Gov't Mule [ tickets ] will welcome a new member into the fold for its forthcoming tour, which now includes four New York City dates leading up to its traditional year-end blowout.

The band--which will play three sets during its New Year's Eve performance at NYC's Hammerstein Ballroom--kicks off the run Oct. 30 in Burlington, VT. Dates are below.

The southern jam-rockers have also tapped Jorgen Carlsson as their new permanent bass player. Carlsson replaces Andy Hess, who in turn replaced founding member Allen Woody, who died in 2000.

"We were faced with the daunting task of replacing a one-of-a-kind musician, which I'm sure was intimidating for Andy, who did a wonderful job and brought his own personality into the music," Gov't Mule guitarist/vocalist Warren Haynes said in a press statement. "Jorgen's style is somewhere between Woody's and Andy's. He brings some of Woody's aggressive spirit back although he is very much his own man."

Carlsson, who was born in Sweden and has lived in the US since 1991, has been performing and jamming with the band for the last six months in sort of an extended audition, according to Haynes. "It's not one of those groups that can make a change overnight," he said.

"Having worked with Jorgen over the last several months, we are very excited to explore some new directions while at the same time going back a little closer to our roots," Haynes added.

Gov't Mule continues to support its 2006 studio release, "High and Mighty," which Haynes co-produced with former Big Sugar leader Gordie Johnson. The set broke into The Billboard 200 and reached No. 9 on the Top Independent Albums chart.

The band's latest DVD, the 2-disc "The Tale of Two Cities," hits stores this week. The video package features two complete shows, one from the last night of the group's 2004 "Deja Voodoo" tour in Boston, and the other from Chicago in December 2006 at the start of the band's "High & Mighty" tour. The two DVDs cover more than six hours of performances, interviews and backstage features.