JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Ready your summer jiving for quadruple fun at the Father’s Day RaptorFest Crawfish Boil JacksonHoleLive concert! Indeed, this Sunday is jam-packed with Teton culture and a rad double-bill featuring North Mississippi Allstars (NMA) and Futurebirds.
To wrap your ears around North Mississippi Allstars (NMA)—the two-headed monster led by brothers Luther and Cody Dickenson—is an indulgent experience soaking up the Hill Country Blues of their home state, merged with a greasy modernization that propels these Americana roots into a blues-oriented, rock & roll jamband assault. Local music super fans that attended the band’s performance at the 2015 Fireman’s Ball with guests Anders Osborne and Sam Bush speak of it with “all-time” language. The interplay, the energy, the raw attack—this band stays in the moment via high-energy, electrifying improvisation. Touring as a power trio with bassist/vocalist Carl Dufrene (of Anders Osborne), NMA has released eight studio albums and amongst additional live releases and EPs.
Cody and Luther’s father, Jim Dickinson, was a Renaissance man in the music world as a pianist, producer, singer, session musician, front man for several groups, and proclaimed that “world boogie is coming.” He was an integral part of the historical Memphis Country Blues Festivals in Memphis, which helped bridge the counterculture and North Mississippi blues artists. His sons carry on this spirit.
Luther noted, “I think it’s our responsibility to the community that brought us up to protect the repertoire. To keep the repertoire alive and vibrant. That’s what folk music is about. It’s an oral history of America. My dad and his friends, they learned from Furry Lewis and Gus Cannon and Will Shade and then taught those songs to us. It’s important for us to write songs and experiment and do other things, but playing our community’s music in a modern way is what Cody and I do best. I think it’s what we were meant to do.”
Futurebirds have also made their stamp on Jackson soil with at least a few rowdy, over-the-top performances at Town Square Tavern. Coming to us from the music well of Athens, Georgia, Futurebirds’ music is a patchwork amalgam of influences, including twangy Southern rock, reverb-soaked psychedelia reminiscent of early My Morning Jacket, soaring guitar solos à la Neil Young and Crazy Horse, rhythmic jangle from that other Athens band REM, multi-part vocal harmonies, and lyrical slide guitar.
To celebrate Father’s Day and the kick-off of JacksonHoleLive, the celebrated RaptorFest will precede the 14th Annual Crawfish Boil with a huge scoop of New Orleans culture. Two thousand pounds of Crawfish—with all of the fixings and delivered fresh from New Orleans—will be the main course.
Festivities will kick off at 3 p.m. with Teton Raptor Center’s RaptorFest. Several resident raptors will be on hand 3:00 to 5:30 p.m. along with raptor-themed games and activities and a chance to make a Father’s Day card. This is a wonderful opportunity to see birds of prey up close and support the efforts of the Teton Raptor Center! Music starts at 6:00 p.m.
JacksonHoleLive is an all-ages community concert series that is affordable—$5 for adults and free to kids 17 and under—and builds a pop-up community at the base of Snow King Mountain each summer. It is made possible by community sponsorship, individual admissions, concessions, and the tremendous turnout at The Mid-Winter Snowdown featuring Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real. JacksonHoleLive is a fundraiser for Center Management, Inc. (CMI), the nonprofit operator of the Snow King Sports and Events Center.
“JacksonHoleLive supports CMI’s mission to maintain affordable ice rates and program fees for youth hockey and figure skating,” explained co-founder Jeff Potter. “We greatly appreciate the community’s continued support of JacksonHoleLive, and for voting it Best Summer Activity in Best of Jackson Hole. We look forward to one of our strongest summer lineups yet!”
