Your Opinion – Old Crow Medicine Show
When I first heard Old Crow’s self-titled album, I ate it right up. With instant classics like “Tell It To Me” and “Wagon Wheel,” OCMS became a popular band for such a rootsy, raw sound, and a major influence in alt-country/roots music. But as I listened to that album and their subsequent releases, my mood on them began to grow sour. Their songwriting skills cannot be denied, and their arrangement and harmonies are superb. But the instrumentation can be sloppy, which at first is endearing, but slowly becomes revealing.
Then there is them “effecting” their voices, trying to sound like Southern bumpkin fallover drunks, when in reality their stone sober in an air conditioned studio. Take their song CC Rider as an example. I’ll eat a bug if this is how these guys sound in real life. The part where Ketch or Willie (not sure which one) says “Play a little while let me get my harmonica,” in such a ridiculously overacted voice makes me want to take the CD and smash it against the wall and never speak of it again. This is what Leroy Virgil was talking about, that lack of genuineness.
They also love to get political on your ass. And not in a cool, ambiguous “the government’s gone nuts” kind of way, but in a way that makes them come across as pushy, pointy nosed intellectual liberals living in very tight reality tunnels, clashing with their bumpkin uneducated style of music. For example in their song “Humdinger” off of Tennessee Pusher the line is, “If you’re not a right winger, then we’ll all have a humdinger.”
My guess is there’s many more “Humdingers” involving “Wine, whiskey, women, AND GUNS” going on in red states than blue, and in my life experience, whether you have a “D” or an “R” in front of your name makes no difference how much you partake in the previously-quoted vices.
Recently their music has become more mainstream. I love the producer Don Was, but why do you need a big name producer to make what is supposed to be simple old time string music?
Without question, Old Crow Medicine Show has been a great ambassador for dirty roots music. I also know that Doc Watson, Emmylou Harris and other high profile people have put their name behind them. But to me they’ve always felt like they are on the outside looking in at what’s really going on in the roots movement, that they’re missing that “soul.” Sure they’re good, but there’s so much better. That’s why a few years back OCMS had to open for the .357 String Band instead of vice versa in Europe, because for whatever reason, the Europeans have a better nose for authenticity than the American public.
I’m not saying I hate the music. On the contrary. But the OCMS approach has given me a love/hate relationship with this band.
What do YOU think?
June 8, 2010 @ 9:33 am
I saw them once on the woodsongs ol time radio hour here in Lexington, YEARS ago… I liked the attitude they portrayed then, but have not really gotten into much of them, other than wagon wheel… I agree with .357 string band being better…actually I thought when I saw OCMS it reminded me of the dead the way they moved and played.
June 8, 2010 @ 9:40 am
I like the first album a lot. But for some reason I never cared enough to listen to the other albums.
June 8, 2010 @ 9:49 am
Yeah see, it’s like a sugar high. You get into them at first, but they wear off real quick. This is a classic sign when something lacks genuineness.
Like “Wagon Wheel” but that song is getting so worn out because so many people cover it. It was ripped off from a Dylan song BTW, and they now share songwriting rights for that song with him.
June 8, 2010 @ 10:00 am
I really like OCMS. I really don’t like the last album. For now, I blame Was…
June 8, 2010 @ 10:20 am
Just cause I haven’t finished my coffee yet, I’m too lazy to look if Tennessee Pusher is their latest album or not, but if it is, that album definitely did not do it for me like their self-titled one did.
Yeah its strange with them. I really dug their self-titled, it was awesome. But yeah, as time goes on it seems their sound is evolving into a place that I’m not as big a fan of.
It doesn’t really make much sense when I think about it but I was going to say something along the lines of them being a band that has a connection to the roots movement but is more appreciated by the casual / mainstream crowd.
But hell, now I’m likely to put on their self-titled album when I get to work today.
June 8, 2010 @ 10:22 am
Was hoping you’d chime in on this one Autopsy.
I think with Was and the last album, they were really trying to court the 50-something mainstream alt-country crowd instead of doing what they do best. Their next album will be very telling.
June 8, 2010 @ 10:25 am
Nlindsay,
Yes, it’s dirty roots music for the masses, and there’s nothing wrong with that on the surface. If someone listens to OCMS and craves more, and ends up becoming a Split Lip Rayfield fan, its a win win. I’m just on hyper alert of people exploiting the Southern culture, esp. when they may rip it off on the one hand, and judge everyone in the South as racist hicks on the other. Not saying thats what OCMS does, but one could be led to thinking that by listening closely to their music.
