NMAS >> Toronto

[c-towns]

anyone wanna meet for drinks?

[c-towns]

pussies.

[c-towns]

I'll never see them again

Thats too bad for you man. These guys have never let me down live. I love Luther's style, he does a lot of shredding but damn, he's fuckin good at it. His slide playing is superb, it really has that allman'esq feel to it.

The boys were tight last night, I've never thought that the bass stands out in the band other than the dudes pure hugenous, but he does hold the tunes rhythm together. Cody and Luther were right on time together and the new tunes they played (that I knew) have some cool potential.

Luther played a tune on mandolin that was really cool and he busted out a tune using one of these bad boys, it was awesome.

Luther's version of this was a 2 string made out of a cigar box and a broom handle-like stick, I thought he was going to break the thing the way he was sliding up and down it.

I'll go see them again.

[c-towns]

On a side note, I counted 12 guitars on stage last night (including mando and cigar box) thats nuts to tour around on a bus with.

[Jaimoe]

I was on top of this band even before their first album dropped back in 2000. I read about them in Guitar Player and subsequent blues magazines back in 1999. I bought Shake Hands With Shorty when it came out and loved the hell out of it. I pimped them hard on Jambands.ca and few seemed to care at the time. I thought the Allstars had a fresh and exciting new sound and one of the only bands (perhaps the only one at the time) that bridged Delta blues and jam rock. I bought Shake Hands for three or four friends for Christmas that year, in particular Booche. I've seen the Allstars four times live, the last being two years ago at Lee's Palace with StoneMtn. The Allstars always put on a good live show and I've never been disappointed, however I like good studio albums; I'm old school that way. Anyway, I've met Luther and company twice. Chris Chew hit on my future wife at a Lee's show in support of 51 Phantom. "Big Daddy" even gave my wife his "business card".

However, unless the boys continue to put out, to me at least, sub-par albums, I won't see them again. The tunes off their last three albums are not that strong. I defy anyone to tell me that they've put out an album better or better yet, more innovative and important than Shake Hands With Shorty.

[Jaimoe]

I would also like to give props to Luther and company for influencing me to seek out North Mississippi Delta blues. I went to Clarksdale Mississippi a few years ago, a place where the Allstars "borrowed" their sound and style from. Thanks to the NMA, I now love Junior Kimbrough, T Model Ford and earlier acoustic work by R.L. Burnside.

[c-towns]

The Allstars always put on a good live show and I've never been disappointed, however I like good studio albums; I'm old school that way

It boggles my mind that you would give up seeing a band live because of there studio albums, you of all people (especially being a member of this board) should know better.

I agree with you about the quality of there albums and thats a nice history you have with the band, I as well have followed this band since its inception well before I knew what a jamband was.

To each there own but I hope you can get over your crusty outlook and enjoy there music again.

[Jaimoe]

What I'm saying is, when a band plays live, most of the songs said band plays live comes off their studio albums. Thus, if I'm increasingly dissatisfied with a band's studio output, then I can't get too jacked for a concert full of songs off of those albums. I'm not racing out to see Rush since they haven't put out anything good in 25 plus years. Great live bands with subpar songs doesn't make for a fun time. At the same time, The Dead have a bunch of subpar studio albums, but at their stipped away core, the songs have (by the most part), been excellent. The North Mississippi Allstars can't make that claim. Also, the last time I saw The Allstars they played a bunch of songs off of Polaris. They sounded much better live, but they still weren't very good songs. "Eyes" is not a good song and it was their lead-off single for that album.

Edited February 1, 2008 by Guest

[Patchoulia]

To me, it makes perfect sense: If you don't enjoy the songs a band will be performing, why would you enjoy the performance, no matter how well they're played? I mean, I suppose it's conceivable, but unlikely.

[c-towns]

I guess it's just me, I go to shows for the quality of music, expression and the possibility of improvisation not necessarily for the songs I've heard off of albums.

If anyone out there has liked anything they have heard from the North Mississippi Allstars in the past, I highly recommend going to see them live.

[Esau.]

I was on top of this band even before their first album dropped back in 2000. I read about them in Guitar Player and subsequent blues magazines back in 1999. I bought Shake Hands With Shorty when it came out and loved the hell out of it. I pimped them hard on Jambands.ca and few seemed to care at the time. I thought the Allstars had a fresh and exciting new sound and one of the only bands (perhaps the only one at the time) that bridged Delta blues and jam rock. I bought Shake Hands for three or four friends for Christmas that year, in particular Booche. I've seen the Allstars four times live, the last being two years ago at Lee's Palace with StoneMtn. The Allstars always put on a good live show and I've never been disappointed, however I like good studio albums; I'm old school that way. Anyway, I've met Luther and company twice. Chris Chew hit on my future wife at a Lee's show in support of 51 Phantom. "Big Daddy" even gave my wife his "business card".

