Fat Possum Records artist:Jimbo Mathus & The Tri - State Coalition - White Buffalo - New Release Review

Jimbo Mathus has done it again! Another release and another winner! Jimbo Mathus and the Tri-State Coalition has just released his newest recording, White Buffalo, and I have a review of it for you here. The release opens with In The Garden, a primitive country style track with a modern rock style beat but with instrumental clues like mandolin and accordion to early origins that is well written with no extra adornments. (I Wanna Be Your) Satellite is right out of a country juke box. Mathus continues to write great tunes and execute them flawlessly. This track actually reminds me of another of my favorite song writers, Black Francis. The music is smart and clean and direct. Tennessee Walker Mare is another country style ballad with simple honest music. There are a few things on this track that actually remind me of the early days of Dickey and the Allmans with dual country guitar leads and riffs. The harmonic vocals on this track are very effective in giving it sonic depth. The title track, White Buffalo, comes on hard and strong with a power riff by Jimbo on guitar and solid bass from the balance of the Tri-State Coalition (Matt Pierce, Ryan Rogers, Eric Carlton and Terrence Bishop). This is really diametrically opposed to most of the rest of the release but it is a terrific track. Hatchie Bottoms returns to the warmth of a country fire. It's difficult to really describe in contemporary words the general feeling created by this music but think "The Band" or "Bob Dylan" to even get in the stratosphere if you don't know this kind of music. Fake Hex, a country rocker is a cool track with Chuck Berry like guitar riffs but not straying too far from the Honky Tonk. This is just flat out great. Poor Lost Souls is another great track. I mean this is a classic. "She's just a lump of coal, but she could have been a diamond"... this is closer to blues music than you may think. Sure it has steel guitars and country inflections, but it has real soul. Self? is another cross over track with just a touch of rock and a touch of country. The melody is strong and the instrumentation is "dabbed in" rather than "slapped on"... with a sweet lead guitar riff in the middle. Run Devil Run has a lot of early blues influence with a deep swamp feel. Guitar harmonics are picked adding a nice shimmer to a really cool track. Possibly my second favorite song on the release. Listen really close. There are really cool guitar effects on this track. The final track on the release is Useless Heart, a country ballad with a great soul feel. Moderate use of a whammy bar and simple straight forward guitar riffs add a really nice touch to Mathus' already welcoming songwriting skills. This is great music with a healthy taste of life. It may not have long pentatonic guitar solos or open tuning slide work, but it has heart...and a lot of it. Another release added to the 2013 "Best of" candidate list.

  If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

 

TROTLINE: First Glimpse - WHITE BUFFALO

From the Desk of...Captain Catfish

October 16, 2012

Dear Trotline,

I am pleased to present to you the following press release, artwork and first MP3 release from our forthcoming CD/LP, "WHITE BUFFALO."

You are the first in the nation to receive this!  Thanks to our Kickstarter donors and fans for making this happen.  Thanks also to our good friend and amazing artist, Chach (ChachCo. in Little Rock) for the artwork assist.

Please tell your friends & family about upcoming tour dates (below), and stay tuned for the 2013 White Buffalo tour.  We need warm bodies at all our live shows!  Please help spread the word.

'Bout to do the damn thang, so stay with us--

Your pal,

Jimmo

JIMBO MATHUS & THE TRI-STATE COALITION   Sign to Fat Possum Records  "WHITE BUFFALO," SET FOR RELEASE ON JANUARY 22, 2013  Stream the first single, "In the Garden," HERE

"Only those born & raised in North Mississippi will know exactly what I mean; to those set adrift amidst broke-dick rednecks, radical pentecostalism, moonshine bootleggers & Pusser-mania, there are two kings to choose from- ELVIS or JESUS..."  - Jimbo Mathus

