CMT Blog: Old Crow Medicine Show

If there’s one thing about performance-based music videos that makes me like them more than concept videos, it’s that you feel more connected to a band after you’ve seen one. Some of my favorites come from Old Crow Medicine Show (especially when they blow the doors off the Station Inn on “Tell It to Me”). Their newest is “Caroline,” from Tennessee Pusher, and with it we see the band commanding a stage with nothing more than instruments and a healthy dose of personality. But who needs video screens when you’ve got a banjo player doing Bruce-Springsteen-Super-Bowl knee slides? And check out how much the crowd is loving it — that doesn’t look like a casted audience.

The five new music videos presented to the CMT New Music Video Evaluation team this past week covered the entire gamut of today’s country music. Well, just about. You watch ‘em and decide for yourself. We have new ones from Rodney Carrington, Dierks Bentley, Old Crow Medicine Show, Holly Williams, and Jesse Lee.

Artist: Rodney Carrington, (with Toby Keith, Nick Searcy and Jennifer Aspen)
Video: “If I’m the Only One”
Director: Nick Searcy

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I’m always eager to dig into a new bluegrass album, especially from perennial favorites like Rhonda Vincent, Blue Highway and Dan Tyminski. And if you haven’t heard new bands like the SteelDrivers and the Infamous Stringdusters, I heartily recommend them. Here are some of my favorite bluegrass songs from 2008, with some folk tunes thrown into the playlist for good measure.

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Making a living with words, I can always appreciate a clever turn of phrase, which is what sold me on Randy Houser’s first single. “Anything goes when everything’s gone,” he sings. Ain’t it the truth. He sang a few tunes at a private showcase last week, and I was impressed with his rich, resonant baritone. Beyond that, here’s a playlist of new songs that I’ve enjoyed over the last few months, from familiar faces like Kellie Pickler and Brad Paisley, to some cool indie artists, like Jason Allen and Old Crow Medicine Show.

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I usually take offense when people, especially music critics, bad-mouth mainstream country music. So it’s weird that this Wall Street Journal story about the Old Crow Medicine Show piqued my interest. The hipper-than-thou writer asks, “Where’s the artifice, the computerized light show, the choreography, sound-alike harmonies and clichéd lyrics, the Beverly Hills cowboy look, the meticulous coiffing, the posturing?” But aside from that jab at the radio-friendly stuff, the piece goes on to describe a pretty cool show at the Ryman full of banjos, fiddles, guitars, upright bass and rip-roaring old-time, bluegrass and country music.

On the heels of releasing a brand new album last week called Tennessee Pusher, Old Crow Medicine Show are giving their fans a double feature, performing last night and tonight (Oct. 10) at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium. For their first engagement, Old Crow Medicine Show played a few catchy old favorites of mine, like “I Hear Them All,” and included several new songs, like “Alabama High-Test” and “Tennessee Pusher.” Is it the dark context that the fans love so much? Their fans may not realize there are tons of bands out there making old-time bluesy music that have yet to see the Ryman stage. What is it about Old Crow that singles them out among other acoustic counterparts? Just a thought I’ve always wondered as a longtime fan.

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With Tennessee Pusher, Old Crow Medicine Show continues its work mixing old time music with unbridled creative energy from its five members. In my experience, the band has a polarizing affect on people — they either love it or don’t get it. Like me, some listeners will appreciate the booming acoustic instruments or the strained vocal harmonies that at times border on dissonance. Others will take issue with the topics of discussion, as many songs speak openly and frankly about drug abuse and poverty.

