BRIEF:
Q&A
c
RootsRevival
As itprepares for abreakout year,Americana favorite
OLDCROWMEDICINESHOW
isdedicated tokeepingold-timemusic frombecoming just a thingof thepast.
AMERICANWAY
:
Howdid thebandget itsbreak?
KETCHSECOR:
Itwas the fifthof July.We rolled
outofbed just in time tocatch the lastof the tour-
ist crowd that had gathered in Boone, N.C. We
were busking and hadmade about $45 when a
womanwalked up and said, “Y’all gonna be here
long?My dad loves this kindamusic. I’mgonna go
fetchhim.”Wedidn’t thinknothin’of that.Shedisappeared, and
about30minutes later sheshowedupwithherdad, [legendary
bluegrassplayer]DocWatson,who tooka long listen tous like
[hewas] sippin’ a colddrink of tea. …He gave us a gigon the
spot; itwasour bigbreak.
AW
:
What’shelped thebandbe successful?
KS:
Being true to the roots of themusic we play. There’s an
important relationship between our sound and the traditions
that formAmerican folkmusic, andwe’ve been in reverence
toAmericanmusic traditions since the earlydays of our band,
performingon street corners.
AW
:
Why ispreservingbluegrass important, andhowhasOCMS
contributed to that effort?
KS:
Thismusic ismeant to be played— it’s just as applicable
now as itwas in thepast. I don’twant to see it at amuseum; I
want to see it at a frat party, you knowwhat I’m sayin’? Iwant
tohear it being sung loudandproud.
Now, I’mall for thepreservationof it too.OldCrowMedicine
Showhasbuilt a career onplayingwith the instrumentationof
a 1920s string band andwith a lot of the samemusicianship.
Whenyou seeour show, the kindof entertainment thatwedo
is just as applicable now as it was 85 years ago.
We tookourname fromamedicine show— from
minstrelsy. That’s an entertainment form that
predates vaudeville [and] that sort of swept the
AmericanSouthandmanyother environs across
America startingupat theCivilWar.
AW
:
Whatwas thehighlight of 2011 forOCMS?
KS:
Taking the train fromOakland toNewOrleans
on the Railroad Revival Tour, which was rollin’
down the iron rails for about threeblissful weeks in the spring.
Weassembledon 15vintage railcars andcrossedabout half of
the North American continent, from the Pacific to the Gulf of
Mexico, playin’ music all theway— thewholeway. Lord, the
musicwas just beltin’ out of the smokestacks.
AW
:
What dowehave to look forward to in2012 fromOCMS?
KS:
A new record!We just signed a new record contract with
ATORecords, sowe’re ingoodcompany, andwe’vegotabeau-
tiful recordwehavealready finishedup.
T
RADITIONAL AMERICANMUSIC knows no better
friend thanOld CrowMedicine Show. The Nashville
bandbrings anenergyanda focusback to the roots
scene that ismatchedby fewcontemporaryacts. Still riding the
success of its 2008 album,
TennesseePusher
, which spent 78
weekson theBillboardBluegrass charts,OCMS took itsact on
the road—er, the rail— thisyearalongwith folkactsMumford&
SonsandEdwardSharpeand theMagneticZeros. TheRailroad
Revival Tour took the bands to six stages across the south-
western United States and yielded a documentary, whichwill
be released early next year. Also on tap for OCMS in 2012: a
new, as-yet-untitledalbum, set tohit storesby spring. Vocalist
andmulti-instrumentalistKetchSecor talked to
AmericanWay
about the band’s meager beginnings and the
importanceof keepingbluegrass alive.
Lord, the
musicwas
justbeltin’
outof the
smokestacks.
OLDCROWMEDICINESHOW (FROMLEFT):
KevinHayes, KetchSecor,Morgan Jahnig,
WillieWatson, Gill LandryandCoryYounts
JUSTINBORUCKI
22
DECEMBER 01, 2011
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