October 16, 2012:  In his native Mississippi and throughout the South, Jimbo Mathus is recognized as the prolific songwriter of born-in-the-bone American music, the torchbearer for Deep South mythology and culture. The lifelong musician, co-founder of the hyper ragtime outfit Squirrel Nut Zippers, has signed to Oxford, MS label Fat Possum Records and will release White Buffalo, produced by Eric "Roscoe" Ambel, on January 22, 2012. Opening with the mandolin-driven Southern Gothic fable "In the Garden," Mathus and his band, the Tri-State Coalition, deliver an emotional, honest batch of songs that embrace the richness of American music - gospel, country, blues and folk. Mathus' "tri-state" band, a handpicked group of like-minded players who make up his formidable live band, includes Matt Pierce (Arkansas), Terrence Bishop (Tennessee), and fellow Mississippians Eric Carlton and Ryan Rogers.     There's a rich sense of region and history in his music. "I was born into the nexus of Southern/American culture, from Elvis to William Faulkner," he says of his Mississippi upbringing. "I'm continually amazed that these great accomplishments in the arts were somehow achieved in this unlikely location. This state is revered by many worldwide for its arts, culture, cuisine, letters and athletic heroes and abhorred for its cruelty and racism. You can find the depths of ignorance and the loftiest of thinking."    It's these contradictions and exposure to a wide variety of musical styles -- jazz, blues, and the folk music brought over by his Scottish ancestors, fiddlers whose playing paid for their steamship passage in the early 1800s --  that inform and color Mathus' songs.  His voice is rough but expressive, soulful and haunted. At times he's a Delta Van Morrison, other times he's got the hard-won wisdom of the late Warren Zevon.   White Buffalo is a tribute to Mathus' love of true American music.  "I want to know American music from the inside out, from top to bottom," he says. "I instinctively knew that there was no fast track to get where I wanted to go to learn what I wanted to know. I came to discover that American music started with the people that came here from somewhere else, with all these cultures contributing something. W.C. Handy, Jimmy Rogers, Charley Patton, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Phil Spector, and the Ramones. They all made American music and all it led somewhere - I was determined to find out where."      After settling in North Carolina and finding success with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, Mathus went through the acrimony and lawsuits that followed the band's break-up, returning to Mississippi to remember why he loved music in the first place. White Buffalo is just that, the culmination of years of listening, absorbing and loving music, with an empathy for the real people, like Mathus, who have declined a place in "polite" society. Unvarnished and unswerving, Mathus bares his soul on these songs and invites the listener into his world of Southern lore, family tales, doubt, loss and forgiveness. White Buffalo track listing: In The Garden      (I Wanna Be Your) Satellite     Tennessee Walker Mare     White Buffalo     Hatchie Bottom     Fake Hex     Poor Lost Souls     Self     Run Devil Run     Useless Heart JIMBO MATHUS & THE TRI-STATE COALITION WE 10/17       NASHVILLE, TN - LOVELESS CAFE  (Music City Roots show and broadcast)                                                             TH  10/18       CLEVELAND, MS - DOCKERY FARMS SA 10/20        NEW ORLEANS, LA - CHICKIE WAH WAH TH 10/25        HOPSON, MS - HOPSON PLANTATION COMMISARY SA 10/27        FAYETTEVILLE, AR - SMOKE & BARREL TAVERN WE 11/07       OXFORD, MS - SNACKBAR FR 11/09        OXFORD, MS - THE LIBRARY, 5 PM FR 11/09        OXFORD, MS - PROUD LARRY'S, 9 PM

“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

TROTLINE: Geronimo!

THE TRI-STATE TROTLINE

From the Desk of...Captain Catfish

July 9, 2012

Boy, oh boy, we've got a lot of exciting news here for you Trotline Runners! Buckle up, 'cuz here goes....

Work on the "White Buffalo" is now complete, as we've mastered the recording at Salt Mastering in New York. Thanks to "Roscoe" Ambel and our Kickstarter donors, I have been privileged to created the most powerful, best-sounding work of my career. As a producer, Roscoe was a perfect fit and brought a great rock-n-roll swagger to this project. Hats off once again to Roscoe, Timbo & Mario at Cowboy Technical Services for a job well done.

