It's starting to seem like old times for the four-time Grammy Award nominated band Dixie Dregs.

Four of the members have reunited for an extensive tour, reclaimed the band's old Southern name and returned to the record company that made the Dixie Dregs internationally famous.

Since Augusta gave birth to the band 20 years ago, it seems appropriate that the Garden City will be the second stop on the Dixie Dregs' reunion tour. The band briefly reunited in 1988 to record and promote a state-of-the-art mini compact disc for the Ensoniq Corp. as a sound demonstration record.

Now, once again signed with resurrected Capricorn Records, the Dixie Dregs will perform about 9 p.m. today in the Post Office Nightclub, 2740 Washington Road. Another Capricorn band, Widespread Panic of Athens, Ga., performs at 11:30 p.m. Admission is $15 to see both bands or $10 to see Widespread Panic only.

The Dixie Dregs' schedule this month alone will take the band to eight states, including stops at Center Stage in Atlanta, The Birchmere in Alexandria, Va., and The Ritz in New York City.

"On the 14th and 15th when we get to the Center Stage, we're recording a live album for Capricorn," said founding member Steve Morse in a call from his Florida home. "It's the only stop we're doing two shows in the same city where we can take the best recordings from each show. We hope to have the album out in late spring."

Joining guitarist Mr. Morse will be former Dixie Dregs members Rod Morgenstein on drums, Allen Sloan on violin, T Lavitz on keyboards, and bass guitarist Dave LaRue.

Mr. Morse, until this past New Year's Eve, played guitar for the rock band Kansas, as well as fronting the Steve Morse Band. Mr. LaRue also plays in The Steve Morse Band, and Mr. Lavitz also plays in Widespread Panic.

Augusta audiences have supported the Dregs' since the early '70s when fellow Richmond Academy students Mr. Morse and Andy West formed a rock band called Dixie Grit.

When Dixie Grit broke up, Mr. Morse and Mr. West formed a new musical union in Augusta in the summer of 1972. Since it was made from the leftovers - or dregs - of Dixie Grit, the new band was christened Dixie Dregs.

Mr. Morse's quest for higher education took him to the University of Miami, where he lured Mr. West to continue the Dixie Dregs' musical crusade with new enlistees Mr. Morgenstein and Mr. Sloan.

By February of 1977, they had attracted the attention of then Georgia-based Capricorn Records which was churning out Southern rock hit singles. The Dixie Dregs sold thousands of albums with their all-instrumental fusion of country, jazz, rock and bluegrass sounds.

For awhile, the band was pressured into dropping "Dixie" from its name and for many years was known simply as The Dregs. Eventually, the members split to pursue separate careers.

"Bringing the band back together for this tour was a feat in itself," said Mr. Morse. "I now live in north Florida, Rod lives in New York, T lives in California when he's not traveling with Widespread Panic and Allen is an anesthesiologist doing his residency in North Carolina.

"That seems logical," added Mr. Morse, "since Allen - at some of our worst moments on the road - would bury his face in his hands and moan, 'I should have been a doctor.'"

In spite of heavy album sales with Capricorn in the '70s, Mr. Morse said the group didn't make a dime from them because the sales money was churned back into recording and promotional expenses.

"Nevertheless, we were eager to go back with Capricorn when Phil Walden re-formed the label and called to see if we wanted to try again. We're thinking," said Mr. Morse tongue-in-cheek, "of naming the new album The Dixie Dregs: They Still Haven't Learned.

"The bottom line, though," he added, "is Phil always liked the band, promoted the band and try to change the band. No one has believed in the Dixie Dregs like Phil Walden."