There’s always plenty of great music around during the holidays in New York City: Phish at Madison Square Garden, Patti Smith at Bowery Ballroom, Gov’t Mule at The Beacon Theatre, and so many more. Let’s hope the North Mississippi Allstars have now established themselves as another New York holiday tradition with their recent appearance at Brooklyn Bowl on Friday night.

Kicking off the final weekend of 2018, Luther and Cody Dickinson were joined by New Orleans bassist Carl Dufrene (a regular with Anders Osborne as well as many other notable musicians) for an extended set of their down-home blues. Luther’s guitar puts him in a class with the finest players on the scene today. His energy is infectious, and his connection with Cody on drums creates a synergy possible only among brothers. Cody stepped out from behind the kit to play washboard, keys and even a little guitar, while Luther slid in to keep time on drums. Carl looks like Father Time but is a gentle giant who appeared to be having as much fun as anyone.

Last year’s Prayer for Peace was an impressive and timely release for the ongoing North Mississippi Allstars project. Drawing upon a range of regional musicians, the fluid interplay of artists keeps things fresh while remaining anchored to a core sound. Cuts from the album as well as NMAS standards such as “Shake ‘em on Down,” “Red Rooster”, and “Po Black Maddie” formed the basis of the set, but the boys invited Junior Mack to join them and add another layer of superb musicianship. Mack is a Blues Hall of Famer who’s sat in with the Allman Brothers Band and is a current member of Jaimoe’s Jasssz Band, while fronting his own band.

Despite a solid following and the respect of fellow musicians, Luther, Cody and their North Mississippi Allstars ensemble deserve a wider audience. If you haven’t experienced their unique brand of blues, explore their albums and above all, shake it on down to one of their lives shows.

Check out a beautiful photo gallery below of NMAS’ Friday night Brooklyn show courtesy of photographer Lou Montesano.