South Memphis String Band to play at Capital Ale House

For more than 10 years, Luther Dickinson has assumed the duty of electric-guitar stud behind the rocking blues-jam sound of the North Mississippi Allstars.

In fall 2007, he decided one band was not enough to keep him fully occupied, and he signed on for similar responsibilities with the Black Crowes.

Apparently, Dickinson still had a little too much time on his hands because he’s now teamed with old pickin’ buddies Alvin “Youngblood” Hart and Jimbo Mathus, formerly of the Squirrel Nut Zippers, to form the South Memphis String Band.

Dickinson’s work with his new trio provides him an opportunity to do something that’s forbidden with his two other groups.

“I can sit down,“ he said in a recent phone interview.

While Crowes and Allstars fans are crazy about their boys’ crank-it-up, electric approach to Southern blues, a love of unplugged old-timey, country and blues is the tie that binds Dickinson, Hart and Mathus.

“The Allstars is a loud blues, rock band, and we play loud clubs where people want to party. With this band, we’re playing different venues with different expectations. We’ll have to plug in depending on the venue. But there’s not going to be any drums or bass. It’ll be primarily guitars, mandolins and banjo,“ he said.

Dickinson, Hart and Mathus have known one another for years and have been aware of their shared appreciation for country blues. They decided to formalize their relationship after recording some yet-to-be-released tracks last year. (A sample of the work can be found on the trio’s MySpace page at http://www.myspace.com/southmemphisstringband.)

“It was the first time that the three of us had worked together. We hit it off so well that it just escalated into where we are today. We just enjoy each other so much. We share a lot of the same aesthetics and tastes,“ he said.

Last year’s recording was produced by the legendary Jim Dickinson, who happens to be Luther’s dad. While the 36-year-old Luther Dickinson’s answer to the obligatory “who are your influences” question features a lengthy list of blues and guitar heroes (RL Burnside, Jimi Hendrix, Junior Kimbrough and Duane Allman), his father occupies the top spot.

“But it’s not only him. It was his record collection,“ Dickinson said. “It’s the body of work that he’s participated in that I’ve been so closely exposed to. It’s all his friends and collaborators. I’m definitely a product of a music environment that he created.“

The band’s maiden voyage will take it to about a dozen stages, including a May 2 stop at the Capital Ale House, 623 E. Main St.

But there won’t be any recorded product at the merchandise table.

Not a problem, Dickinson said.

“We’re going to do the tour and record after the tour,“ he said. “In this day, all you need is a picture and a MySpace page with a couple of tunes, and you’re legit.“

Want to go?

Who: South Memphis String Band

Where: Downtown Capital Ale House Music Hall

When: 10 p.m. May 2

Tickets: $13 (advance); $15 (day of show)

Info: (804) 780-2537 or http://www.capitalalehouse.com