Photo by Jason Thrasher
North Mississippi Allstars will release Set Sail on January 28th via New West Records. The 10-song set was produced by Luther and Cody Dickinson and follows their Grammy Award Nominated 2019 album Up and Rolling, which was met with wide critical acclaim. Set Sail features appearances by Stax Records legend William Bell on the album standout “Never Want To Be Kissed” (which Bell also co-wrote and co-produced).
After 25 years, twelve albums, four Grammy Award nominations, and sold out shows everywhere, North Mississippi Allstars open up their world once again on Set Sail, welcoming other family into the fold. As sons of the legendary producer and musician Jim Dickinson, Luther and Cody Dickinson started the band in 1996 as a loose collective of like-minded second-generation musicians who shared a local repertoire and regional style. Over the years, the lineup has shifted by design, and with Set Sail, they mined the talents of Jesse Williams on bass and Lamar Williams, Jr., the son of Allman Brothers bassist Lamar Williams, Sr, on vocals. During the Allman Betts Band Family Revival, the Dickinsons first linked up with Lamar, becoming fast friends and collaborators, paving the way for Set Sail.
“The chemistry we have with this lineup is powerful,” observes Luther. “We are all second-generation musicians and share a telepathic, relaxed ease about creating and performing. I believe music is a form of communion with our loved ones and conjuring this vibe with members of musical families can be inspirational. Lamar and I are like-minded. I’ve never had the pleasure of working with a singing partner like Lamar. He has a true-blue quality in his musicality that will pull you in and break your heart. At the same time, Jesse grew up playing music with his brothers and his father—as did we. He plays like a sibling. I’m drawn to musical families, regardless of style. Playing with second- or third-generation players allows us an easy unspoken musical dialog. It’s not a big thing; it’s just what we do. We never had to figure out what it means and takes to be a musician. We all inherently know.” He continues, “Each generation has to reinvent itself and shed the skin of the elders. On Set Sail, we feel as if we’ve once again ‘broken the code,’ and know what we want and how to get it.”
Today, Relix Magazine premiered the album’s first single and title track, “Set Sail Part 1 (featuring Lamar Williams, Jr.).” Of the song, Luther Dickinson says, “‘The water may rise but we shall set sail.’ Though the flood imagery is used to illustrate perseverance when times are hard, ‘Set Sail’ is truly about my respect for the first generation American Freedom Rockers who are still with us, whose lives and music stands for open minded and open hearted freedom. Cody and I have been fortunate to play music with Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, William Bell, and Blind Boys of Alabama and we strive to live up to their example. We have to prove to the elders that their fight will carry on and pass through the future generations. It’s important that the younger generation knows that you have to fight for love and that battle is never ending. Progress can feel like one step forward and two steps back but we have to press on.”
North Mississippi Allstars have also announced their initial tour dates in support of Set Sail, with pre-release shows launching November 2nd in St. Johnsbury, VT. Luther & Cody Dickinson and Lamar Williams, Jr. are also featured on the upcoming Allman Family Revival tour featuring The Allman Betts Band, Robert Randolph, Donovon Frankenreiter, Lilly Hiatt, and more (with Kenny Wayne Shepherd, G. Love, and more on select dates). Their initial 2022 tour dates have also been announced, launching February 1st in Solana Beach, CA. Please see all dates below.
Set Sail continues the band’s tradition of creating roots music that displays remarkable variety. The record sizzles with hard yet understated groove, grown folk music. Luther’s wide-ranging guitar style features jazz riffs, psychedelic sounds, and soulful slide. Drummer and multi-instrumentalist Cody draws on roots music, rock, jazz, rap, and other styles to create rhythms that propel the band’s sounds and move it forward. Their two aesthetics combine to create the band’s unique style, “Primitive Modernism,” melding the new and the old. Luther notes, “We leaned into our other greatest influences: folk, soul, and psychedelic rock, but everything we play feels like North Mississippi.”
Set Sail will be available across digital retailers on January 28th, 2022. Standard Compact Disc and Vinyl editions will be released on April 1st. A limited “Gotham Color” vinyl & compact disc edition featuring exclusive variant packaging & a download with two unreleased bonus tracks will be available at Independent Retailers. An autographed & limited “Cloudy Day” Blue vinyl edition and a limited, autographed compact disc edition are both available for pre-order NOW via NEW WEST RECORDS.
North Mississippi Allstars On Tour:
2021
November 02 – St. Johnsbury, VT – Fuller Hall
November 03 – Burlington, VT – Flynn Center for the Performing Arts
November 05 – Cohoes, NY – Cohoes Music Hall
November 06 – Princeton, NJ – McCarter Theater
November 07 – Brookville, NY – Tilles Center’s Concert Hall
November 09 – Pittsburgh, PA – Byham Theater
November 10 – Williamsport, PA – Community Arts Center
November 11 – Philadelphia, PA – Merriam Theatre
November 13 – Cincinnati, OH – Memorial OTR
November 14 – Charleston, WV – Mountain Stage
November 17 – Bloomington, IL – Bloomington Center for the Performing Arts
November 18 – Evanston, IL – SPACE
November 19 – Milwaukee, WI – South Milwaukee Performing Arts Center
November 20 – Red Wing, MN – Sheldon Theatre
November 21 – Eau Claire, WI – Pablo Center for the Confluence
November 27 – St. Louis, MO – The Factory *
November 29th – Dallas, TX – Majestic Theater *
November 30th – Austin, TX – ACL Live at the Moody Theater *
December 01 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theater
December 02 – Atlanta, GA – Coca-Cola Roxy *
December 03 – Sarasota, FL – Van Wezel PAC *
December 07 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theater *
December 08 – New York, NY – Beacon Theater *
December 09 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met *
December 10 – Silver Spring, MD – Fillmore *
December 11 – Ann Arbor, MI – Michigan Theater *
December 12 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theater *
December 14 – Tulsa, OK – Brady Theater *
December 16 – Phoenix, AZ – Arizona Federal Theater *
December 17 – Las Vegas, NV – Theater at Virgin Hotels *
December 18 – San Francisco, CA – The Fillmore *
December 19 – Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern *
December 31 – Macon, GA – Macon City Auditorium *
2022
February 01 – Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up
February 02 – Venice, CA – Venice West
February 03 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
February 04 – Crystal Bay, NV – Crystal Bay Club
February 05 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent
February 06 – Felton, CA – Felton Music Hall
February 08 – Boise, ID – Egyptian Theatre
February 09 – Bend, OR – Tower Theatre
February 10 – Eugene, OR – Hult Center for the Performing Arts
February 11 – Portland, OR – Aladdin Theater
February 12 – Seattle, WA – Nectars
June 01 – London, UK – Lafayette, London
June 06 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Paradiso Noord
*The Allman Family Revival
