The North Mississippi AllStars celebrated its 10th anniversary last month, but the band’s roots reach back into the 1920s and the raw sounds emerging from the Mississippi Delta. Toss in the influence of Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, add the hard-edged punk of Black Flag and the No Depression-era twang of Uncle Tupelo, and you are still only in the outermost layers of the AllStars’ hard-hitting, back-porch aesthetic.
The band, composed of brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson and bassist Chris Chew, has developed a reputation for high-octane live shows, finding favor with the younger jam-band concertgoers as well as with older blues enthusiasts. Expect a healthy mix of both crowds at the 9:30 Club Saturday, when the AllStars perform with Spencer Dickinson.
In a phone interview with The Diamondback, lead-singer and slide-guitarist Luther Dickinson talks about AllStars’ upcoming plans and Spencer Dickinson, his rejuvenated side-project.
“I’ve always been proud that we can appeal to our generation and our parents’ generation. … They can relate to what we’re doing,” Dickinson says.
As the sons of legendary producer, engineer and session-man Jim Dickinson, Luther and Cody share a last name synonymous with a rich and varied musical tradition – the eldest Dickinson has produced Ry Cooder, Big Star, The Replacements, Albert King and many other landmark musicians and bands, including the AllStars.
The group recorded its debut album Shake Hands with Shorty (as well as their most recent effort Electric Blue Watermelon) with Jim producing at his home recording studio in North Mississippi, dubbed Zebra Ranch. But how does Luther feel about working with Dad behind the boards?
“I love it, man. … It’s what we have in common; it’s a wonderful thing to have in common,” Dickinson says.
Another Jim Dickinson associate, Jon Spencer (of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion) will be joining the AllStars on tour this fall as part of the opening act, Spencer Dickinson. Five years ago, the Dickinson brothers got together at Zebra Ranch with Spencer to record an album – a session that lasted only eight days, Dickinson recalls.
Spencer and Dickinson met nearly 10 years ago through Spencer’s guitarist Judah Bauer, who was recording with Otha Turner in Mississippi at the time.
“Jon toured with R.L. Burnside,” Dickinson says, later adding, “Everyone on the scene knows Jon.”
As a logical marriage between Jon Spencer and the AllStars, Spencer Dickinson comes off like The Stooges on a bluesy day. The Man Who Lives for Love is a loose album, meandering between the most aggressive and soulful characteristics of the assembled musicians.
For Luther Dickinson, the side project provides a way for him to get back to his earlier days as a punk rocker without making a complete genre hop. Playing punk, Dickinson says, is “such a useful thing” but he admits he “could never do that as a preconceived thing.”
“This is as about as rockin’ as it gets right now,” Dickinson says.
Following the tour with Spencer Dickinson, the AllStars will look forward to a New Year’s run supporting Umphrey’s McGee in Chicago and Gov’t Mule at the Beacon in New York City. But future plans don’t stop there – in honor of the AllStars’ recent 10th birthday, Luther recently finished preparing for a retrospective release along with a documentary.
“I’ve been workin’ on it,” Dickinson says. “It’s gonna be a cool project.”
Also, look for the AllStars on the soundtrack and score to Hood of Horror, an upcoming movie starring Snoop Dogg. It may sound strange to hear the AllStars mentioned in the same breath as Snoop, but even as the band undertakes stranger, less-traditional endeavors, the focus for the group continues to be its live performances – the indisputable key to its success.
“I just can’t say enough about how much we appreciate people who support live music … not just our band, any band,” Dickinson says.
The North Mississippi AllStars will share a split bill with Spencer Dickinson Saturday night at the 9:30 Club in Washington. Tickets are $20, and doors open at 6 p.m.
Contact reporter Zachary Herrmann at herrmandbk@gmail.com.
