Warren Haynes brings 'Ashes & Dust' and more to Tower Theater

Warren Haynes, who is to perform Friday at Tower Theater, is the blisteringly emotive guitarist behind Gov't Mule. He has done a lengthy tour of duty with the Allman Brothers, and he has a lot of solo work to his credit, including 2011's Man in Motion. Last time in Philly, in 2013, he was coming through with his Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration.

"I know those guys and believe they pay tribute to Jerry while making their own way," Haynes says of Trey Anastasio and John Meyer, two guitarists who interpreted Garcia's classic lines while working this year with the Dead's leftovers. "I know I did."

This season, Haynes is back in action on his own work - the bluegrass, ragtime, and country jazz of Ashes & Dust. He recorded the album with New Jersey's jamming Railroad Earth, but he's doing the album tour with ChessBoxer, nu-folk specialists from Nashville.

In Ashes & Dust, Haynes pulls inspiration from his youth in Asheville, N.C. Wordsworth ("Spots of Time"), Levon Helm (the late drummer for The Band; Haynes was supposed to record the jazzy "Stranded in Self-Pity" with him but ended up recording it as a tribute), and his own hardworking father ("Company Man").

"I wanted to capture these songs the way I heard them in my head when they first came about, which were acoustic, singer-songwriter-influenced," says Haynes. "And they all fit together, whether they are old or new, because they all have that Appalachian thing going for them. I've accumulated enough of those songs for a long time, my whole life."

Haynes says he's proudest of "Company Man," a personal song of struggle he has been performing for a decade: "It's close to my heart and finally fit into the arc of the story that I wanted to tell with this album. I still believe albums can do that."

He has a rich repertoire, with Ashes & Dust songs, Gov't Mule tunes, Man in Motion's Memphis R&B-inspired cuts (a second volume is in the works), blues numbers, and jazz tracks. He's planning to record them all.

"All of these things are close to my heart, yet they still come out unexpected to me," he says. Why Railroad Earth on the recording, ChessBoxer on tour? "I wanted to record and tour with both of them, but Railroad Earth has its own tour thing going. ChessBoxer I probably will record with, as I know I've got another 10 or so Ashes & Dust songs in me," says Haynes. Looking for the tight-knit intimacy of band units, he sought to work with bands, as opposed to his usual session players. "I wanted to capture the chemistry, as with each of those bands I believe I fit into nicely," he says. "I have a very conversational way of playing music - luckily, it happens with these guys without ever having to talk about it. That's how I love to play music, without a linear, patterned approach. I'm going for the stream of consciousness every time."

Warren Haynes, with Chris Stapleton and ChessBoxer, is to play at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Tower Theater, 69th and Ludlow Streets, Upper Darby. Tickets: $27.50-$49.50. Information: 800-745-3000, www.ticketmaster.com.