I'll also mention here the great Tri-State Coalition and their stellar performance in the studio and on the road. Way to go, boys, I definitely can't do it alone! So, here's to MATT "PIZZLE" PIERCE, ERIC "CARLOS SAN PEDRO" CARLTON, RYAN "RANDO" ROGERS and our newest members, TERRENCE "T-MONEY" BISHOP & KELL KELLUM. With T-Money in the mix, we're taking Tri-State back to its roots, representing the great states of Arkansas, Mississippi and Tenn-o-see. We'll be seeing y'all out there on the road this summer & Fall, bringing the sound of the "White Buffalo" directly to your doorstep.

I am also pleased to announce that Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition's "White Buffalo" will be released in OCTOBER 2012 on Oxford's own FAT POSSUM label. I am thrilled at this new and unexpected development. Bruce Watson & Matthew Johnson there at the label loved the sound and really wanted to get behind it. We were able to work out the details quickly and get it done! This will insure higher visibility for "White Buffalo" and see that more folks get the chance to hear it. Can't thank you enough, Fat Possum, for this opportunity.

With a slot just secured in the Americana Music Awards showcase in Nashville and a full calendar for the rest of the summer, be assured, Trotline Runners, that your support is paying off...and the "White Buffalo" will rise in 2012.

Thank you & God bless you all,

James "Captain Catfish" Mathus

Fat Possum/Big Legal Mess artist: Jimbo Mathus - Blue Light - New Recording Review

Jimbo Mathus has a new EP, Blue Light, coming out in July ind it's really strong! Taking time out from the Tri-State Coalition which also has a new release coming out soon, Mathus lays down a 6 track EP and it's got a very pure original sound. Blue Light has the sound of a dark welcoming bar in a small town with steel guitar and honest vocals. Ain't Feelin' It is my favorite track on the recording with a swampy sounding soul track with just a touch of funk and cool guitar riffs and sweet backup vocals behind the mix. Haunted John takes more of a raw rock approach that almost ventures into the Lou Reed territory, but of course we all know that it all comes from the blues. Fucked Up World continues in the post punk attack with a slice of country on the side. It almost sounds like what Frank Black would sound like if he grew up in Mississippi instead of Connecticut (That means I really like it!). Shackles and Chains begins with a back track right out of Stax. Jimbo has a really good sense of how to take all of the best sounds that you've ever heard and create something absolutely new from it. This is the first track to have a guitar solo of any length on it and it is played very skillfully but not over driven or fat giving it again a very raw sound. Burn The Honky Tonk is pure country (not "Sears" country) and it really captures the heart and honesty of real country music.
This CD may not appeal to every blues fans but anyone with an open mind who loves pure honest music with roots in the blues and country is in for a great surprise.
If you like what I’m doing, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

WHITE BUFFALO - Jimbo Mathus - Kickstarter Project

Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition | WHITE BUFFALO

A Rock project in Oxford, MS by Jimbo Mathus · send message

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About this project

From the Desk of...Captain Catfish

Dear KICKSTARTER Friends,

An exciting opportunity has been presented to us, and we need y'all to get on board:

~ shout and holler praise ~

First, I want to thank you for your support and encouragement over the years, specifically where this group of musicians is concerned. This band—Justin Showah, Matt Pierce, Eric Carlton, Alex Holeman and now Ryan Rogers—has sacrificed tremendously and given time and talents to promote this music that we call CATFISH MUSIC. We’ve worked hard and have honed our sound to become an outfit that I consider to be world-class, deserving of a wider audience.

And now, we have a shot at the title, so to speak, and we need your help.

