Cody Dickinson and Chris Chew of the North Mississippi Allstars form a new side band, the Hill Country Revue. The group also features former Allstars’ member and son of the legendary Bluesman R.L. Burnside, Garry Burnside, along with guitarist Kirk Smithhart and vocalist Dan Coburn of Dixie Hustler.

The Hill Country Revue represents a return to juke-joint one-chord trance Blues of north Mississippi, styles made famous by local Blues legends like R.L. Burnside and Junior Kimbrough. By drawing from the traditional songs and modes of the Hill Country, the band stays true to its roots yet pushes the boundary by incorporating new songs and elements for the next generation.

"This is really back to the roots,” says Cody. “To be honest, I can't compare it to anything because I've really never heard anything that sounds like it," he says. "It's all Blues, though. Some is more traditional Hill Country and some of it's very modern.”

As part of the North Mississippi Allstars, both Cody Dickinson and Chris Chew have three Grammy nominated albums under their belt, shared the stage with artists as diverse as Kid Rock, Dave Matthews Band, and Mavis Staples, and toured all over the world steadily since 1996, earning a legion of fans.

Garry Burnside is a walking encyclopedia of Mississippi Hill Country Blues, having studied at the knee of his famous father R.L., and as protégé of Junior Kimbrough. He grew up playing with Kimbrough every Sunday night in Junior’s world-famous juke joint. Garry is a multi-instrumentalist as well a prolific songwriter, often touring with his own band, the Burnside Exploration.

Kirk Smithhart was awarded The Albert King award in 1999 for Most Promising Guitarist by the Blues Foundation when he was only 19. Since then he has taken his cutting-edge Blues guitar style to music lovers all over the world. He grew up in the vibrant Blues scene around Jackson, Mississippi, and has been turning heads in Memphis as the best new guitarist in town.

Daniel Robert Coburn, born and raised in Flint, Michigan, cut his teeth playing Punk Rock and Hardcore. He eventually went back to his roots and formed Dixie Hustler in 2001. Dixie Hustler released an album on Diamond D Records and was produced by Aaron Julison of Kid Rock and Cody Dickinson.

As Dickinson describes it, “These are all Blues guys and it's funky. Really nasty, that's the best way to describe it. Gritty, messy, stripped-down.”

The Hill Country Revue will begin their month long three-club residency tour in April with weekly shows planned at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta, The Nick in Birmingham, and Proud Larry’s in Oxford. The tour will make additional stops in Memphis, Nashville, Huntsville, Little Rock, Starkville, Hattiesburg, and Jackson, Mississippi. The Hill Country Revue also looks forward to playing several festivals this summer, including the Double Decker Festival and the North Mississippi Hill Country Picnic. The group recorded a new 14-song CD that will be available for sale at their live shows. Get the complete tour schedule and have a listen by becoming a friend at www.myspace.com/hillcountryrevue