Blues and groovin’ tunes swing by Wild Duck
■The North Mississippi
Allstars visit Eugene this
Friday for an energetic and
enthusiastic show
By Rebecca Wilson
Oregon Daily Emerald
Trapped in an organic cocoon of
Birkenstock-wearing fog, denizens
of Eugene sometimes have a hard
time remembering the rest of Amer
ica: the food, the footwear, the sun
shine 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 Mis
sissippi Allstars at the Wild Duck.
Brothers Luther and Cody Dick
inson 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 fami
lies who play their distinctive re
gional music in churches and juke
joints. The Dickinsons absorbed the
culture from early childhood, but
they had a little extra help. Their fa
ther 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-fin
gered bass playing and vocal har
monies 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 environ
ment,” 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 collec
tion 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 “ra
diated 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 pro
claim 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 Bill
board Magazine. “But they’re also
appealing to music fans in general.
Our initial goal was to reach those
fans of the Allman Brothers, Hen
drix and Cream.”
These days, the North Mississippi
Allstars are doing their best to spread
“roots music” to a wide range of audi
ences. “The music brings people to
gether,” 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 All
stars when they stop at the Wild
Duck this Friday on their tour of al
ternative 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 lo
cated at 169 W. 6th Ave. Call 485
3825 for more information.
Courtesy
The North Mississippi Alistars will perform their alternative brand of classic Delta blues
Friday at the Wild Duck Music Hall. The show begins at 9 p.m. and costs $12.
Chrystal McConnell Emerald
(From left) Nick Hamilton stands stupefied because Tynan DeLong is in his “spot,” a museum bench where he begins every day. Ignorant of his
wrongdoing, DeLong searches for some fruit to offer his new friend in “Pieces,” the Pocket Playhouse’s final production of the season.
Pieces
continued from page 7
necessary element for the au
dience to accept what is hap
pening.
The reason audiences may
have trouble relating to the
show is because it is very
self-indulgent on the part of
the directors and the actors.
The choices the actors make
have meaning to them that
has been developed over the
rehearsal process, but an au
dience that has never experi
enced the show before will
not pick up on those mean
ings. There is no continuity
in the combination of the
pieces. The show requires an
intellectual viewer willing to
take the experience being
presented and synthesize
some individual meaning.
There are moments, how
ever, when the self indul
gence brings something very
real to the performance. Be
cause the actors created most
of what the audience sees
and hears, they are able to
openly display intimacy. In a
monologue by Yuko Tokuda,
the actress confesses her in
ability to smile. It isn’t about
being sad; it is about her
face’s physical characteris
tics while she is smiling. Her
words really touched me. I
only hope that it will be one
of the pieces in the shows
performed.
Honestly, I don’t know
how to rate a show with
seemingly endless plot lines.
And with possible combina
tions numbering in the 20th
exponent, nobody will ever
see all the shows that could
make up this play. The ac
tors keep repeating things
like, “We want you to under
stand us,” and other at
tempts at connection and
communication. But there
really is no one message that
is intended to be under
stood.
In any art that asks the
viewer to be a part of the
process, it is important that
the viewers know what is ex
pected of them. So all I can
offer you as a potential view
er is this information: I
would not expect that peo
ple without a comprehen
sion and love of theater
would be prepared to make
the commitment necessary
to benefit from seeing this
show. But you may want to
go just to see how you can
make the pieces fit together.
“Pieces” runs today, Fri
day and Saturday at 5 p.m.
in the Pocket Playhouse in
Villard Hall. A $1 donation
is suggested.
Saturday, March 10,2001 at Hie Wild Duck!
(169 W. 6th St 485-3825)
<LAI$K SALSA (DE LABUENA) TO MERENGUE,
ClIMBLA, CHA CHA CHA, AND AFKO-CUBAN MUSK
Free Salsa Dance
Class: 9-10pm
Show begins: 10pm
Admission: $12
February 28,
March 1-3
7-10
Tickets:
Ticket Office
EMU- 346-4363
^5 f^3v/ Tdlcyrt*
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