Warren Haynes releases new album, organizes Helene benefit

When Warren Haynes began gearing up for press availability to promote his latest album, he had no idea what lay ahead. The disastrous impact of Tropical Storm Helene on his hometown brought a realigning of priorities for the Asheville native.

Haynes’ fourth solo studio album, Million Voices Whisper, was released Nov. 1, and he is now also hard at work on a more pressing concern: an all-star benefit concert to be held later this month at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Whispers more powerful than shouting

Viewed against Haynes’ entire body of work, Million Voices Whisper is notable for a subtle shift in tone. “I’ve written a lot of dark material through the years,” he says. “I haven’t always been known for writing the most positive lyrics.” But many of the songs on his new album — his first solo release in nearly a decade — are built upon a foundation of positivity and hope.

Haynes laughs as he explains that he’s been asked many times over the years why he doesn’t write more happy songs. “My response was always, ‘I’m not inspired to write when I’m happy. I’m inspired to write when I feel like I need to pull something out of myself.’” He says that as a general rule, when things are going really well, “that’s the time to enjoy your life,” not sit down and write songs.

But the lockdowns and isolation of 2020 and beyond forced Haynes to rethink that approach. “I took a turn down a new path,” he says.

He recalls thinking, “Every songwriter is doing what I’m doing right now: trapped somewhere, making the best of a situation and writing more than they’ve written in ages.” Haynes says that he found himself focusing on what he considered more important in life. “It seemed like a turning point for me.”

That forward-looking mindset informs many of the songs on Million Voices Whisper. Elsewhere on the album, “These Changes” (co-written with old friend Derek Trucks and Mike Mattison) explores relationships through a lens that applies equally to a committed romantic partnership and interaction with the wider world.

Among the album’s highlights is “Day of Reckoning,” a co-write with Lukas Nelson that features both Nelson and country singer-songwriter-guitarist Jamey Johnson on the recording. The song’s message is one of unity (“All come together as one / and we know it can be done”), a striking perspective in an era during which the United States’ citizenry is perhaps more polarized than ever.

Another co-write with Nelson, “Go Down Swinging,” reflects on life lessons learned (“Life didn’t have to make any sense / It was all brand-new, and we were so curious”) while serving up some hard-won optimism (“I can feel it coming ’round again / Sometimes it’s like a gentle wind / And other times it’s like a freight train coming ‘round the bend”).

The album’s thoughtful lyrics are set against a strong blues-rock foundation, one that will be warmly familiar to longtime Haynes fans but that also represents his ongoing desire to keep things fresh and new and to keep exploring. The lineup of the Warren Haynes Band has changed over the years, in part because of Haynes’ desire to bring a new musical perspective to the live performance of his work.

Soulshine on WNC

Haynes was born and raised in Asheville. He has deep roots here; many of his family members still live in or very near the city. Haynes’ commitment to Western North Carolina has been a central part of his life as a high-profile, Grammy-winning (and nine-time nominated) artist. Launched in 1988 and held in December, his annual Christmas Jam has brought top-line artists to the city for gala fundraising concerts, yielding significant donations to local charities, including Asheville Area Habitat for Humanity and BeLoved Asheville.

Preparations for each year’s Christmas Jam begin many months in advance. But in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene’s serious damage to the region’s infrastructure, Haynes made the late-in-the-game decision to suspend Christmas Jam for 2024.

Instead, Asheville’s favorite son has pivoted, quickly coordinating a different event designed specifically to aid victims of Helene and Hurricane Milton. “We started thinking about how we could raise the most money and awareness for this,” Haynes explains. “Because it’s more devastating than people even realize.”

Scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 24, the Soulshine Benefit Concert will take place at Madison Square Garden. With a nearly 20,000-seat capacity — 2.5 times that of the Harrah’s Cherokee Center in Asheville — the venue will provide an opportunity to raise a substantial amount of money for the designated beneficiaries.

Thanks to Haynes’ stature in the music community — plus his years of experience calling upon famous friends to help out for worthy causes — a lineup for the Madison Square Garden concert came together very quickly. He explains that the Dave Matthews Band had already scheduled a pair of sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden for Friday and Saturday, Nov. 22 and 23. So not only would they be happy to take part in the Soulshine concert, but all of their gear would already be set up onstage. That simplified the logistics of Haynes’ planned event.

Along with the Warren Haynes Band and Dave Matthews Band, other artists co-headlining the bill include Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats and Goose. Special guests include Trey Anastasio of Phish, Mavis Staples, Robert Randolph, Joe Russo, Trombone Shorty, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks; more names are likely to be announced.

According to the event’s official press release, net proceeds to the Soulshine Concert Fund will benefit Habitat for Humanity’s 2024 Hurricane Recovery Fund as well as supporting “a variety of nonprofits on the ground in North Carolina and Florida.”

Haynes is characteristically modest when it’s suggested that he has put a great deal of work into this endeavor. “There are a lot of details, a lot of which [are above] my pay grade,” he says with a chuckle. “But I’m so happy that we were able to make it work.”