Feature Story-October 2002

North Mississippi Allstars
Bring Blues To The 21st Century

by Tony Engelhart

Not exactly Blues and not exactly Rock, the North Mississippi Allstars' music is a clever amalgam of a multitude of genres, creating a sound that is idiosyncratic and extensive. Drawing from Southern Blues and injecting various musical textures, including punk and hard rock, the band mixes a 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. These aspects go 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 with 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 repertoire, the band would soon expand to include Jim Spake on sax, Chris Parker on keyboards, and Kelley Hurt on vocals.

Gutbucket, the band's alter ego, was the first indication of the Dickinsons' affinity for Southern Roots music. Performing as a Jug band, the instrumentation was primitive-they xperimented with tub bass, washboard, and kazoo. This would also bring a new sound that has stayed with the band ever since: the electric washboard as played by Cody.

The North Mississippi Allstars began as a side venture for D.D.T. as the brothers' musical appreciation expanded and diversified. While the endeavor was deeply rooted in the blues, the brothers looked 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 released two independent cassettes (61 Highway, a tribute to Fred McDowell and White Boys in the Basement) and toured 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 pair of brothers to fend for themselves. 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, bassist Chris Chew, and the newest member guitarist Duane Burnside who joined the group in 2001, one month after the photo shoot for the new record. The new group recorded their debut, Shake Hands With Shorty, in 2000 and while the CD received rave reviews and catapulted them to the next level, it was comprised of blues standards. 51 Phantom, on the other hand, has a personal stamp on it and contains mostly original material. Says Luther, "The biggest difference between Shake Hands with Shorty and the new record 51 Phantom…On 51 Phantom we were trying to stretch our boundaries, we had new songs and we wanted to make more of a studio record." Cody continues, "We took a different approach while recording 51 Phantom…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 its fair share of airplay on both college radio as well as alternative rock stations.

While considered in many circles to be 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. Now regarded as one 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 blues musicians 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, "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."