~ raise the white buffalo ~

Our last CD, CONFEDERATE BUDDHA, garnered critical praise as well as some great attention on the national stage and, in doing so, caught the ear of a fantastic producer named Eric Ambel (www.ericambel.com), regarded as one of the best producers in the music industry. Eric came to us to express his interest in producing our next album. I really haven’t seen an opportunity like this one since the old Squirrel Nut Zipper days, and I firmly believe that—with this new music—the band and I can take the world by storm in the same way. As such, the Tri-State Coalition will head into the studio in the coming days--with Eric and his engineer from NYC--to record in Mississippi. With 20+ songs written and demo-ed, we are set to deliver our strongest recording yet, in an album entitled WHITE BUFFALO set for an August 2012 release on Memphis International Records.

This is where you come in.

~ “the Lord loves a cheerful giver” ~

The current economy and destabilized music industry make money hard to come by, for artists. And like many artists, we’re taking matters into our own hands to raise money for our project. Through Kickstarter, we aim to raise $14,000 by Apr. 6 (Good Friday), and we are asking for you—our friends, family and fans—to pledge your support and share with others who might be interested in being part of this project. Money pledged will be safely collected using Amazon payments—but money is ONLY collected if the minimum goal is met in pledges. Our minimum goal is $14,000—seemingly a large amount, but consider that it includes travel, lodging and fees for the producer and engineer ($9,800), necessary computer upgrades for recording ($450), a promotional video ($1,400) and production of limited-edition vinyl LPs for collectors and our donors ($2,500). The remainder will be put toward Kickstarter fees and national touring expenses for the band.

We’ve created some great incentives to offer our donors, at every level--check 'em out. Larger donation options could be collected through a group of friends or corporate backer with whom you may be affiliated, one that might step up at these levels—live performances could be tied in with corporate events, special events, etc. Have pledge parties, get together and get creative--but just get with our program.

Please consider backing our project in whatever way you can—you can pledge online at Kickstarter anytime though April 6th.

We want you to be a part of this music. Help us deliver more catfish music unto the masses.

Keep an eye on the horizon,
Capt. Catfish

Levitt Shell - Memphis Tennessee

Sometimes as a part of seeing a concert or in this case watching a video I am just taken by the presence of the venue. I have noticed this venue a number of times and this time as a part of the Eden Brent posting that I just completed I have decided to write about it.

History Of The Shell

The Overton Park Shell was built in 1936 by the City of Memphis and depression-era WPA (Works Progress Administration) for $11,935. The Shell was designed by architect Max Furbringer, who modeled it after similar band shells in Chicago, New York and St. Louis. The WPA built 27 band shells - our Shell is one of only a handful that are still standing.
Music in the 1930s

The Shell's history has special meaning for a town that takes its music seriously. During the 1930s and 1940s, the Shell was the site of the memorable Memphis Open Air Theater (MOAT) orchestra performances, light opera and musicals. In 1947 the Memphis Federation of Musicians launched its Music under the Stars series, free to the public.
First-ever rock and roll show

On July 30, 1954 Elvis Presley took the stage before headliner Slim Whitman. Elvis stole the show in what music historians call the first-ever rock and roll show. And it happened at the Shell in Overton Park.
Staying alive

Over the years, there have been numerous efforts, some to revitalize the Shell, and some to destroy it.

In the 1960s, the City turned the Shell over to the Memphis Arts Center, Inc., which planned to raze the Shell and build $2 million theater. But Noel Gilbert, beloved long-time conductor of the Memphis Concert Orchestra, organized a petition, gathering 6,000 signatures to save the Shell.

In 1972, the Shell was almost demolished to make room for a parking garage.
The Raoul Wallenberg Shell

In 1982, the NCCJ (National Conference of Christians and Jews) proposed raising funds for restoration and were able to rename the Shell in honor of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish humanitarian and diplomat who bravely and creatively saved the lives of more than 15,000 Jews by issuing them Swedish "protective passes" and building 30 "Swedish houses", on which he hung Swedish flags and declared Swedish territory to provide protection.

