Trapped in an organic cocoon of Birkenstock-wearing fog, denizens of Eugene sometimes have a hard time remembering the rest of America: the food, the footwear, the sunshine and, most importantly, the music. This Friday, take a musical pilgrimage east to the Mid-South and experience the Delta culture and groovin’ tunes of the North Mississippi Allstars at the Wild Duck.
Brothers Luther and Cody Dickinson are the masterminds behind the band. The two grew up on the North Mississippi Hill Country, south of Memphis. The region is saturated with generations of families who play their distinctive regional music in churches and juke joints. The Dickinsons absorbed the culture from early childhood, but they had a little extra help. Their father is legendary producer, artist and sideman Jim Dickinson, who is best known for his work with the Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin and Ry Cooder.
Luther is responsible for vocals and slide guitar and Cody plays drums. Their friend Chris Chew rounds out the group with fleet-fingered bass playing and vocal harmonies he learned in his Baptist church during his childhood. All three musicians say they embrace their musical forebears rather than rebelling against them.
“Blues was part of our environment,” said Luther in a July 28, 2000 interview with the Chicago Tribune. “What a great thing to be a little kid and be able to meander through an awesome record collection like my dad’s.”
The Dickinsons’ eclectic taste in music eventually focused into a passion for playing the blues. In an interview the July 10, 2000 Time, Luther explained that at first he struggled with the concepts of blues guitar. But “once that vibration got inside me,” he said, “it was over.”
Then one night in 1996, Luther had an epiphany: “The whole thing just came to me. We’re gonna play electric versions of these old acoustic tunes and call ourselves the North Mississippi Allstars.” The band made their debut in a Memphis punk club.
According to Time, the band “radiated so much talent, innocence and enthusiasm that an impressive roster of stars,” including Lucinda Williams and Beck, have asked one or both of the Dickinsons to jam.
Despite their good intentions, the band’s style quickly evolved from the traditional blues sound. “I don’t proclaim to be in a blues band,” Luther told the Tribune. “Our sound is what happens whenever young white kids play try to play older black music. It becomes rock ‘n’ roll.”
The North Mississippi Allstars are certainly appealing to more than just blues fans, said Dave Bartlett, the vice-president of Tone-Cool Records, which is the band’s record label. “They’re certainly appealing to the [jam] crowd,” he told Billboard Magazine. “But they’re also appealing to music fans in general. Our initial goal was to reach those fans of the Allman Brothers, Hendrix and Cream.”
These days, the North Mississippi Allstars are doing their best to spread “roots music” to a wide range of audiences. “The music brings people together,” said Luther. “”No matter what style of music you play, if they can feel what you’re playing, and you can play well, they appreciate it and get off on it.”
Eugene residents over the age of 21 will have the opportunity to get off on the North Mississippi Allstars when they stop at the Wild Duck this Friday on their tour of alternative rock venues. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are $12 in advance and $14 at the door. The Wild Duck is located at 169 W. 6th Ave. Call 485-3825 for more information.