Rising Low

First of all, I have never listened to much of Gov't Mule. I've only heard "Greasey Granny Gopher Guts Parts 1 & 2," and I only listened to them because Les Claypool plays bass on those tracks. Although after watching this film and buying some of their cds, I have now become a fan of their music.

I borrowed the DVD of this film off of a friend for the same reason I listened to those "Greasey Granny Gopher Guts" songs (that being that Les Claypool is featured in this film). After viewing this I have to say that if you play bass, you should go out and purchase this movie now! It features some of the greatest bassists alive today, documents their bass playing, what inspires them, and talks about their various styles. This movie will inspire a lot of bass players (as it did myself) to strive to be the best they possibly can and proves that there is so much talent out there that MTV won't play but instead play a bunch of crap (yes I'm talking about Linkin Park).

Only complaint is that for a Gov't Mule fan, they will most likely be disappointed. There isn't much footage of the band and should of been more info and footage of Allen Woody. But what is featured here is great and like I've said, any bass player should enjoy this. 9.5/10

A bass player recommended this to me as a way of introducing some of the better known bass players out there. Having just picked up this instrument, I decided to give it a shot believing it might give me some insight or inspiration.

Unfortunately, it gave me neither. This movie can't decide what it wants to be and it suffers because it can't commit to doing one thing well. The film is made under the premise of giving praise to the dead bassist of Gov't Mule via sessions of some of the better known and respected bassists in the music industry. But it doesn't really tell us about the man who died or even how he died. It tries to tell us what being a bassist is all about and its importance in music, but it never does that either.

It tries to be too many things and never succeeds in any one thing leaving the viewer to ask, why was this movie made? It didn't tell me enough about the man these bassists were coming together for (Allen Woody) and they didn't tell me enough about why they wanted to be bassists or why bass is important to music in general.

An interesting idea poorly realized and poorly executed.

I just watched Rising Low, all I can say is that it was worth the wait. I loved all of it. As a Phish fan it was exciting to see Mike, the director at work. As a Mule fan it was great to see Warren and Matt in action, while at the same time seeing old footage of Woody. The only complaint I have is that I wish there was more footage of Woody. More camera time for Matt.

What Mule is doing now is great, but I am glad that I had the opportunity to see the original Mule more then one time. >

I saw a review up above that said something to the effect that if your a Gov't Mule fan you might not like this flick because they don't show the Mule it's mostly the bassists and Woody's story. I think if you are a true Gov't Mule fan you will find this movie fascinating for the fact that it does focus on Woody, his bass style, and his heros. Plus you get all of the stories about Woody from the mouths of the people that he spent most of his career playing with i.e. Warren Haynes, Matt Abts, and people like Greg Allman. The Mule has evolved since Woody's death, but the core sound of the Mule was Woody's gigantic thunderous tone on top of Matt's Metal/Jazz beats, and Warren laying down his fat guitars and soulful vocals.

This is a must for early fans of the Mule, and newbs that don't know the roots of an amazing band.

Up until I saw this documentary I never fully realized or appreciated the importance of a bass player in any kind of music. This movie does split it's time between remembering the life of Allen Woody (whose death brought about the entire project) and explanations of what a bass players role is in music and various bass playing styles.

I'm not musically inclined with any kind of instrument, but the explanations offered by the various bassists and musicians offered up a huge amount of insight. If you have even a passing interest in how musicians work I would recommend this documentary.

8/10