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First published in  Lonely Goat Print Magazine Volume III - #5

Whistling Dixie: The Dixie Dregs @ Ziggy's
By J. D. Edwards (September 2000)

Musician's music is sometimes very difficult to listen to and enjoy. Schooled musicians often forget that live music should be as infectious and entertaining as it is clinical and complex. In a 1981 interview in BAM magazine, Jerry Garcia summed it up, referring to the jazz-fusion school of the seventies, "They all have real rigid solo structures that really limit the dynamism that's available to them in music. It's not really fun to listen to because they have nothing to say and have difficulty working in a band concept. It's like having a lot of technique and nowhere to go with it." But one band that continues to balance the idealistic ambition of fusion with the practical, crotch-grabbing fun of rock-n-roll is Georgia's own Dixie Dregs.

The band first formed when guitarist Steve Morse and bassist Andy West met at the Richmond Academy military school in Augusta, Georgia. The early incarnation also featured a vocalist and keyboardist and played under the name the Dixie Grits. They stayed together until West and Morse enrolled in the University of Miami jazz department where the two met drummer Rod Morgenstein and violinist Allen Sloan, who had just finished stints with the Miami Philharmonic. The core for the modern-day Dixie Dregs had been born.

After graduation, they relocated back in Augusta and hit the southern club circuit, mixing Allman Brothers and Mahavishnu Orchestra covers with their original instrumentals. They were signed to Capricorn Records around the Christmas of 1976 and subsequently released Free Fall (77), What If (78), and Night of the Living Dregs (79). By 1980, they dropped the Dixie from their name and signed with Arista Records. They released Unsung Heroes (81) and Industry Standard (82) for the label, seemingly gaining momentum all the while. T Lavitz finally filled the rotating keyboard chair, and Mark O'Connor replaced Allen Sloan on violin, who left to become an anesthesiologist. However, the new editions were not enough to propel the unit, and they disbanded in 1982.

Steve then formed the Steve Morse Band with Rod Morgenstein and bassist Dave LaRue, winning five consecutive Guitar Player readers poll awards for best all-around guitarist. The Dixie Dregs laid dormant until 1992 when Capricorn sponsored a live tour, producing the live release, Bring 'Em Back Alive (92). The lineup included The Steve Morse Band: Steve, Rod and Dave along with T Lavitz and Allen Sloan, and the band picked up right where they left off. They went on to release Full Circle (94) for Capricorn, replacing Allen on violin with Mahavishnu Orchestra's Jerry Goodman and naturally returned to the road to re-establish their reputation as the world's finest, non-classical instrumental ensemble.

Six years later, their touring schedule landed them back at Ziggys in Winston-Salem with the same lineup from Full Circle, and yours truly was fortunate enough to be in attendance despite a Jomeokee hangover. The crowd was the most homogenized gathering of balding, over-forty musicians and computer nerds ever assembled. There didn't appear to be a female in the entire crowd, all of which had arrived long before the doors opened at eight o' clock. The performance took on the atmosphere of a private clinic as most of the audience assembled in a semi-circle directly in front of Mr. Morse.

The sparser Steve Morse Band opened the show with a brief set that focused on Steve's virtuosity. As in the eighties, Dave LaRue and Dan Romaine completed the trio with power and precision, but it was clear that the band was Steve's vehicle as he wailed away on the upbeat instrumental metal compositions. The sound was sadistically loud as Rod pummeled his drum kit, Dave plundered his six-string bass, and Steve's tone and technique shined through the battalion-like underpinnings. The trio relies less on the Dregs' interactive subtlety and more on aggressive sonic assaults. They are basically the quintessential Metal power trio so if this sounds appealing, then be certain to seek them out.

I however was there to catch The Dixie Dregs, and they lived up to their reputation. The Dregs have always been considered the Southern Rock version of John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, and now that convenient label proves more prophetic as Goodman continues to fill the violin slot. The band even launched into a sizzling Mahavishnu cover, on which Goodman delivered his most mesmerizing solo of the night. Directly following that fusion excursion, the band displayed their diversity by slipping into some twangy country rockabilly and reworkings of "Rocky Top" and "Orange Blossom Special," which featured Steve and Jerry locking in on some hyper-kinetic bluegrass grooves. In addition to those influences, they also weaved the composure of classical and the muscle of Metal into a seamless seventy-five minute set that flowed like one long medley (after those pesky, mid-set tuning obligations).

The show featured musicianship on a level that few bands achieve, especially in the exchanges between virtuosos Morse and Goodman. This was my first live experience with these guys after years of collecting their records, and I can honestly say that they straddle that fine line between academic musicianship and fun, listenable rock-n-roll, uniting mind and body into one complementary vessel. This is where most academic bands forfeit their mettle and sacrifice passion out of fear of losing control and playing a bad note. But these guys have it all: serious chops, playful exchanges, risky improvisation, ambitious songwriting, group cohesiveness and listenability. Here's hoping that their mortally uncommercial music can sustain another twenty-five years, and this time I won't wait so long to experience one of their cathartic live performances.