Black Crowe Chris Robinson & New Earth Mud are joining as Mule’s special guests.

Following that, they have some late December dates on the books, including a three-night New Year’s stand at New York’s Beacon Theatre.

Since the untimely death of founding member and bassist Allen Woody in August 2000, surviving members Warren Haynes and Matt Abts have employed a variety of bassists on the road and in the studio, including such notables as Flea, Bootsy Collins and John Entwistle.

Now the band says they’ve got a new permanent bassist, whose identity will remain a secret until September.

Gov’t Mule have a healthy amount of dates lined up before the tour even starts. They’ll finish up their stint with the Dave Matthews Band this month, then hit a couple of festivals in August.

Haynes will also be on the road with The Allman Brothers Band through the summer, and will even find time to squeeze in a couple of solo dates in August. The music never stops for Haynes, who’ll be plugging his limited-edition release The Lone EP and warming fans up for a full-length album, due early next year.