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Not exactly Blues and not exactly Rock, the North
Mississippi Allstars cleverly amalgamate a multitude
of genres to create a sound that is idiosyncratic and
extensive. Drawing from Southern Blues and injecting
various musical textures, including punk and hard rock,
the band mixes the traditional sound with an alternative
aesthetic, which could be compared to bands such as
G. Love and Special Sauce or The Jon Spencer
Blues Explosion. This along with a rock-jam-band
consistency, the Allstars have been equated to Phish
and Widespread Panic. Following their Grammy
nominated debut 'Shake Hands With Shorty', the group
returns with another knockout punch, '51 Phantom'.
Brothers Luther (Guitar and Vocals) and Cody (Drums
and Vocals) Dickinson have music running through their
veins as they grew up in recording studios with father/musician/producer
Jim Dickinson. While still in their teens, the two recorded
with the likes of rock artists, The Replacements, Mojo
Nixon, and Billy Lee Riley. After recruiting bass player
Paul “Snowflake” Taylor, they adopted the name D.D.T.
and became favorites on the southern alternative circuit.
Labeled as a Punk band, the trio recorded and released
Live at the World Famous Antenna Club after opening
for acts such as The Wallflowers and The Spin
Doctors. Always wanting to experiment with new sounds
and expand their musical repartee, the band would soon
expand to include Jim Spake on sax, Chris Parker on
keyboards, and vocalist Kelley Hurt.
Gutbucket, the bands alter ego, was the first indication
of the Dickinsons’ affinity for Southern Roots music.
Performing as a Jug band, the instrumentation was primitive
as they experimented with tub bass, washboard, and kazoo.
This would also bring a new sound that has stayed with
the band since, the electric washboard as played by
Cody. “We used to have a jug band, Gutbucket, in Memphis
years ago, and that is when I started playing the washboard.
And we were out on tour with Mediski and a kid in Georgia
named John Cane saw me playing the washboard and had
the idea and made the electric washboard as a gift.
I didn’t know him at all, I just thought it was so cool
and nice, I started playing it on stage all the time,
ran into a wha wha peddle and it caught on, ya know
people started to like it so I realized there were all
kinds of things I could do with it. It plugs in just
like a guitar, so those are all like guitar affects
that go through the washboard, so its like intro to
‘Voodoo Chile’ times a thousand.” Cody laughs.
The North Mississippi Allstars began as a side ventures
for D.D.T. as the brothers’ musical appreciation expanded
and diversified. While the endeavor was deeply rooted
in the blues, the brothers would look to other influences
to create a unique sound. “We were drawing from everything
from R.L Burnside to Black Flag” said Luther. The new
group would release two independent cassettes (61 Highway,
a tribute to Fred McDowell, and White Boys in the Basement)
and tour with acts such as Kenny Brown, T. Model Ford
and Spam as well as 20 Miles (Judah Bauer of the John
Spencer Blues Explosion and his brother, Donovan). However,
Chris didn’t want to play blues and moved to New York
to study jazz, with Kelley right behind him. Paul was
not enthralled with playing blues either and left the
duo to fend for them selves. Enter long-time friend
and bass player Chris Chew to fill the void.
The North Mississippi Allstars currently consist of
brothers, Luther and Cody Dickinson, Chris Chew on bass
and the newest member; Guitarist Duane Burnside who
joined the group in 2001, one month after the photo
shoot for the new record. Luther explained what Burnside
brought to the dynamics of the group “We’ve been searching
for the right fourth member for years, we tried a keyboard
player but having Duane in there, he’s so good and so
smooth. And he’s just got a nasty, hardcore, aggressive
blues sound in his lead guitar playing. Which, ya know
is a good contrast to me because I don’t play blues,
I’m a rock and roller, even though we come from a blues
tradition, ya know, it’ just who I am, it turns into
Rock and Roll. Duane is hardcore blues.”
The new group would record their debut, Shake Hands
With Shorty, in 2000 and while the CD would receive
rave reviews and catapult them to the next level, it
was comprised of blues standards. '51 Phantom' has a
personal stamp on it and contains mostly original material.
“The biggest difference between Shake Hands with Shorty
and the new record 51 Phantom, the material on Shake
Hands With Shorty that we grew up playing and had been
live for years, we had to document the material. On
'51 Phantom' we were trying to stretch our boundaries,
we had new songs and we wanted to make ore of a studio
record.” Says Luther. Cody continues, “We took a different
approach while recording '51 Phantom'. It definitely
didn’t span as long as a period of time. We just did
it fast. The obvious difference is Luther and myself
co-produced and mixed the first record whereas on '51
Phantom' we brought in outside help.”
'51 Phantom' has been receiving a fair share of radio
play on both college radio as well as alternative rock
stations. “As far as radio play is concerned, man, its
just been a pleasant surprise from the jump. When Shake
Hands With Shorty came out and people started playing
that, we were completely taken back and we’re very happy
people have been embracing '51 Phantom'. But in reality
we just make records for ourselves and try and make
music we like to listen to.”
Currently, the North Mississippi Allstars are on tour
and will be playing a few dates with a Gospel project
called The Word who consists of the Allstars and John
Medeski (one third of jazz-funksters Medeski, Martin
and Wood) along with gospel pedal player, Robert Randolph.
The ensemble put out an unexpected instrumental recording
in 2001 which burned through rock, blues, soul, funk,
and of course, grooved-out gospel music. “The Word has
been great. It all started, really our whole touring
career started back in 1998 when NMW hired us to go
on tour with them and open up for them on the “Combustication”
tour and there we got to know Medeski. We were all blown
away by the Sacred Steel record; it was like this new
form of gospel music, just blowing our minds. And back
then inn 1998 we started talking about doing the record
and it took 2,3 years to get it together then we got
to know Robert just before we started recording and
invited him in and luckily he joined in with us,” reveals
Luther.
While considered in many circles as a blues band, the
Allstars have a punk attitude with a rock/pop influence,
which can be appreciated by both traditional blues fans
as well as a younger, more, pop cultured youth. “Sure,
we are ambassadors of the world Boogie. Ya know we came
up from a community of musicians and different types
of roots music, from Mississippi and Memphis. But also
I grew up listening to like Black Flag and Van Halen,
watching MTV, and hip-hop, ya know and everything, we’ve
always mixed our influences together. Ya know, and it
is the type of blues, like the hill country blues is
the only modern country blues left as far as I know.
And everything else is more urbane blues, Chicago influenced,
ya know? ” Explains Luther. “Being able to span the
ages though as far as people who like our music is one
of our strengths and what’s going to give us longevity.
Because ya know we’re not Greenday and Blink 182 who
will be like “oh we’re turning 30 or whatever,” Cody
continues with, as Luther lets out a hearty chuckle.
“Ya know it’s true, we have people who are 50 and people
who are 15 who like our stuff the same”
Now regarded as the most innovative and most uniquely
alternative “blues” groups (Jon Spencer notwithstanding),
the North Mississippi Allstars have only begun to impact
the next generation of blues lovers and players with
their unorthodox style and approach to this time-honored
music. They are doing what bands like Cream, The Jimi
Hendrix Experience and Led Zeppelin did 30 years ago;
taking the ingredients of traditional blues and making
it very much their own. In the words of Luther “It just
like in contrast to a lot of music you see these days.
This is just an overall positive vibe, ya know. It’s
not very introspective or angst ridden or angry, ya
know what I mean? We’re just here to have a good time,
play some funky music to get ourselves and the people
off, ya know?”
Tony Engelhart for Crud Magazine© 2002
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07/02 The Bellrays + The D4 - Virgin Megastore, Oxford Street London
January 2001
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