Well, it looks like all-star week on Tracks might be extending into all-star fortnight, and we’ll admit that we’re somewhat conflicted regarding that, as one of Americana UK’s Track section’s reasons for existence is to bring you music by complete unknowns (not so much Rolling Stones). Perhaps we should instigate “First Play Thursday” to showcase someone we’ve never featured before? Maybe, don’t hold us to it.
Old Crow Medicine Show are certainly neither first-play artists or complete unknowns; from their beginnings as a busking band, they’ve grown to be festival headliners. And on this song, they’ve taken collaboration to the maximum as Ketch Secor explains: “Molly Tuttle and I got together with Luke Combs to write this song. Both Luke and I owe a lot to the scenic town of Boone, high in the hills of westernmost North Carolina, where the song is set. Another musician with deep roots in the area is Bluegrass legend, Del McCoury. My Side of the Mountain celebrates the distinct culture and sound of the Appalachian people of WNC, some of our country’s most self-reliant folk. This song is for them.”
Collaboration turns out to be a theme of the new album Union Made from the Crows, as the track listing makes abundantly clear. There’s definitely something happening here, as the cover of the Buffalo Springfield’s For What It’s Worth that closes the album underscores.
Union Made Tracklist
1. Howdy Do America ft. Jesse Welles
2. Lincoln Highway
3. My Side Of The Mountain ft. Del McCoury, Ronnie McCoury & Molly Tuttle
4. Revolution Now ft. Evan Felker
5. Last American Waltz
6. Merrimack & Monitor
7. Rainbow Stew
8. Rye Whiskey
9. Beautiful Land ft. Maggie Rose & Lee Oskar
10. Lewis and Clark
11. Y’all All Come ft. John Carter Cash & Ana Cristina Cash
12. For What It’s Worth
