Mick Thomas Coldwater DFU CD

Half a lifetime ago, that is half the age he is now, Mick Thomas and his fabled outfit Weddings Parties Anything recorded their watershed 1989 album The Big Don’t Argue in Memphis, Tennessee.

Working alongside Jim Dickinson, the legendary record producer who had weaved audio magic for the likes of Big Star and The Replacements, and recorded with goliaths like the Stones, scored an indelible mark on Thomas.

It was an edifying experience that has carried with him since. Much water has passed under the bridge since then, in fact half a lifetime of water which has seen Thomas, in musical guises both solo and with others, become one of the country’s most beloved folk balladeers. Now a half-life later, Mick Thomas has returned to Memphis with his latest ensemble The Roving Commission, which includes former Weddo and long-time collaborator Mark “Squeezebox Wally” Wallace, along with Ben Franz and Dave Foley.

The band are on a musical and spiritual pilgrimage to recapture the magic that has stayed with him since those remarkable sessions. Sadly, Thomas’ mentor Jim Dickinson has since passed, so this time Jim’s long-time engineer Kevin Houston ably took the helm with some help from Jim’s son Cody Dickinson - he of the North Mississippi All Stars.

The trip back to Memphis proved an informed choice, and those inspired sessions are represented in sound on the album 'Coldwater DFU'.