. It was formed in 1976 by Geoff Travis, who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove. It is currently run by co-managing directors Travis and Jeannette Lee and ...

References

{{Authority control Indie rock musical groups from Michigan Quarterstick Records artists Musical groups established in 1991 Musical groups disestablished in the 1990s