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I’m a big fan of Lee Ann Womack, as well as Old Crow Medicine Show, so naturally I’ve been eager to hear what they’ve been up to. The good news is, they both have new albums coming out in the next few months, and even better, both albums are solid. You just have to put your pre-conceived notions aside for a little bit. Let me explain …

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The very first band I saw at South By Southwest (SXSW) this year really knocked me out. They’re called the Barker Band, and they’re from London. Fronted by handsome twin brothers, with several musicians on support (including their dad), the band’s a little bit ragged, but right all the same. Reminds me of Old Crow Medicine Show’s early monthly gigs days at Station Inn, as well as the energy of the Avett Brothers. The Barker Band could go just as far. I wouldn’t dare call it bluegrass because almost all the instruments are plugged in, but a banjo occasionally surfaces, and if they played a festival like Merlefest, the place would go totally crazy.

They started off with “Who Will Watch the Old Home Place?”, which I recognized from a Laurie Lewis album. But while she sings about how sad it was to tear it down, this band seemed awfully content to tear it up. I’m listening on repeat to “No Matter How Bad It Gets” on their SXSW page as I write this. They have quite a few more songs on their MySpace page. Chew some gum, drop it on the floor and stand on it — and you can pretend that you’re in the same Austin bar hearing them too. They gave away CDs at the end of the show, but since I was in the back of the room (as always), I didn’t get up there in time, but hopefully I’ll catch up with them again.

Incidentally, they’re featured in a documentary called We Dreamed America, along with some other UK bands “in the gritty underworld of the New British Country movement,” according to the Web site. Shot for $400, the movie premiered at the SXSW film festival yesterday, and it’s showing again on Friday. I met the filmmakers while the band was sound-checking, and invited them to Nashville, since they drove down from New York City to get the American experience, and they’re heading back next week, via New Orleans and Memphis. Naturally, in the meantime, they are loving Austin. Me too.

The Barker Band on SXSW

The Barker Band on MySpace

What a week! I have been in Nashville for about 12 days. We have the CMA parties tonight, and then I’m on the plane and back in Texas by 3 tomorrow. Mexican food, here I come. Hehehe!!

Seriously, though, I have had such a great time. I played the Ryman Auditorium TWICE in a 48-hour period. That was a breathtaking experience. We played at the Americana Music Honors on Thursday night and at the Grand Ole Opry on Saturday! The AMA show had so many people on the bill that I had “back”-stage fright. As I was getting ready to go on, Emmylou Harris, Ricky Skaggs and Rodney Crowell were standing right beside me. I got to hang with some of my old friends that I haven’t seen in a while and I got the ultimate chance to gherm too. The girls from Uncle Earl and my Memphis friend, Amy Lavere, were all there…. Gurf Morlix, Bruce Hornsby, Old Crow Medicine Show, Todd Snider, Patty Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, The Greencards, Darrell Scott, Elizabeth Cook, Tim Carroll, Lyle Lovett, Joe Ely, Verlon Thompson and Guy Clark, and the list goes on…. Buddy Miller, one of the best songwriters, singers, and guitar players in the world played guitar and sang harmonies with me. I KNOW!! It was totally awesome! Here are some photos from the ceremony.

There were showcases all over town, and some of the shows I’ve seen a million times, but with others, I was completely blown away! There’s a guy that plays bass with Shooter Jennings named Ted Russell Kamp. He’s ROCK AND ROLL, baby!! Anyone that knows me knows that I pretty much only listen to country, but I got every CD he has made, and was sitting there with my jaw on the floor during his entire set. He was unbelievable!

This has been a long, long week, but it’s been a great time!! Saturday night, on the Opry (yes, as in the Grand Ole), I was singing an old country song, and I look over and Vince Gill is in the wings on stage left, looking at me, and Ralph Stanley was in the wings on stage right. Talk about nervous. I was about to DIE! They turned the whole performance into a Porter Wagoner tribute, so at the end of the show, everyone (Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Patty Loveless) went out on stage and sang “Go Rest High on that Mountain” for Porter. It was a beautiful sight and sound. I had chill bumps pretty much the entire night!

I’m sending out good wishes to my labelmate, Taylor Swift for tonight’s CMA awards show! She’s nominated for the Horizon Award, and I’m betting zero to nothing that she’s taking home the grand prize. GO GIRL!

Guacamole and queso are calling my name!!