Unfortunately, the NCCJ campaign never provided the requisite funds. By 1984, the parking lot plan began to move forward - until Mayor Dick Hacket pledged, following an Arts in the Park concert at the Shell, to fund the Shell's renovation if a private group would spearhead an arts program.

Despite the gallant efforts of John Hanrahan, a private citizen who almost single-handedly led the fight to keep the Shell alive, no progress was made. In the summer of 1985, the Shell lay dormant for the first time in its history. When Hanrahan died in 1986, his friends and family formed Save Our Shell, Inc. and the Shell enjoyed a rebirth. Over the past 20 years, Save Our Shell has presented hundreds of free programs in the Overton Park.

In 2007, the Shell was renamed Levitt Shell at Overton Park and renovation was begun. It opened again with free music for all on September 4, 2008.

Bman's Exclusive Interview: Jimbo Mathus

Bman: Hi Jimbo.I first became aware of your work back in the early 2000's. I don't remember exactly when but I know that you were touring with Buddy Guy. I actually went to see Buddy with a fellow picker and you opened and I said "who is this guy". I mean you blew us away. We weren't expecting a great group cause in Arizona a lot of times the bigger acts don't bring along such talent. Later I realized you were also playing in Buddy's band as well. I think that you were playing an old Bobcat or something. I immediately went home and dug into your earlier releases, trying to figure out how I had missed you. I mean I have blues antennae all over and wow!! Enough about me. The Knockdown Society was a great band.

Are you still playing any songs from that band or are you all Tri-State Coalition now?


Jimbo:I PLAY A MIX OF MATERIAL GOING BACK TO THE "SONGS FOR ROSETTA" ALBUM, ALL THE WAY UP THROUGH THE CONFEDERATE BUDDHA. I USUALLY CUSTOMIZE MY SET LIST TO THE TYPE OF AUDIENCE I'M PERFORMING FOR.

Bman: Yeah. That makes a lot of sense with the diversity of your music. Back around 2004 or so I understand that you opened your own studio with great old gear. I am a big fan of non digital everything so I know where you're going there... tell me how opening the studio has changed your schedule. Does it require a lot of your time?

Jimbo: MY STUDIO IS CALLED DELTA RECORDING CO-OP. I PURCHASED MY BASIC RECORDING GEAR BACK IN THE 1990S WHEN SNZ (Squirrel Nut Zippers) STARTED RECORDING OUR OWN MUSIC. MY BASIC GEAR CONSISTS OF FOUR TELEFUNKEN PRE-AMPS FROM THE 1950S, AN RCA-77 RIBBON MIC AND AN RCA-44 RIBBON MIC.

Bman: You just can't get the rich sound from newer gear. I know that having the studio has got to be a lot of work but getting the right sound is a lot of the battle. Are you expanding the studio or are you keeping it small?


Jimbo: I HAVE USED THE SAME GEAR THE WHOLE TIME, HAVEN'T PURCHASED ANYTHING NEW IN QUITE A WHILE.

Bman: I notice from watching your schedule that you play a lot close to home. Can't blame you to not want to "live" on the road. Is that the thought behind the Ground Zero Club? I know you get a lot of great talent down there.


Jimbo: CAN'T ANSWER, IN REGARD TO GROUND ZERO. IT'S NOT MY CLUB AND I DON'T DO ANYTHING THERE EXCEPT PERFORM. MORGAN FREEMAN AND BILL LUCKETT ARE THE OWNERS.

Bman: I appreciate that clarification. I thought that I had actually read that you were one of the partners.

I can imagine that as you traveled north there was a lot of confusion (like a foreign language) with your music until you hit NYC. It is really sophisticated and crafty. Is it getting through to middle America? I grew up there which is what raises the question.


Jimbo: I THINK MY MUSIC IS SLOWLY FINDING ITS AUDIENCE. MY MUSIC IS WRITTEN ABOUT THE SOUTH, SO SOUTHERNERS "GET IT" BEFORE ANYONE ELSE, BUT THAT'S NOT TO SAY I DON'T HAVE FANS FROM COAST TO COAST.

