Gov't Mule [ tickets ] has a late July release planned for "By a Thread," the follow-up to 2006's "High and Mighty" and the band's first new studio album in three years.

Recorded earlier this year at Willie Nelson's Pedernales Studios outside Austin, TX, the 11-track effort is set to hit shelves July 28, though presales for the new record began yesterday (5/21) at the band's website.

The Southern jam-rockers--comprised of vocalist/guitarist Warren Haynes, drummer Matt Abts, keyboardist Danny Louis and bassist Jorgen Carlsson--will show off some of the new material on their forthcoming US tour, which kicks off May 29-30 at Hunter, NY's Mountain Jam. The East Coast festival was co-founded by Mule guitarist Warren Haynes in 2005.

"This record feels like we're moving between the future and the past," Haynes said in a press release. "At heart, it feels like we're breaking new ground without forgetting our roots."

Haynes has kept busy in recent months as singer/guitarist for two other major acts: The Dead and The Allman Brothers, which wrapped a 15-night stand at New York City's Beacon Theater March 28.