Exclusive Q and A: Luther Dickinson Leads South Memphis String Band on a Musical Tour of the Old South
posted in: Country • Exclusive Interviews
The South Memphis String Band is one of those musical happy accidents that give roots music fans a taste of real old-time music.
It all started when long-time friends Luther Dickinson (lead guitarist of the Black Crowes and front man/lead guitarist of the North Mississippi Allstars), GRAMMY Award-winning blues/rock musician Alvin Youngblood Hart and critically-acclaimed musician Jimbo Mathus (of the Squirrel Nut Zippers) joined together musically. The trio had played together in various incarnations through the years but it wasn’t until they truly bonded over the music of their joint homeland, informally dubbed the Hill Country of Mississippi, that the South Memphis String Band was born.
It was electric, said Dickinson of the trio’s combined music for South Memphis String Band, which combines traditional string numbers with original songs primarily written by Mathus. It just came together right away. That’s something that doesn’t happen very much.
For its latest recording, Old Times There, the group recruited a fourth member, Justin Showah. The May 8 release is the band’s follow up to its 2010 album Home Sweet Home. The songs on the new album”filled with traditional instrumentation including banjos and guitars”are even starker than the music on the first album. Songs including Can You Blame the Colored Man, and B-L-A-C-K are a musical throwback to yesteryear. Revisiting such old-style songs is crucial to understand both the foundations of blues alt-country music and certain aspects of US in order to move ahead.
As if such a release isn’t enough, Dickinson is releasing two additional albums on May 8 that have very different musical personalities”Go On Now, You Can’t Stay Here by Dickinson and the all-female group The Wandering and an instrumental acoustic album Hambone’s Meditation [May 8]
Dickinson took time out of his jam-packed schedule to talk to OurStage about his new music and where the South Memphis String Band will go from here.
OS: It is difficult to believe you have three albums coming out on the same day.
LD: It is a strange coincidence. I was working on the solo acoustic record waiting for the vinyl; I’m a vinyl freak. And then the Wandering kind of came together. This year everything kind of just came together.
OS: What was the catalyst that brought the South Memphis String Band together?
LD: The South Memphis String Band came together when we were working on another project and we picked up acoustic to do a jug band. It was like Wow, we all see eye to eye. We booked a whole tour and we stopped at XM-Sirius radio stations and bless their hearts, they told us to they told us we could do whatever we wanted and take as long as we wanted and we just didn’t leave!
OS: So you have this great concept where you can explore old time music.
LD: We have a concept but we keep breaking up after every tour! We really made this album under duress. We were all on tour and got this letter in the mail from our record company saying “We are going to take our option and we need a new album from you.” We took that letter and said “Didn’t you know we broke up?” But really, we were happy to have an excuse to get back together and make that record.
OS: Wow. Was it difficult to choose songs for the album?
LD: Not really. I brought in songs I grew up with and I’m sure the same goes for Alvin, and Jimbo has thick knack where he can write traditional songs. It just all came together
What I think this proves”releasing three records in one day”is that when you strip away the rock and roll trappings and play acoustic guitar, it comes down to the lowest common denominator and it’s so natural in that art form. I don’t even keep an amp in my house. The only time I play electric guitar is when I am working. I love it to death and I love playing it, but really I just regularly play acoustic.
OS: It’s funny to think of three of the best contemporary players out there forming this band. How important is it to your overall musical goal.
LD: It’s important but it is a side project. The chemistry is so great, though, we just want to extend it. Really this is a great excuse for us to hang out and play the old-time music we know.
OS: I liked when I read how you said that exploring such old time music helps people understand the roots of country-roots music and also a lot about the United States including slavery, the Civil War and segregation. And that there wouldn’t be a new south without the old south.
LD: That’s all true.
OS: So will you tour with South Memphis String Band? What’s next?
LD: I think we broke up again as far as I can tell! I tried to book some shows and [Alvin said] ˜Let’s see what happens!’
OS: So this is really the end?
LD: I don’t know. To be honest this is something, the Good Lord willing, I hope we do as long as we live. It would great to be old men and still be playing this music.
Find out more about the South Memphis String Band and Dickinson’s other projects on the band’s Facebook page.