Bman: Oh, you definitely have fans across the country and overseas. I grew up in the Northeast around Pittsburgh and now live in the southwest. I have friends and readers in all corners.

The Tri-State Coalition is a bit of a change in direction from the Knockdown Society. All of your music has a common thread which to me is warmth and honesty. Tell me what you see the progression to be. How is it changing and where is it going?


Jimbo: THE MAIN DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE KNOCKDOWN SOCIETY SOUND AND THE TRI-STATE SOUND IS THAT I'VE BROUGHT MORE OF A COUNTRY AND SOUTHERN ROCK INFLUENCE INTO THE MUSIC. I'VE ALWAYS LIKED TO MIX UP THE BLACK AND WHITE MUSIC AS I FEEL THAT IS WHERE MY TRUE SOUND LIES.

Bman: I can see that. A lot of the early blues musicians from the south have a lot of country influence (or vice versa). As music has become more available outside of regions, how music is perceived has changed considerably. Much of today's "country" music is more like "pop" than say Marty Robbins or Porter Wagoner and a lot of the "blues" has to be really polished and have a lot of notes in the solos to sell. I was watching some old Porter Wagoner shows on RFD the other day and thought "a lot of this has more kin to the blues than some of the stuff I hear today".

I can tell you're having a lot of fun with what you are doing but it's obviously very serious. You seem to be a very prolific writer. Are you working on new material right now?


Jimbo: I WRITE ALL THE TIME. I'M ACTUALLY WORKING ON NEW MATERIAL, GOT A NEW GROUP OF SONGS TOGETHER THAT I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT. IT WILL DEFINITELY BE IN THE "BUDDHA" VEIN, WHICH IS COUNTRY-TINGED SOUTHERN ROCK WITH MORE STORYTELLING ELEMENTS.

Bman: That sounds great! I know I'm looking forward to it. I really like the new Confederate Buddha cd... "Who'll Sop My Gravy". How do you come up with something like that? I mean that is so on it!


Jimbo: GLAD YOU LIKE THE BUDDHA, BUT "SOP MY GRAVY" IS ON "SONGS FOR ROSETTA."

Bman: Yeah, I know. It was just a fleeting thought...something that occurred to me.

I started out as a kid listening to Duane Allman and found my way back through the blues to the Delta. Although I really like some of the newer style (polished) players, I really find a tremendous love for players like Skip James, Charley Patton and Robert Pete Williams. What is it about the south that breeds these sounds?


Jimbo: THE SOUTH IS A STRANGE AND BEAUTIFUL INTOXICATING MIXTURE OF OPPOSITES. ART IS BEAUTY, BUT THE ARTISTS YOU MENTION WERE A PRODUCT OF SLAVERY AND OPPRESSION OF AN ENTIRE CULTURE AND RACE. THAT IS NOW CALLED "THE BLUES." THOSE ARTISTS STROVE TO PURSUE THEIR MUSIC AGAINST EVERY POSSIBLE OBSTACLE. JUST BEING A "BLUES SINGER" PUT THEM EVEN OUTSIDE OF THEIR OWN SOCIETY. THEIR MUSIC MUSIC WAS "DEVIL MUSIC," RELEGATED TO LIQUOR AND WHOREHOUSE ENVIRONS.

Bman: Even your description of the music is poetic. Do you write your songs as a group or is it all composed in your head. I for some reason bet that you think... "the piano will play this here and I'll have this lick there" when you're penciling it in your head.


Jimbo: I WRITE AND ARRANGE ALL MY OWN SONGS WITH MY PARTICULAR BAND IN MIND.

Bman: Are there any photos of your studio that you might like to share with your fans. I was walking through a turn of the century cotton gin yesterday and I just dug the aesthetics. Now I'm sure that your studio is way cool but I just have this imagined notion that it is really raw... the way a guys place would be if there were no women.

