Aug 28 Thursday
Individually, JD Simo and Luther Dickinson are building their own legacies as solo artist, sidemen, songwriters, and guitar heroes. Together, they’re a creative force to be reckoned with, making their own version of amplified American roots music. On the pair’s first collaborative album, Do The Rump!, the musicians trade blistering guitar solos, take turns at the microphone, and turn their classic influences – including hill country blues, spirituals, swamp rock, and Afrobeat – into something contemporary, reinterpreting a number of their old-school favorites into eclectic, electrifying anthems.
The partnership began onstage, where Simo and Dickinson first shared the spotlight as touring members of Phil Lesh and Friends. Dickinson had already established himself as co-founder of the Grammy-winning duo North Mississippi Allstars, as well as a celebrated guitarist for acts like Black Crowes and John Hiatt. Similarly, JD Simo had built an audience no only with his solo project, but also as a session musician for Jack White, Beyonce, Chris Isaak, and Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis movie. Occupying the same stage felt different, though. “Playing with Luther immediately felt as easy as water flowing down a river,” Simo remembers. “We had all the same influences but we played nothing alike. Our styles just fit together. We didn’t have to think about it – it was just instinctual.”
Those instincts take center stage on Do The Rump!, whose eight songs were recorded at House of Grease, Simo’s home studio in Nashville during a series of live-in-the-studio performances. There were no overdubs. No production tricks, either. Joined by drummer Adam Abarashoff – whose background in Afrobeat and jazz helped push Do The Rump!’s music into unexpected directions – the friends captured spontaneity in its purest form, recording most of the songs during a single take, allowing a natural combination of groves and guitars to lead the way.
Aug 31 Sunday
It took one band member's love of The Beatles and the rest of the bands' love of the Blues to formulate one of the most entertaining Blues Outfits in the world today...Blues Beatles. Their sound is both intimate and infectious, earning them instant acclaim wherever they perform, from New York to São Paulo and beyond.
The band first turned heads with their blues-infused take on Ticket to Ride, which quickly racked up millions of views on Facebook. Since then, they’ve fine-tuned their repertoire, keeping melodies true to the originals while infusing them with Marcos Viana’s heartfelt vocals and soulful blues grooves. With instrumental solos and improvisation as key elements, Blues Beatles continues to blend the best of both worlds, offering a fresh yet familiar take on legendary songs.