I once had a Northern-born friend ask me why Southerners like to fry everything. My reply was short and sweet – because it is damn good. I should have mentioned our taste for the goods does not stop with food such as the Southern-fried guitar licks and washboard flicks of Hill Country Revue, because they too are damn good. And before they get to State Theater tonight, I made sure to catch up with Cody Dickinson for a quick chat.
About a year and a half ago, Hill Country Revue mastermind, vocalist, guitarist and pianist, Cody Dickinson decided it would be fun firing up something while the North Mississippi Allstars, his former drumming-stint, takes a breather. The ending result was Hill Country Revue with heavy-hitting members Kirk Smithhart on guitar, Ed “Hot” Cleveland on drums, “Dixie” Daniel Coburn on harp and fellow Allstar member Chris Chew on bass. One would think with the mentioned musicians tucked together in a group plus the possible North Mississippi Allstars namedropping, these guys would get a first-class ticket to stardom. Dickinson explained the rise to the band’s current recognizable status was certainly not served to them on a silver platter nor did it happen in a common manner.
“In February 2008 we got together and started rehearsing and recording and April was our first tour, we recorded as many songs as fast as we could,” Dickinson said. “After that we went on tour with JJ Grey. We had a seven-week run and at one show in a New York City club we had all these record companies that wanted to sign us. That’s where we got picked up by [our label] Razor and Tie.”
As the story goes, jam sessions turned into rehearsals, adding a microphone turned them into recordings and with that, the early recording “Alice Mae” turned into one of the most requested songs on the Sirius station Jam_ON.
“It’s really an amazing story how that happened,” Dickinson said in reference to “Alice Mae’s” radio play. “So we created 100 or so CDs for our tour in the South. And then the next thing we know, a friend called us saying, ‘Man, I heard you guys on Sirius,’ and we were like ‘What?’ But it was there, and on top of that, it had the most spins on the Jam_ON station. It was like free publicity for us because we had no record deal at that time – didn’t cost us a penny, it was all up to the music.”
The band’s success did not stop with Sirius or a record deal. It also scored the Discovery Download of the Week for “Make a Move” opened for the Dave Matthews Band and played at the Rothbury and All Good music festivals. With such a busy summer, you would think the guys would be tired, but the more they play, the more fired up they get.
“It’s been an amazing time,” Dickinson said. “All Good was definitely my favorite festival to play. Getting to play and watching each individual fan react and sing along to songs is just an amazing thing.”
Although touring is not new to Dickinson, his position on stage has moved forward, literally. Going from being drummer to guitarist and vocalist can be a big jump but he has enjoyed every minute of it.
“The best thing is that it’s fresh and new again,” he said. “I was so set in my ways.”
The band continues touring after its stop in Starkville Tuesday trucking up and down the West Coast all of September, taking a week of in October then travelling nationwide promoting the album ‘Make a Move.’
Rest assured Hill Country Revue is not the doppelganger of North Mississippi Allstars nor does it stray too far away from home. The addition of the piano, more gritty-washboard playing, and an entirely new set of vocals thrown in the mix created the perfect recipe for an intoxicating sound that would make even the laziest of fans get up and shake what the good Lord gave them.
“It’s in-your-face present rock ‘n’ roll with authentic Mississippi blues,” Dickinson said, describing the band’s personal sound.
To be honest, it would be hard dismissing the sound of Mississippi in the music with the bulk of the album’s tunes being recorded in the State at Dickinson’s father’s place, Zebra Ranch Studios.
“The magic in what Hill Country does is in interpretation -simply by nature,” Dickinson said. “It’s all balls to the wall.”
When it comes to playing in Mississippi, Dickinson paid homage to Dorothy by saying, “Ah Mississippi – there’s no place like home. Seriously, we love playing there.”
Editor’s Note: Although Dickinson’s legendary father Jim Dickinson passed away August 15 at the age of 67, the band still plans to perform tonight at the State Theater at 8 p.m.