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I was privileged to see Old Crow Medicine Show as an unknown emerging band in the UK, when they stole the show at Cambridge Folk Festival in 2004. I caught them at the Mojo press tent, doing a busking set, at that time they weren’t on the festival bill, their high energy set drew an enthusiastic crowd, and they went down a storm. Continue reading “AmericanA to Z: Old Crow Medicine Show”
The call came in from NPR for Old Crow Medicine Show to contribute a new song that dealt with our times – and specifically here the ravages of Covid-19 in the USA. If there is one league you don’t want to top it’s the most infected and the most deaths due to Covid, and that’s where the USA is right now according to WHO reporting. So it’s not surprising that ‘Pray for America‘ is a heartfelt plea for succour. Continue reading “Old Crow Medicine Show “Pray For America” – Listen”
Earth’s nearest neighbour has provided much inspiration to songwriters from all musical genres and Americana is no exception. The moon has been used as a metaphor for the impossible, the unattainable as well as providing a romantic backdrop for Americana songs. It is also perhaps no accident that the illicitly produced spirit Moonshine and respective bootlegging activities have given a rich seam of material for Americana artists keen to express the human spirit of defiance and rebellion. Continue reading “Top ten Americana songs influenced by the moon and moonshine”
The banjo has made a significant contribution to Americana dating back in its earliest forms to thirteenth-century sub-Saharan cultures. It almost certainly reached America with slaves during the eighteenth century and by the nineteenth century it was being accompanied by that Northern European import, the fiddle. Appalachian folk music adopted the instrument creating new interpretations of European folk tunes eventually leading to legendary banjo exponent, Earl Scruggs influencing many players of the twentieth century. Continue reading “Top ten banjo tracks”
Over the past 55 years or so (yes I’m that old!), I’ve been to hundreds and hundreds of gigs from tiny venues in pubs to Wembley Stadium, with everything in between. I have very few artists on my bucket list but one of the bands I haven’t seen and would really like to, is Old Crow Medicine Show. Now this could be remedied in March as they’re playing at the O2 as part of the Country To Country festival but the thought of seeing a band that should be playing at somewhere like the late lamented Borderline or something similarly intimate, at the vast barn that is the O2 means I’m going to have to wait a little longer to see them performing live. Continue reading “AmericanA to Z – Old Crow Medicine Show”
Two-time Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Gill Landry, has ten UK dates in the new year in support of his new album out on the Loose record label, ‘Skeleton At The Banquet’. Landry is one of the 75 acts due to appear at the Americana Music Association UK’s showcases at the end of January before he plays a more extensive tour in February. Continue reading “Gill Landry announces UK tour dates”
Old Crow Medicine Show are one of those bands who’ve played the Ryman auditorium so often these days that it might as well be renamed after them, but in the meantime the Grammy-winning roots band will release a new album ‘Live at the Ryman’ on Sept 20th which was recorded during various headlining performances and features over 11 tracks both Old Crow classics like ‘Brushy Mountain Conjugal Trailer’ and ‘Methamphetamine,’ and covers like ‘Will the Circle Be Unbroken,’ ‘CC Rider,’ and ‘Sixteen Tons.’ Oh and ‘Wagon Wheel’ of course, their tribute to the circular biscuit which has definitely shrunk over the years. Continue reading “Old Crow Medicine Show to release live album”