Tonight the rock sounds of Luther, Cody, Chris and Duwayne will explode at Rick’s CafZ. The North Mississippi Allstars perform live at 10 p.m. and will feature Kenny Brown at 9 p.m. The guys have been together for about five years, and singer/guitarist Duwayne Burnside joined them a year ago. Right now they are in the process of recording their third CD, Polaris.
“I have been listening to Oasis’s new CD and some old Big Star from the 70s,” guitarist Luther Dickinson said in regards to what is influencing him now. They have each been writing their own material and collaborating together. They expect Polaris to debut in the spring.
The guys opened for the Dave Matthews Band in July.
“That should tell you where their career is going,” Rick Welch, owner of Rick’s CafZ, said. “I am proud to call them friends but more proud of what they have accomplished over the last few years.”
Their latest album, 51 Phantom, was a dream come true for the Allstars.
It is mostly composed of original songs and their first full record. The North Mississippi Allstars said it is the completion of a musical circle they have been on since before they were teenagers.
“Blues music has seen a bit of a revival, and the North Mississippi
Allstars have had a hand in that,” Scott Agner, junior broadcast meteorology major, said. “I was eager to hear 51 Phantom with their original material, and they came through. It just jams.”
Their debut album, Shake Hands with Shorty, represents the hill country tradition and twists it with blues, gospel and psychedelic rock. It includes drawn-out versions of songs that Mississippi musicians know by heart like “Po’ Black Maddie” and “Shake ‘Em On Down.”
“I first heard the Allstars when Shake Hands with Shorty came out,” Agner, also a member of the band Lately David, said. “I thought it was very cool the way they were doing hill country blues. It was even more amazing
that they garnered the national attention they received.”
Shake Hands with Shorty was nominated for a Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2000. The album also moved them to open for Widespread Panic and to perform on “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and “Good Morning America.” David Sprague of Rolling Stone listed Shorty as the No. 1 record of 2000.
They also found time to create The Word, a gospel super-group with John Medeski and Robert Randolph. When it came time to record 51 Phantom, the guys teamed up with producer Jim “Papa” Dickinson, Luther and Cody’s father.
“He’s been a big help. He’s definitely someone we can trust and help us stay on track,” Luther said about his dad.
The Dickinson brothers have been playing and singing for the majority of their lives.
The North Mississippi Allstars are not only bandmates but also friends. While on the road they always make sure singer/bassist Chris Chew gets back to his church on Sunday. The guys also claim they are “dirty south” all the way.
For more information on the North Mississippi Allstars, check out their Web site at www.nmsallstars.com. Tickets for tonight’s performance at Rick’s are $10 in advance and can be purchased at Rick’s or at www.ticketweb.com. Otherwise, tickets are $12 at the door.