June 8, 2010 @ 11:01 am
ripped off old bobby zimmerman, eh? not good. i’ll pass.
June 8, 2010 @ 11:09 am
I think Zimmerman was a pretty good sport about it. Here’s what Ketch says about it:
I heard a Dylan song that was unfinished back in high school and I finished it . . As a serious Bob Dylan fan, I was listening to anything he had put on tape, and this was an outtake of something he had mumbled out on one of those tapes. I sang it all around the country from about 17 to 26, before I ever even thought, ‘oh I better look into this.’
June 8, 2010 @ 11:10 am
I read a story about them once, and it said the started out dirt poor, busking acros Canada, then the US, living in their vehicle(s). They then moved to South Carolina and lived in squalor for a while. They were perforiming in a parking lot somewhere, when they were discovered by Doc Watson’s daughter, and eventually Doc Watson. He invited them to play at Merlefest. And that’s what got them their break. —————- I think the reason they lost alot of their soul on the last two, was because their whole world changed when they encountered fame. Which is easy to do, case in point: Hank Jr. They honestly don’t strike me as liberals, I think the “right winger” reference was meaning someone who stricly follows the bible, and therefore wouldn’t drink, fuck, and party. I hate liberals, antigunners, tree-huggers, and pascifists; etc., but nothing political OCMS has said ever pissed me off.
June 8, 2010 @ 11:15 am
I like OCMS, but they haven’t been one of my favorites since their last albume (Tennessee Pusher) came out. “Humdinger” is a great song though. “Big Iron World” is my favorite. Their live show kicks ass, but there’s no question that .357 are better. I would like to see them go back to Rawlings for production in the future, and I would certainly go see them live at the drop of a hat. But I don’t wear the shirt, if you know what I mean.
June 8, 2010 @ 11:53 am
OCMS is amazing, their shows are ridiculous. Not to take anything away from any other bands but I think they’re one of the most talented bands out there. Their sound is pretty clean and maybe that turns some people away… I know I prefer a grittier sound, but if it gets more people turned on to bands like 357 then great. But I really don’t think they’re doing the same thing as 357. I’d put them more in the Dave Rawlins, Felice Brothers, Patty Griffin genre than 357 or Hank 3. I’ve had coffee with Ketch before and we was very nice real person, and he lives in my hood so it’s nice to see neighborhood folks do good.
June 8, 2010 @ 12:07 pm
The first song of their’s I heard was Wagon Wheel. I couldn’t get into any of there other music till Tennessee Pusher. I love Tn. Pusher. I don’t think there’s a bad song on it. I will admit I am a bigger fan of BR5-49.
June 8, 2010 @ 12:21 pm
Pillsbury,
OCMS has a cool story of how they got started and discovered. I know we like to give people a lot of credit around here for being “true” if they’re poor, but honestly I try to not judge music on whether someone is rich or poor, from The South, The North, or Texas, old or young, etc. It’s really easy to do that, but I try to judge the music itself. A lot of people won’t listen to Shooter Jennings or Hank III because they think there’s no way they could have talent on their own, and some people listen to them solely because of who their daddy’s were. It can go both ways.
Clearly fame and money changes artists, but it doesn’t always. A good artist will try to insulate themselves from all that, and try to stay hungry.
I don’t know what the hell I’m trying to say here.
June 8, 2010 @ 12:56 pm
I agree with you that ideally, a good artist will insulate themself from fame and monies’ influence. That is much easier said than done. The majority of artists who accomplish that, are very self destructive. A person who tries to move forward in life, would have a difficult time staying “hungry”. — Honestly, I’d rather go hunting with OCMS than .357 …….. Though I do admit, 357 Stringband is much better at picking, and intricate, but I look more at the whole package.
June 8, 2010 @ 1:54 pm
FUCKING HATE THEM THEIR EARLY SHIT SHOWED SOME PROMISING SONGS BUT LET ME TELL YOU AFTER SEEING UM LIVE I THINK THEIR NOTHING BUT A BUNCHA FUCKIN FRAT BOYS TRYING TO PLAY BLUEGRASS… WORST SHOW IDD SEEN IN YEARS AND COST ME 30 BUCKS ON TOP OF THAT.. AND NOW THEIR CHURCHY PREACHY MOTHER FUCKERS TOO… FUCK THEM GIVE ME SOME HIGHLONESOME OR .357 STRING BAND…
June 8, 2010 @ 2:18 pm
Yup Trigg you hit the Nail on the Head with them. OCMS great name great story but they lag in what we all feel is the soul department.