I had heard of NMAs previous to coming to this board also Jaimoe, sometime around 97 or 98 through the Toronto Blues Society and Maple Blues magazine. I first saw them in 2000 at the Horseshoe when I won free tickets at another TBS show early that year. Although I feel they were (and are) more blues rock then delta blues x jam. I'd say they have a tinge of delta blues in them, but that would be expected from any blues band from the west delta-flats.

In my opinion, if you go to a NMAs show or buy their album and expect delta blues of any sort, you will be seriously disappointed, but if you expect good, hard blues-rock, you'll get what you want.

[Jaimoe]

It's the merge of Delta and jam rock which originally excited me. Their first album of all covers is great great great! I just don't think Luther's songwriting is better than average. I never thought of the Allstars as a Delta blues band. That's a crazy notion indeed, but I loved the influence of the North Mississippi Delta on their early work, which has been drying up in recent years.

Edited February 1, 2008 by Guest

[Esau.]

I never thought of the Allstars as a Delta blues band. That's a crazy notion indeed, but I loved the influence of the North Mississippi Delta on their early work, which has been drying up in recent years.

I never said you thought they were delta blues actually, I just disagreed that they "bridged Delta blues and jam rock", which to me is a crazy notion since I hear no jam rock in their music, I hear blues rock, then and now.

Again, as for influence, you would expect some delta blues to leak into any blues band that hails from the west delta-flats.

Edited February 1, 2008 by Guest

[Jaimoe]

They mined Junior Kimbrough and R.L. on the first album. The arrangements aren't that different either, but more stretched out. I think the main element of jam/improv music that they used on the first few albums reminded me of early Allman Brothers, another band that is a blues hybrid, epecially the early stuff.

[Esau.]

I guess its just how we see things differently, ABB to me is southern flavoured blues rock, I've never looked at them as a jamband, especially early ABB. And I can see the R.L relation, but that would be because his style is considered Mississippi hill country blues rather than Mississippi delta blues, and after seeing about a half dozen of his shows I would say thats rather accurate. But, reading the copy of Maple Blues magazine from 2000 that had NMAs on the cover (which I think can be found online), the article there also puts NMAs as hill-country blues/rock, so I can agree about the R.L connection.

[Jaimoe]

It's all good Greg. Blues lovers unite!

[deranger]

it was a typically awesome NMAS show. Not particularly high energy from either the band or the crowd, but still good. Alvin Youngblood came out and jammed the 2nd half of the show, along with some other guy no one knew as Luther muttered his intro, not a bad guitar player but the chemistry between Alvin and Luther was much better. Cody was coaxed into his washboard solo that lasted a paltry 2 minutes as a mini set break. they played for just under 2 and half hours though, with no real set break. And having Alvin on stage helped fatten out the sound as Dwayne used to do.

The older recognizable songs, goin down south, Po Black Matty etc, were met with obvious fan appreciation. The newer songs were good, just not played with the same energy and enthusiasm as the older material. they also did an Otha® Turner cover that was requested via their website....it sounded cool.

all in all, a good show but would have been better with a Fri/Sat. night crowd.

I didn't dance like a motherfucker. I was too tired.

[Esau.]

Nice. That would have been pretty sweet, I haven't seen Alvin Youngblood Hart since 98 at the Horseshoe.

[bONES]

Nice. That would have been pretty sweet, I haven't seen Alvin Youngblood Hart since 98 at the Horseshoe.

Ya, Alvin's great!

He was part of the Further Festival way back in `96 ...that'd be the last time I saw him IIRC

[DevO]

I saw NMAS at a bar in King's Cross, London in 2001 called The Crossbar. In 1995 Liam Gallagher got kicked out of The Crossbar for headbutting a guy. The venue was about the size of the old La Luna or so and NMAS did 2 nights in a row. Good show as I recall, but I've never thought they were all they're cracked up to be. I would've been equally as excited to see Alvin play.

[ersh]

The guy who came out and played the Flying V was the guitar player from the Spin Doctors, Eric Schenkman. Whereas the guy who hopped on stage left and just stood there and raised his arms trimuphantly until Luther had to tell him to leave, was a dolt. (Hope you're not reading this...dolt.)

I figured I'd give this band another chance.... but they were.... bland. Luther is a great guitarist, no doubt... but the show was very low energy and came off like generic blues rock.... Lines like "Shake it baby...all right" and "Shake what your mama gave you" left me wondering where their popularity has come from. The whole show was kinda quiet... and the bass was no where near as loud as it could've/should've been. All in all they were a little too 'safe' for me.

But thumbs up to Luther for choosing '50' in his on-stage Canadian beer taste test.

[c-towns]

Whereas the guy who hopped on stage left and just stood there and raised his arms trimuphantly until Luther had to tell him to leave, was a dolt. (Hope you're not reading this...dolt.)

not kidding, if you're gonna crash the stage at least do something memorable instead of stand there like an idiot.

But thumbs up to Luther for choosing '50' in his on-stage Canadian beer taste test.

Haha, I boo'd pretty loud when he tasted the "classy" beer, whatever that was.

Good to see you out by the way.