Stephen Pitalo
Something Borrowed, Never Blue The Borrowed Mules Love Playing and it Shows
G. Clark Shifflett, III formed his band the Borrowed Mules from a stable of local musicians who just clicked. “Brad Benge and I played together for a few years in a group that occasionally included David Mansfield on fiddle, Kelsey Crews on banjo, and Jon Martin on mandolin,” Shifflett said. “We routinely jammed together at the worldfamous Station Inn in Nashville, Tennessee.” As for the Borrowed Mules’ strange name, guitarist Shifflett blames a mandolin player – actually, their current mandolin player in the Mules, Carl Caldwell. “Bluegrass pickers move around a lot, and the roster rotated around a ‘stable’ of great pickers for a 12
while,” he said. “Sometime around mid-2018, Carl told me he was gonna work me ‘like a borrowed mule.’ Considering the fluctuating nature of the musicians, I decided that would be a great name for a band.” Eventually, the lineup settled
into a groove, with fiddle playing provided by Craig Fletcher, and began their journey together. As far as their influences, there seems to be no end to the list of names and genres that influence their sound. Whether they are
performing dyed-in-wool bluegrass as a classic country standard, the Mules carry a pack of influences and styles that would, well, weigh down any pack mule. “We love Monroe, Crowe, Rice, Twitty, Wiseman, Robbins, DLQ, the Osborne Brothers, Seldom Scene, the Gentlemen, and even pre-turn of the century,” Shifflett listed off as their most admired musicians and style. “We also love great harmonies and frequently switch parts for fun.” Nailing down a favorite song to perform is also challenging, but “Sweet Sunny South” is a lyrical favorite for the Mules, who deliver high energy and humor during their sets and invite friends to play,