For me this brings up a thing i been wondering…what about Crooked Still? or The StealDrivers, I wonder about these bands myself. Now the steeldriver is really good and members been around the music bizz for awhile now, but im just not sure about both bands.
You just got me thinking now…..
June 8, 2010 @ 4:00 pm
Well if I got someone thinking I guess I did something right.
June 8, 2010 @ 4:03 pm
.357 and Old Crow is an obvious comparison to make. I can see a lot of the points about Old Crow Being made, but there is NO denying- they are a fuck of a lot better than anything else that is mainstream. It’s obvious they reach a bigger audience hear in the states than .357. I think it’s because they are more easily sellable as ‘good ol boys’. .357 is probably too hard core for a lot of the mainstream scene. I don’t think you’ll ever find .357 on NPR like Old Crow or alot of the other venues (like ‘Outlaw Country Radio’ on Serious Satallite. As for their polotics- who the fuck cares. It takes all kinds, and I gauruntee you wouldn,t like all of the .357’s personal thoughts on politics. The fact is- Old Crow has done a lot of good for modern bluegrass music (along with The Steeldrivers). My opinion is- .357 is DEFINATELY a better talent. Also my opinion- Hellbound Glory doesn’t have the talent that Old Crow does
June 8, 2010 @ 4:18 pm
HONESTLY WHAT THREW ME OFF WAS THEIR LIVE SHOW… I DONT NEED THEM TO TELL ME TO BE CHRISTIAN… AND I DONT NEED TO WATCH THEIR PUNK ASS DRESSED OUTTA THE GAP GUITAR PLAYER ROLLIN AROUND THE GROUND DOING SOME SHITTY GUITAR SOLO LIKES HE IS HAVING A FUCKING HEART ATTACK… THEY JUST ACTED LIKE A BUNCHA STUCK UP TOOL SHEDS WHEN I SAW UMMM… WAGON WHEEL GOOD SONG NOT GREAT BY ANY MEANS BUT REALLY GOOD AND THE PERSON WHO COMMENTED LAST HONESTLY HAS IT RIGHT ITS LIKE COMPARING BOB WAYNE TO RYAN BINGHAM…… BOTH MEN WHO RIGHT SOME GREAT SONGS ABOUT LIFE ON THE ROAD BUT ONES OUTLAW COUNTRY THE OTHER IS CLASSIFIED OF AMERICANA AND ALOT PEOPLE MAY CALL BINGHAM CORPRATE COUNTRY IN MY EYES HE IS NOT, BUT I GUESS ITS THE SAME THING WITH OLE CROW AND .357.. BUT I FEEL AND SAW A LACK OF HEART AND A LACK OF TRUTH IN THEIR LIVE SHOW
June 8, 2010 @ 4:22 pm
AND I SAW RYAN BINGAHM FOR TEN BUCKS AND SAW BOB SEVEN BUCKS BOTH SHOWS IN A BAR… I SAW OLD CROW AT A THEATER FOR 30
June 8, 2010 @ 7:27 pm
For some strange reason they tour New Zealand all the time, so they must have some sort of a following here. To my knowledge they’ve been here at least 3 times in the past couple of years. Having not heard of them but figuring they were ‘my genre’ I checked out their myspace when I first heard they were coming, fully expecting to pee my pants in excitement and go book a ticket. I didn’t like them at ALL. I think you summed it up Trigger with “dirty roots music for the masses”. It did nothing for me, infact I thoroughly disliked it, which was disappointing as the likes of III or Lucky Tubb aren’t likely to be dropping in downunder anytime soon but I didn’t consider going to see them for a second. Interesting debate. Like Wilco – also a band that does nothing for me at all in the very LIMITED listenings I had. I know Wilco are a band I ‘should’ like, I just need someone to explain it to me, or turn me onto an album that will help me ‘get it’.
April 7, 2012 @ 2:41 pm
Ha! I love this comment! Right on, sister!
June 8, 2010 @ 7:35 pm
Triggerman – You hit the nail on the head with the sugar high analogy.
Jammin – Everybody’s entitled to their political views, but there’s no need to blatantly state them in your songs, particularily in a genre that’s usually refreshingly apolitical.