Jimbo: YOU CAN CHECK OUT MY STUDIO, IN COMO MISSISSIPPI, IN MY VIDEO FOR "CONFEDERATE BUDDHA" -- PARTS WERE SHOT IN THE ROOM WHERE WE ALL RECORD.


Bman: Oh yeah. Now that you mention it I can see that. It never occurred to me. By the way I dig that "buckskin" jacket. I couldn't pull off the "Manuel" outfit though! Are you making your way out west again any time soon?


Jimbo: YES, THANKS FOR ASKING--HOPE TO MAKE IT OUT WEST SOMETIME IN THE SPRING OF 2012. BOOYAH.

Bman: We'll be waiting for an update and watching your schedule. I really appreciate your time.
“Like” Bman and get support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

I Got Mine - Jimbo Mathus

LIFE | The Journey of The Buddha
Posted on May 17, 2011

Last year about this time, I got together with the band and we had a talk about our collective futures. We had been engaged over the last five years in gigging around the deep South in the jukes, honky tonks, crawdad shacks and etc. We were making a decent living at it.

But, at this meeting of the Tri-State Coalition, we decided to make a change.

We decided that we believed in our potential to create a sound that a wider audience could dig! At this point, we agreed to re-dedicate ourselves both musically and professionally to our group and make a unique sound we had all heard in our heads but hadn’t played yet. Thus began the journey of the Confederate Buddha.

That decision has led us, gratefully, to Memphis International Records, releasing “Confederate Buddha” on May 24, 2011. It has led us to signing with High Road Touring as our booking agent. It has led us to the launch of this here website and a forthcoming short film to convince the world that we should be heard.

My personal thanks to all who have contributed mightily in all these endeavors and who will continue or begin to believe in our long journey home.

Peace, Love & Katfish

Jimbo

Delta Rising: A Blues Documentary -- Trailer

A film documentary about the blues. Clarksdale Mississippi to Memphis Tennessee. Although not new, a new one on the list for me to watch!

Features Morgan Freeman, Bill Luckett, Jimbo Mathus, Scott Bomar, James Montgomery, Chris Cotton, Ruby Wilson, Super Chikan, Grace Kelly, Pinetop Perkins, Honeyboy Edwards and others.

Get Facebook support for your favorite band or venue - click HERE

You Call Yourself a Cadillac - Jimbo Mathus

REMEMBER NEW CD IS AVAILABLE!!

"Grew up in Mississippi like a good boy should,” sings Jimbo Mathus on the title track to his new album Jimmy the Kid. Mathus is a reformed (mostly) juvenile delinquent who on record and stage deftly incorporates the richly diverse Southern sounds he heard growing up around Clarksdale, Miss.
He masterminded the hyper-ragtime, jump blues act Squirrel Nut Zippers, something that started as a fun little project but eventually sold a million-plus CDs in the 1990s. Since then, Mathus has released recordings of his own in a style he rightfully describes as Mississippi Music. He has stayed busy with numerous side-projects, as well, working with Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Elvis Costello and Buddy Guy. Mathus played guitar on Guy's critically acclaimed 2001 album Sweet Tea — which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Top Blues Albums chart. And can be heard performing rhythm and slide guitar on the blues master's Grammy-winning 2003 record Blues Singer. Mathus also served as guitarist/bandleader for Guy on tour.
Mathus started doing Mississippi Music professionally in between Squirrel Nut Zipper projects.
Mathus excels as a songwriter, producer, recording artist and at spreading the gospel of Mississippi Music in concert.
Mathus'current band, The Tri-State Coalition, features solid talent cut from the same Delta cloth: Tri-State bassist Justin Showah and keyboardist Eric Carlton are also from Mississippi. Guitarist Matt Pierce hails from Arkansas. Missouri native and drummer Austin Marshall rounds out the group, whose sound, Mathus describes as “inner-planetary honky-tonk. Basically I'm using a lot more of white country, folk, and southern rock influences. It's a great Southern band that is versatile to the extreme.” Armed with a brand new batch of songs, Mathus and Co. are ready to bring Tri-State Coalition to the people.

