CMT Blog: Old Crow Medicine Show

There's a really fun old-time music jam at Nashville's 5 Spot every Wednesday night, and on Friday (Nov. 6) some of the regulars gathered for a house party that seemed like it could have happened about 200 years ago. There was tap-dancing and square-dancing on a real hard-wood floor, homemade stew simmering on the stove and of course, traditional American music. People are encouraged to bring their own instruments sit down to play at these jams, but Friday there were a few bands booked, including one led by Woody Pines.

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If there's one thing that the performers of the Big Surprise tour wanted us to take away from last night's (Aug. 13) Nashville gig besides a headache and a sore voice, it was summed up during the encore -- "We're all in this thing together ... This life don't last forever." That's what the Old Crow Medicine Show, the Felice Brothers, Dave Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Justin Townes Earle and a few thousand fans sang, but we had figured out that message much earlier in the night. Floating on a barge in the Cumberland River and surrounded by small boats and concertgoers, the stage was in constant motion with the guys (and gal) deciding to join in with the other groups at will. In his opening set, Earle noted to the crowd, "You don't know what you've got yourselves into. We plan to mess up each other's sets real good."

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The boys from Old Crow Medicine Show are set for a strong finish this summer. Tomorrow (Aug. 4) they kick off the Big Surprise tour with the Felice Brothers, Justin Townes Earle and the Dave Rawlings Machine (with Gillian Welch), and you can bet I'll be writing about it when they roll through Nashville next week. Then they offer up their first live DVD on Aug. 18. Live at the Orange Peel and Tennessee Theatre gives a look at 20 songs of this well-traveled roots folk/country band's live show. Fifteen are from their three studio albums, and five of the songs are strictly live tracks. They've already given a little taste of that release with the video for "Caroline." Now here's one for "Next Go 'Round" that singer/fiddler Ketch Secor calls "a simple country song about ... hard times, true love and regret."

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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