It was a curious combination of roots music, swamp rock, hill country and classic electric blues as the Sept. 21 edition of Greasy Tracks featured Do The Rump! (Forty Below Records) by JD Simo and Luther Dickinson which was released on Sept. 20.
Here’s the archive, while a playlist is here.
In addition to tracking through the entire album, there were interviews with Simo and Dickinson who discuss how the project, featuring their interpretations of chestnuts by Junior Kimbrough, John Lee Hooker, Bobby Charles, J.J. Cale and R.L. Burnside, came about.
On Sept. 18, the pair opened a tour at The Katherine Hepburn Performing Arts Center in Old Saybrook, Conn., to support the album.
Hailing from Chicago, but based in Nashville, Simo blends blues, rock and soul in his playing and in addition to fronting his own band, has been a go-to guitarist for decades be it for road or studio work.
He’s currently working on the soundtrack for Deliver Me From Nowhere. The Bruce Springsteen biopic, based on the book by Warren Zanes documenting the recording of Nebraska, is being directed by Scott Cooper and is scheduled to start filming this fall. Previously, he worked on the score and soundtrack for the 2022 Baz Luhurmann-directed, Elvis.
Like Simo, Dickinson is a respected guitarist and throughout his career has proven his versatility — not only as a band leader, but in the studio as a player or producer as well as filling a key role as part of a touring band.
Born in Memphis, but raised in North Mississippi, Dickinson is best-known for his work — with multi-instrumentalist brother Cody — in the multi-Grammy Award-nominated North Mississippi Allstars. He also did spells with the Black Crowes and Phil Lesh & Friends.
The duo first played together when Simo was part of the Phil & Friends line-up that included the North Mississippi All Stars.
Do The Rump! marks the first recording collaboration for Simo and Dickinson who were joined by drummer Adam Abrashoff who has worked with Simo for many years.
In addition to the vast musical chops of the trio, their embrace of spontaneity and literally refusing to tinker with the tapes was what makes this release such a gem.
Simo, Dickinson and Abrashoff knocked the album out in short order with a series of live-in-the-studio performances at Simo’s House of Grease studio in Nashville. The speedy recording process was spared any overdubs or production trickery.