Jimmy The Kid - Jimbo Mathus

Jimbo Mathus is extremely prolific and his music is very real. It varies from Delta Blues to real country (not like "Sears" country). His new cd, Confederate Buddha will be released Memphis International on May 24. This cd is a mixture of everything that comes out of the swamp. Don't put the cd on with expectations from any of the prior cd's. Every one is different and that is good. It isn't like he's all over the map. It's more like he just loves good music and plays what he likes. Jimbo indicates that the idea behind the title germinated from his interest in regional folklore and artforms. "I got the (Alan) Lomax book [The Land Where the Blues Began] and found myself going where he went and those same places, the same churches are still there and I was finding these weird country people who are backwoods bodhisattvas - oracles, rural sages who are so wise and of the past projecting an image of both peace and rebellion."

It flows beautifully. The first track, Jimmy The Kid, highlighted in the attached video is a good example of this.

The entire cd is filled with great solid writing and nicely articulated riffs.

Track 4, Town With No Shame, and Track 8, Aces and Eights are straight out of the honky tonk and if you grew up in a small town this will make you homesick...unless you like Star Search country.

Track 5, Leash My Pony and Track 10, Kine Joe sound like Jimbos blend of the swamp blues...just love it.

Track 11, Shady Dealing, is a real crap kicker. I think everyone will like it.

Enjoy

You Call Yourself a Cadillac - Jimbo Mathus

In additions to his work with the Squirrel Nut Zippers, singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Jim Mathus has pursued projects outside of the group (often under variations of his name, including James Mathus, Jas Mathus, Jimbo "Hambone" Mathus, and Jimbo Mathus). He worked with Andrew Bird on albums Thrills and Bowl of Fire. In 1997, Mathus, bassist Stu Cole, Mike Napolitano, and pianist Greg Bell formed the Knockdown Society and released Play Songs for Rosetta, a collection of bluesman Charley Patton's songs to benefit Patton's daughter Rosetta and her family. In late 2001 Mathus released National Antiseptic, a tribute to the electric juke joint swamp rock of the Deep South. This album was followed by Stop and Let the Devil Ride in 2003, and two years later Knockdown South. Mathus returned to the acoustic roots of Mississippi blues and country with Old Scool Hot Wings in 2006. Also in 2006, under the name Jimbo Mathus, the album Jimmy the Kid was released by Artemis Records. (Source: Heather Phares, All Music Guide). In addition, Mathus played a key role in Buddy Guy's Sweet Tea (2001) and Grammy winning Blues Singer (2004) as guitarist and arranger, and contributed vocals on North Mississippi Allstars 2006 Grammy nominated Electric Blues Watermelon.

In March 2010, Jimbo Mathus presented his musical Mosquitoville: Mississippi Songs and Stories at the Panola Playhouse in Sardis. He plans to take the production on the road around the state. Mathus, the leader of the TriState Coalition and the owner of the Delta Recording Service in Como, Mississippi, says the musical Mosquitoville is based on local history around the 1880's in Quitman County. The story is based on a journal kept by a man named John Parrot from Sledge, Mississippi, who worked at a lumber camp north of South Lake called Mosquitoville. The show includes a six-piece band and a six-piece chorus who perform indigenous music as well as music by Sid Hemphill, Stephen Foster, Jimmie Rodgers and others (Source: Scott Baretta. The Clarion-Ledger. March 4, 2010). Mathus hopes to help Mississippians appreciate their musical heritage.

Who'll Sop My Gravy

Jimbo is a terrific guitar player and great entertainer. I was first introduced to Jimbo and his talent through his work as a sideman for Buddy Guy. He would open for Buddy, then play lead (second) guitar for him after Scott Holt left to form his own band. Jimbo is one of those unique characters that can play at any level you want. The night I saw him first he was playing a Harmony Bobcat with the gold foil pickups.

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