June 8, 2010 @ 9:20 pm
Really this wasn’t supposed to be about .357 String Band vs. Old Crow Medicine Show. I know I kinda started it, but I don’t know if that comparison is fair to either band. And yes, I would agree that to some extent OCMS IS more talented than Hellbound Glory, though in the songwriting dept. I’d say it’s a tossup, and maybe advantage Hellbound, but where Hellbound has them beat is in SOUL. You believe every word coming out of Leroy Virgil’s mouth. “Effecting” your voice and acting old-timey has it’s place, but it’s always going to have less soul than something that is sung straight, and from truth.
I don’t give two shits what anybody’s political beliefs are. And if you notice I NEVER bring politics up here. I avoid it like the ugly girl at the dance. And you’re right, if I knew some artists political beliefs, I probably would hate them because I hate all politics period. That’s why I don’t like to hear it in songs, unless it is ambiguous or somehow universal. When I hear “right winger” I immediately think gun rack, pickup truck, with a patch of weed growing out behind the barn, not churchies, but I understand there are different interpretations. That’s why its best to steer clear of it completely. With that statement, they alienated half the country. Substitute “left” and they would’ve alienated the other half, and in that context it still would’ve worked.
My goal here was not to talk people out of being OCMS fans. If you like their music, that’s all that matters. I just felt like sharing my thoughts, which I had a feeling were shared by others. I’m actually an OCMS fan. I happen to hate them at the same time though.
June 8, 2010 @ 11:24 pm
“I”™m actually an OCMS fan. I happen to hate them at the same time though”. Triggerman – you MUST elaborate?!? Is that like saying you avoid the ugly girl at the dance and spend the evening throwing up in your mouth a bit everytime you look her way, yet have been known to indulge in hanky panky behind the bike sheds with said girl when nobody is looking?
I know it wasn’t your intention to create a OCMS vs .357 SB forum (by the way can someone please explain .357 SB’s name meaning?) but I think it’s awesome that it makes many of us think and contemplate. It opens up other channels of dialogue, opinion and debate. My least favourite blogs are the ones where everybody just gives you kudos for a good review. I’m always grateful for the heads up (and dutifully order it – I trust your judgement) but I do look forward to reading all the comments and random offshoots and tangents.
June 9, 2010 @ 12:34 am
I wanted to like tehm for what they were doing. I bought Eutaw and OCMS, but i didn’t listen to them much.
I could say they were too political, but i’ll always like early Public Enemy.. I could say they’re too christian, but i’ll always listen to the Louvin Brothers..
It just comes down to the music and I’ll take Split Lip Rayfield any day.
June 9, 2010 @ 6:32 am
Carla, the 357 String Band’s name is referencing the .357 Magnum handgun. The casing of a .357 Magnum is slightly longer than a 38 Special, and loaded to higher pressures, leading to higher bullet velocities and ultimately much more stopping power. The String Band part of their name means that their repertoir consists of acoustic stringed instruments.
June 9, 2010 @ 7:15 am
Carla- the ugly chick analogy cranks me up. I’m sure we all got our ‘ugly chicks’.
I don’t mean to just come rushing to Old Crows defense- I just thought they deserved a little more credit. I do feel Old crow has some ‘Soul’. I checked them out on the Marty Stewart show and was impressed.
And on your recommendation T’man- I’ll give Hellbound Glory another listen. I remember your last review of them- you started off by listing reasons on why you should’t like them. Those reasons pretty much summed up my issues with their music. Sometimes it takes seeing some of these guys live to really get into them. Example- it’s been hard for me to get into Bob Wayne, but I’m excited to see him this weekend with .357. I’m hopin it’ll get me into Bob Wayne.
side note- I don’t think people should give up on somebody because they put politics into their music (even if it ain’t you view point). I’m not into devils and satan (or god and jesus for that matter), but I don’t let that hold me back from gettin drunk at as many Hank III concerts as I can.
June 9, 2010 @ 8:36 am
Carla,
You’re way off the scent. I don’t give two shits what people think about my tastes in music, or women.
OCMS’s talent and music can’t be denied. They are good at what they do. But there are elements, like the ones I articulated above that also drive me crazy. It’s hard to explain, and really that is what this article was all about, about the love/hate relationship I have with them, and how complicated that can be. I feel the same way about Neil Young, not that you are any more familiar with his music. At times I love him and he puts out bad ass stuff. Then at other times he’s being overly sappy and/or overpolitical and its like fingernails on a chalkboard and you never want to listen to him again. Then you remember he has some badass songs, and you like him again. I don’t know if any of this is helping clear it up.
