Anyone who has ever been to an Old Crow Medicine Show (OCMS) concert knows that the high-energy band is as much fun to watch as they are to listen to. There is a kind of choreography on stage as members of the band switch from one instrument to another seamlessly between songs. Band leader Sketch Secor has an old soul and a penchant for old-time, jug band, and string band music.
“I grew up without smartphones and technology. I’d see a poster in a record shop and think about it for weeks.” Ketch saw the Grateful Dead when he was 15, and that made a big impression on the budding musician. “I was fortunate to see many musical legends in the flesh. I suppose I’ve always felt like an old soul. I’ve pieced together my own experiences, and now I’m a first-hand account of my life’s pivotal moments.”
The band had its beginnings in the fall of 1998 when a “monkey wrench gang of old-time string musicians” left their hometown of Ithaca, New York, with banjos, washboards, fiddles, and guitars bought in area pawnshops. “We were mostly still in our teens, and we played our way across the Canadian border to play on the street corners of downtown Ontario,” says Ketch. “It was a big adventure for all of us. We kept traveling and playing, from farmers markets in Manitoba to Indian reservations in South Dakota.”
In time, the band developed its own special style—a little bit of country, a splash of bluegrass, punk rock showmanship, and an old sound made new and innovative.
The band crossed the country from New York to Washington State and back again before deciding to move to the mountains of North Carolina in 1999. “We wanted to explore this musical heritage we had grown to love,” says Ketch. “That meant living where the music came from.” They live in Avery County, about 30 miles from Boone, where they played on the street corners. “We had a boot camp mentality,” Ketch laughs. “We worked farm labor jobs, and we planted the best garden. People from around the area came to learn how we grew such beautiful produce. We had no idea what we were doing, but we followed the Foxfire books to the letter, and it worked. We also made some mighty fine corn liquor.”
Ketch says they wanted to be as authentic as possible, including getting the accents right. Their big break came one day when they were playing on the sidewalk outside Boone Drug, which is where Doc Watson got his start playing in the 1950s. Doc’s daughter happened by and liked what she heard. She brought her father over to listen, and he joined them. Afterward, he told them it was the most authentic music he had heard in a long time, and he invited them to play at Merlefest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina.
Their performance at Merlefest caught the attention of Nashville, and a gig at the Grand Ole Opry followed. The band moved to Nashville and continued busking to pay the rent.
Over the years, many have inspired and even mentored the band -- John Prine, Gillian Welch, and Marty Stuart, to name a few. “Marty Stuart has been a guiding light all these years and a beacon for me,” says Ketch. “I learned a lot about choreography by watching Del McCoury. He has a fluidity and expressiveness that is unmatched. I also prioritize multi-instrumentalism.”
Garrison Keillor and Conan O’Brian were early adopters of the band’s music. Folks who had seen them in clubs as they played their way across the country and back sat up and took notice. The band opened for artists from Ricky Skaggs and Loretta Lynn to Dave Matthew Band and Willie Nelson.
One of the band’s first big hits was a song co-written by Ketch and Bob Dylan. Dylan recorded the chorus of “Rock Me Mama” 25 years later; after hearing a bootleg sketch of the song, Ketch added verses. “Dylan and I entered a co-writing agreement and sent work back and forth via email. I never met him or even talked to him. But he did give me co-writing credit.”
OCMS became a Grammy-award-winning band in 2011 and was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2013.
The band produced a trio of inspiring songs during the pandemic: “Pray for America,” “Nashville Rising,” and “Medicine Man,” featuring Keb’ Mo.’ Over 100,000 viewers tuned in for their Saturday night quarantine livestreams called Hartland Hootenanny, which featured artists including Billy Strings, Amythyst Kiah, Jim Lauderdale, and dozens more.
Old Crow released Paint this Town in April 2022 – their first album with all original material in five years. The album was recorded in their own Hartland Studios in Nashville and co-produced by Matt Ross-Spang, a veteran hitmaker. The album and title track were in the top five spot of Americana Radio’s 2022 Album and Single airplay charts.
Their newest album, Jubilee, was recorded in late 2021 and early 2022 and also co-produced by Matt Ross-Spang. The album features collaborations with Mavis Staples and Sierra Farrell and the band’s first recording in twelve years with OCMS’s co-founder Willie Watson.
The band plays an annual New Year’s Eve show at the Ryman Theatre. For the past couple of years, Mollie Tuttle has joined them onstage, with whom Ketch has written several songs. “I look at her work as a beautiful extension of my own.”
Ketch says he enjoys working with young people and ensuring the musical torch gets passed on.
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