south memphis string band

I wasn't exactly sure what to expect as I walked through the doors of Houston's Continental Club for a performance by South Memphis String Band on April 25th. I found the Saturday night crowd being entertained by opener Cory Branan. The last notes of his set ended just as I moved into viewing range, but the attentive crowd surely found him entertaining. As he's garnered comparisons to Ryan Adams and Pete Yorn, I wouldn't mind checking him out at a later date.

The real reason I was there was to see the third-ever performance by the South Memphis String Band. This southern blues/bluegrass/swamp/gypsy/klezmer 'supergroup' consists of Luther Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars and, more recently, The Black Crowes, Jimbo Mathus of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, and critically acclaimed bluesman Alvin Youngblood Hart. All three members spent the entire set switching between different acoustic string instruments – mainly guitars and mandolins with an occasional banjo, jawbone and harmonica thrown in for good measure. Dickinson, Mathus and Youngblood Hart all shared lead duties, trading off on vocals during every song. Their set consisted of several traditional bluegrass numbers, a handful of originals, and a few covers, including a stellar version of Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightning" sung by Youngblood Hart. Their stage interaction was as natural as any band that had been playing together for years, never flubbing a solo opportunity or missing a chord progression throughout the entire two-plus hour set. While they had a full paying audience in attendance to witness their playing, you could tell that Dickinson, Mathus and Youngblood Hart would have been just as happy performing for their families on the porches of their backwoods Mississippi homes.

I have a feeling that we'll be seeing this project progress over the next few months, and maybe added to a few different festivals (I'm talking to you, Wakarusa and Mulberry Mountain) this summer. For now, check out the photos and videos from their Houston performance after the jump.