The day after Thanksgiving, we were in Jackson, MS to see Jimbo Mathus Knockdown South at Hal and Mal's. Hal and Mal's is a large multi-room restaurant and venue and the back room where Jimbo was playing didn't serve food (nor have draft beer). But we were able to go over to the other side of the restaurant and order some take-out and bring it back (which is why the presentation is so... styrofoam). The fried food sampler was everything we could have wanted from such a thing, including fried pickles, everything coated in the same flour batter. The red beans and rice came with some fairly tasteless french bread and a surprisingly large sausage.
Jimbo Mathus has gotten a lot more Mississippi redneck in both dress and music since his Squirrel Nut Zippers days, and both suit him well. Things seemed a little shakey for the first couple of songs, but the band seemed to warm up and really got into a groove. Viva la swamp rock!
