Cody Dickinson (August 2005 Issue)
Bubbling Up From North Mississippi

His father is producer Jim Dickinson [Stones, Aretha, Replacements], so what did you expect? Young Cody, drummer for The North Mississippi Allstars, hasn't abandoned his dad's tradition of reverently rendering American folkloric styles. Along the way, he's brought a little punk to the table, too.

The Mississippi Allstars are touring in support of Shake Hands With Shorty, an album that twitches with energy, reflecting Cody's exuberant personality. "I'm so happy," he beams. "I've met so many fantastic, kind musicians who want to do nothing but help each other. I've got to mention Stanton Moore, the drummer from Galactic. We opened twenty-five shows for them. And then there's Matt Abts from Gov't Mule, and Jeff Sipe - I met him through playing with Shawn Lane. That's also how I met Ginger Baker's son, Kofi. I was a skinny eighteen-year-old kid and he was this twenty-six-year-old loud-talking drummer guy. He got me lifting weights and eating right to build stamina."

No question, Cody Dickinson is coming from an interesting place. On The Mississippi Allstars album, you hear a crunchy, short snare sound reminiscent of Al Jackson, and a killer DW zebra stripe floor tom that sustains forever. Cody knows how to shuffle, when to rock, and where to thrash a little, and he'll be doing it all across America and Europe in the coming months, headlining or opening for Filter.

T. Bruce Wittet

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