Words and Pics by Caroline Schwarz

What a treat it was to go along for the first leg of Old Crow Medicine Show’s Back To The Roots Tour, attending shows at the Appalachian Theatre in Boone, NC; The Tennessee Theatre in Knoxville, TN; Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, NC; and The Orange Peel in Asheville, NC. These were the first theatres that opened their doors and stages to a young Old Crow, as they moved from busking street corners, to playing regional festivals and opening for other acts, to eventually headlining their own shows.

The Back To The Roots Tour celebrates those beginning times, not only in the places played but in the music performed. Beloved founding member Willie Watson, who left the band in 2011 and has since appeared alongside them only a handful of times (at one pandemic-era show at the Ryman Auditorium, and then for a few shows in the summer of 2022), is along for the ride. Other band members in this current configuration – indeed, an integral part of Old Crow’s story is as an ever-evolving entity with new (as well as, often, returning) musicians contributing their voices, adding new elements, and continuing the band’s traditions – are founding member Ketch Secor; nearly founding member Morgan Jahnig; longtime member and partner Cory Younts; Joe Andrews and Chance McCoy, both of whom had stints with the band in past eras and have now returned; and their newest member (since 2023), PJ George III. Other than Jahnig, who holds down the bottom end on upright bass, all are multi-instrumentalists on instruments including mandolin, banjo, guitar, dobro, fiddle and harmonica.

The shows consist of two sets. Set one features the album “Big Iron World,” celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, played in its entirety. Set two goes back a couple more years to 2004’s “O.C.M.S.” and sees that album played in full. Rounding out each half are other gems that defined the band’s formative years, many off the independently released “Eutaw” from 2001, recorded in and around Ithaca, NY where the band came together even before establishing itself more formally in this southeast region.

While each show was a step back in time, each one also felt like a warm embracing of the now, by both fans and band members. Undeniably the most anticipated element of these shows, inextricably linked to the songs on these two treasured albums, was the reuniting of Ketch Secor and Willie Watson. Everything about these two and their partnership that was on display over the nights brought joy and, more often than not, laughter. Alongside the songs were tales of hardship and triumph shared by Watson and Secor, always with gratitude and often with a good dose of humor. Some of the stories are well-known to fans: the discovery of Old Crow by Doc Watson via his daughter who saw them busking on the street in front of Boone Drug, which led to their first big-time appearance at MerleFest. This account of their first big break really hit home when told right down the street from where it happened, after driving past the very corner on the way to the show earlier! The show in Boone also saw them welcome to the stage local mountain dancer and clogger Arthur Grimes, a Boone local who first met the boys back in their busking days there and who has since danced at many of their shows in the area. Grimes danced and played some washboard on numbers including Woody Guthrie’s Union Maid and then shared some heartfelt words about meeting Ketch and Willie all those years ago and valuing their friendship as well as what they’ve become and given to the world of traditional music. 

Other stories shared by way of song introductions were as rare as the playing of those songs themselves. Of course hearing these two albums in full, along with even older chestnuts, meant that songs were offered up during these couple hours that have been played sparsely, if at all, since their creation. “Don’t Ride That Horse” was introduced by Willie as one of ‘the weird songs’ that quite quickly got shelved in terms of live performance for being… well, just too weird. Willie revealed that another founding member, Critter Fuqua, nixed the song’s performance almost as soon as it was written, as having ‘bad juju’ and causing him too much anxiety. Indeed with lyrics like,  

“We haven’t wrecked the trailer yet, 
But we will
We’re gonna get kiiiillled,”

who can blame him? But it’s great to hear it at these shows. Shouting out original member Ben Gould as well as Fuqua with the lines, “sleeping every now and then, curled up tight with Crit and Ben on the ground,” referencing places like Winnipeg and Saskatoon from their pivotal busking tour across Canada, and name-checking early songs in lyrics, “play that cocaine, play that shack,” “Don’t Ride That Horse” is an origin-story deep-cut that holds much meaning to any long-term fan.

At one point in the proceedings Ketch will note that as, as a young band, Old Crow Medicine Show was stubbornly insistent at playing, recording, and eventually establishing their fame with weird songs from the 20s that no one knew or wanted to hear. On these nights those songs, like “Cocaine Habit,” “Let It Alone,” and “Down Home Girl,” are most certainly ones we want to hear; they shine brightly beside some of the band’s own earliest penned tunes that are heard for the first time by most if not all in attendance. “God’s Got It,” shimmers with a holy brilliance when delivered by Watson’s startlingly penetrating vocals. Other songs have remained in Old Crow’s repertoire but are given a more old-school treatment on these nights. We get to hear “We’re All In This Together” sung as it is meant to be by Watson. He also shares how the song came to him, in a time of great loss and pain in his life when he happened to walk in on Critter Fuqua sobbing his own tears; realizing he wasn’t alone in his grief, Watson came up with the chorus on the spot and handed it over to Secor who immediately finished the song. To hear the song embellished by this backstory adds to its already hefty emotional power. Watson sings in a commandingly heartfelt way, accompanied in yearning emotion by Secor’s harmonica; it’s truly transportive.  

Secor conveys “My Good Gal,” a modern take on the age-old genre of murder ballad, with an appropriately dark, foreboding tone; as much as you might already know the outcome of the tale, the concluding verse where he “drove her out of town and shot her down” lands with a somehow still surprising chill accompanied by a flash of red stage lights. Other old tunes are fronted by band members who were not on the originals: masterful multi-instrumentalist Cory Younts takes the lead on “New Virginia Creeper,” and “Big Time In The Jungle,” adding his unique energy and delivery to the well-known numbers. Younts, it is noted from the stage, was a drummer and picker in the Nashville scene when he was also one of Old Crow’s biggest fans, before joining the band in 2009. 

These entire shows are performed with an old-school set up with no drums and the band arranged in a single line up across the stage. For a few numbers each night all or most band members other than Secor and Watson leave the stage. Time seems to stand still as these two old friends and collaborators thrill the fans in attendance with their undiminished talents that without question add up to a sum greater than the parts. Harmonies between siblings and other family members are sometimes described as ‘blood harmonies.’ There may be no actual blood relation between these men, but their voices combine so seamlessly, in such a texturally gorgeous way, on the traditional “Silver Dagger,” and the O.C.M.S. tune “Trials And Troubles,” it leaves no doubt of their bond of brotherhood, displayed unmistakably in song.

Being in attendance for these shows also leaves no doubt that the band members enjoyed them as much as the fans. Smiles and laughter were shared liberally throughout each night and a real sense of camaraderie, joy, exuberance and fun emanated from every note played, sung, and danced along to. They did an incredible job preparing and delivering these special shows, and there are a few more still to come. Old Crow Medicine Show is about to embark on the second leg of the Back To The Roots Tour, with stops in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia between March 31 and April 4. You can see these and all of their upcoming tour dates along with ticket info on their website here: https://www.crowmedicine.com/tour.