The North Mississippi Allstars recently transformed The Barns at Wolf Trap into a Southern soul sanctuary — part juke joint, part gospel revival, and wholly alive. Touring in support of their latest album, Still Shakin’ (released June 6 via New West Records), the band rolled into Vienna, Virginia, with the easy confidence of road-tested veterans on their aptly titled Still Shakin’ Tour.
Stream Still Shakin’ by North Mississippi Allstars on Spotify:
For the uninitiated, The Barns isn’t your typical concert hall. The venue — two 18th-century barns relocated from New York and painstakingly reconstructed in Vienna, Virginia — holds fewer than 400 people and glows with hand-hewn beams and candle-warm lighting. Its acoustics are pristine, tuned for string quartets and singer-songwriters, yet it somehow magnifies the stomp and snarl of a blues band without swallowing the nuance. In a room like that, every note breathes, and every stomp on the kick drum shakes the floorboards.
The current lineup — brothers Luther Dickinson (guitar, vocals) and Cody Dickinson (drums, keyboards, electric washboard, vocals) joined by Joey Williams (Blind Boys of Alabama) on guitar and Ray Ray Holloman (Eminem, Ne-Yo) on bass and keys — delivered a two-hour set that showcased both deep roots and fresh evolution on Nov. 8.
Over nearly three decades, the Allstars have carried forward the spirit of north Mississippi hill-country blues, weaving its hypnotic one-chord grooves into modern rock, funk, and gospel textures. A recent feature in Reno News & Review highlighted how the addition of Williams and Holloman injected a renewed gospel energy and versatility into the band’s sound — especially through what they call their “switcheroo” concept, where members trade instruments from song to song. That fluidity was on full display Saturday night, giving each tune a sense of surprise and reinvention.
They opened with “Poor Black Mattie” (RL Burnside cover), shaking the room awake with swampy rhythm and slide-guitar swagger. The groove deepened on “Up and Rolling” and “Poor Boy,” before Luther and Cody led the crowd into a pulsing jam that blurred the line between blues and trance. When the band eased into “Lord Don’t Move That Mountain,” a gospel gem made famous by Inez Andrews, the interplay between Luther’s raw vocals and Williams’ soulful tone turned the Barns into a backwoods chapel.
Mid-set highlights included Cody’s electric washboard solo — a percussive spectacle that looked as wild as it sounded — and a raucous run through “Shake ’Em On Down” (Bukka White), which found Holloman and Williams swapping instruments mid-song to the crowd’s delight. The group balanced intensity with reflection in “Prayer for Peace,” a meditative groove that showcased the venue’s exquisite sound design.
They closed the main set with “Don’t Let the Devil Ride,” a fiery blend of blues and gospel that had the audience clapping in time, before returning for an encore of “Set Sail, Pt. 1” and “Ball at the Taj Mahal,” both newer songs that underline the band’s willingness to keep pushing their own boundaries.
If you missed the Nov. 8 show at The Barns and are feeling the FOMO, check out this YouTube video of their June 20, 2025 performance in Indianapolis, posted on the Music-Mystic channel:
In a world of over-processed pop and cavernous arenas, a night like this feels rare — real musicians in a wooden room, sweating, grinning, and playing their hearts out. The setlist flowed like a conversation between generations, honoring the ghosts of Mississippi’s hill country while embracing new sounds born of collaboration and experimentation. Every note felt intentional yet free, proof that the band’s chemistry has evolved into something both reverent and restless. The North Mississippi Allstars are still shakin’, indeed — shaking the blues out of history’s dust, and into the present tense.
Enjoy some additional photos from North Mississippi Allstars Nov. 8 performance at The Barns at Wolf Trap. All images are copyrighted and courtesy of Ari Strauss.
