It was 25 years ago when the North Mississippi Allstars released their debut album Shake Hands With Shorty introducing the world to the Dickinson Brothers, Cody and Luther, and their brand of laid back, hippie blues music with a touch of psychedelia.
“I don’t know, we don’t fit in anywhere. We don’t,” says Luther. “We’re not Americana, we’re not blues, we’re not country or rock, we’re just what I call modern Mississippi music.”
To honor their first album that pushed them out on the scene and celebrate where they stand now, the band will release Still Shakin’ on June 6, due out on New West Records. They will perform in Houston for the first time in many years on Friday, April 25 at the historic Rockefeller’s.
“More than a window into the future, our records are more like a snapshot of where we’ve been the last couple of years,” says Luther Dickinson. Still Shakin’ shows the evolution of the band and much like Shake Hands With Shorty, features some of the brothers’ friends and collaborators from the deeply rooted musical scene they were born into.
Still Shakin’ features their like minded buddies Robert Kimbrough, Duwayne Burnside and Grahame Lesh, all players who like the Dickinson brothers had mega talented fathers famous for their contributions to music.
“Growing up in North Mississippi outside of Memphis, it was the best of both worlds,” says Luther. Their father, Jim Dickinson was legendary producer, singer and musician and exposed the boys to a world of music beyond the Memphis sound.
“I was exposed to so much musical culture,” says Luther. “My dad taught me all about the different rock and roll traditionals and soul music traditions. Also, there was a great all age do it yourself punk rock scene in Memphis that was very influential and then the hill country blues which I didn’t discover until the ‘90s. You can’t see it when you’re in it, but looking back at it, that was a legit scene, a real scene.”
Shake Hands With Shorty also featured many friends of the scene and saw the band recording a collection of classic hill country blues songs that run through their blood highlighting the bands ability to sustain that mesmerizing, repetitive groove characteristic to the genre.
“Ever since the first record, which was all Hill Country traditionals, we never wanted to do that again,” says Luther. For Still Shakin’ the band decided to revisit the sound of their origins while moving toward the future of their sound featuring Joey Williams from the Blind Boys of Alabama and Rayfield “Ray Ray” Hollman, from Robert Randolph and Eminem’s band, on guitar.
“These guys and their contributions were just world class so I really just wanted to feature them,” says Luther. “We used to be way louder, more rocker but we don’t try to stay the same. We embrace evolution and change and re-interpretation and we have the freedom, it’s not like anybody cares,” laughs Luther.
Hollman and William will join the brothers for their Houston show. All of the band members are constantly busy touring and keeping their musical machines going so for the making of Still Shakin’ they used any opportunity they could to record.
Making the album and including original hill country blues songs while experimenting with new sounds was a great way to feel at home no matter where they were at the time of recording.
“All four of us can’t always be together but when we can, it’s our favorite,” says Luther describing how the band laid down the tracks while on the road sometimes using their phones, studios along the way and even Luther’s four track cassette recorder.
The laid back vibe is evident on their first single from the album “Still Shakin” complete with a COVID style video of people just having fun without focusing on being perfect.
“I’m trying to have fun. I just want people to dance, have fun and forget about their troubles. I’m not trying to be intense and dwell on the negativity. It’s always just an ebb and flow and it’s a snapshot of wherever you are,” explains Luther. “Sometimes it’s a harder place you’re in and sometimes it’s an easier place but you just keep pushing through.”
The North Mississippi Allstars will perform on Friday, April 25 at Rockefeller’s, 3620 Washington, 8 p.m, $38-128. Their new album Still Shakin’ will be out on New West on June 6.