June 9, 2010 @ 8:54 am
I think you hit the nail right on the head. I enjoy every album they release less than the previous.
I still listen to them, and occasionally play them on the show, but over time my opinion of them has dropped somewhat.
June 9, 2010 @ 9:18 am
I meant to say carla is cracking me up- not ‘cranking’ me up. that’s funny too! Yeah Blueribbon is right- OCMS last album was very weak. The title of this was ‘Your opinion’- that’s all I’m doin.
June 9, 2010 @ 10:36 am
I don”™t usually like to write anything on these comment boards, but I figured Id weigh in on this one since it”™s about something I said. Not sure what I was getting at with my Old Crow comment I made in my interview with Donnie but I guess I should explain what I think about the whole thing. First off, friends have played me their albums several times and I think they are talented singers, musicians, and arrangers and have an incredible gift for writing songs. How can anyone not like “wagon wheel” its a classic. However, I don”™t think those guys are necessarily writing songs from a place they”™ve been. And while that takes a talent I respect and admire it isn’t something I personally feel in my gut when I hear it. I just feel like they’re writing about me not for me when I listen. Now granted, I”™ve never met these guys or seen them live and maybe they”™re out doin coke and crystal all night and generally living the songs they write but somehow I just don”™t think that”™s the case. Then again, that”™s a talent in itself to be able to do that. They probably wouldn’t dig my stuff either if they heard it and thats totaly fine with me. You know, different strokes, different folks.
Before I go, got to say some words about folks I do like.
357 String Band- Those guys”™ hearts are as big as their talents.
Joe Buck- True American Original and an inspiration since I first saw him with the Hillbilly Allstars at Layla”™s 10 years ago
James Hunnicut- Another dude I saw when I was young and knew he just had “it”
Bob Wayne- Wow, talented fuckin writer.
Lucky Tubb and his gang- Had a great time getting loaded with those guys and pickin guitars in the parking lot
Hank III- Only met him briefly but regardless of whether I always like everything he does I”™ll always dig what he”™s about.
Hellbound Glory- Never said any of my shit was any good but if you like my songs you know me about as well as anyone could.
Triggerman- Thanks for getting it, was starting to think i was delusional.
Folks who dig our shit- Thanks a bunch, hope to meet all you in the future, you”™re as close as kin to me and hope you feel like you have a kindred spirit out there as well.
Cheers, leroy
June 9, 2010 @ 11:46 am
Leroy,
I picked up your record from iTunes after reading the review on this site and dude… I was blown the hell away. One of the best records I’ve heard in a while. That and Scumbag Country are permanent fixtures in my music library. Keep doing what you guys are doing, except maybe come to Nashville sometime and do it here haha. I’d love to see you guys live.
June 9, 2010 @ 12:09 pm
Maybe I’ll have to go listen to some OCMS today, I don’t recall their lyrics being overly political or religious (aside from the “right winger” line). I judge a band by it’s music, which can break down into two parts: live and recorded. OCMS was a fantastic live show. My biggest complaint is that no one else wanted to mosh, so I got a lot of funny looks! As for their records, well I won’t pre-order the next one. I’ll have to listen before I buy. .357, Hellbound fuckin’ Glory, Whitey Morgan, Lucky Tubb, and many others can count on a pre-order!
June 9, 2010 @ 12:10 pm
By the way, Leroy, you guys should come back to Missoula when you get a chance. I’d love to smoke ya up!
June 9, 2010 @ 12:37 pm
Aran,
Good point. I wouldn’t say their “overly” political either. People criticize Hank III because all of his songs are anti-Nashville, when you look at his whole body of work there’s only 4 or 5 of them total. Same with OCMS, but again, they are kind of like the tip of the iceberg so to speak, revealing something about the band I’d rather not know about.
Funny that we’ve had one person on here saying the “Right Winger” line was aimed towards religious only right wingers, and another complaining that they didn’t like the OCMS live show because they were preachy Christians. For the love of God, keep religion and politics out of music, it causes too many problems.
June 9, 2010 @ 10:14 pm
Recorded/produced music of OCMS in my infamous opinion is great!, and I was tickled to death to get the dvd “LIVE AT THE ORANGE PEEL & TENNESSEE THEATRE” wanting of course to SEE this band that sounded so great…WOW! what a bummer. The show on the dvd does not hold a candle to the performance on cd…wich only makes me wonder how much of OCMS’s talent relys on the man at the switchboard. I like alot of their songs but I’am not planning to see them “live” if the DVD tells the true story. I know everything sounds better coming from the studio but I felt their live performance was rushed and really lacked clarity. I have’nt seen alot of the bands “live” that have been mentioned here…other than Bob Wayne,Hank III & gotta love’m Lucky Tubb(2 outta 3 aint bad)…and you hear what you bought or a good(close) performance of the same. I’am glad to hear I’am not the only one here that likes OCMS and I’am real glad to hear I’am not the only person not impressed with their live performance. Thanks Triggerman for the great post.
June 10, 2010 @ 11:37 am
I don’t like any of these kids who plays rock n roll on acoustic guitars while someone mangles a banjo who’s entire repertoire is about getting loaded and calls it “authentic” “roots music” or “bluegrass”.
June 10, 2010 @ 1:44 pm
A car salesman once told me- “there’s a seat for every ass”.
June 10, 2010 @ 2:38 pm
Pillsbury: Cheers! I wondered if it was as calibre reference.
Jammin: we have a saying here about the proverbial Ugly Girl At The Dance. “She’s a Nifty Fifty.” A Nifty Fifty is one of those little motorised scooters whose maximum speed is 50km per hour – the speed limit. It means you wouldn’t ever want your mates to see you riding it but would love to take it out for a spin when nobody is looking.
Trigger: I know! I was just joshing you. I was fascinated that you can be a fan and hate something at the same time. I don’t generally feel that way about anything, especially music – either I’m a fan or I’m not. And yes, I am very easily influenced when it comes to music on this here forum, I rely on all you good folk to turn me onto things I wouldn’t normally hear about or be open to 😉
June 10, 2010 @ 3:33 pm
I like the old Eutaw shit. Fuck em tho, I been jammin a lot of “Mountain Sprout” lately. You should check them out Trig if you haven’t already.
June 10, 2010 @ 7:38 pm
Carla, Is it legal to own a handgun in your neck of the woods? I’m just curious.
June 10, 2010 @ 10:59 pm
Hey Pillsbury, yep you can own handguns here but it’s very difficult. My dad’s run a rifle club for over 40 years and even he doesn’t own a handgun. If you get a license to buy one you need to be a member (of and sponsored by) n registered pistol club and must attend club shoots at least once a month or your license and weapon will be stripped from you. Gun laws are very strict here – even our police don’t carry guns. You won’t get shot in NZ, but you might get stabbed or bitch slapped.
June 11, 2010 @ 2:40 am
that’s exactly what i think about OCMS. it never felt like they belong to all the other bands. i really like a few of their songs, but they also got a lot of too mainstream stuff for my taste.
and than there’s that 6 string guitar-banjo and the roundneck dobro that they play like a normal guitar…
June 11, 2010 @ 10:45 am
Fuck the old crow . Got that new lucky Tubb.. Pretty damn good Ramblin is a classic.I guess Lucky can use Waylon styled riffs since he’s from Texas.
June 12, 2010 @ 9:26 am
not trying to put anyone down but you’ve got to look at seperate from the hank 3 kind of music there not 357.stringband but there part of different movement with guys like justin townes earle & the felice brothers i own every fucking one of there cd’s i love hank 3 to i own every one of his cd’s to but all of old crows cd’s are better than damn right & rebel pround i think there authentic its a stringband tradition to put on hefty southeren southeren voice it’s called a stage persona but ketch is from north carolina but read there history ofstreet performing all over canada & america before being discovered by doc watson thats dedicated to your music they did’nt have famous fathers or rely off a name hank 3 & lucky tubb to get them a record deal so i think there great & fuck you if you don’t
June 12, 2010 @ 10:14 am
Again, wasn’t really trying to make direct comparisons, esp. to Hank III and certainly not to Lucky Tubb, who if you think has been helped by his name, you should check your head, as right now his status is one step out of the gutter, and he’s not “signed” to anything, save maybe a distribution deal with Lone Star.
Justin Townes Earle is his own can of worms, and will be dealt with in due course.
June 12, 2010 @ 3:43 pm
I’m on the fence about Old Crow. Some of their stuff I REALLY like and some I REALLY dislike. One thing I will say about them is that I had the pleasure of seeing them at Merlefest a few years back and they had people going crazy and dancing their asses off. They were very high-energy and they really seemed to be having a great time up there on the stage. I haven’t seen them since then, so maybe a lot has changed, but that show on the Americana stage @ Merlefest was memorable one. As far as their albums go, I liked OCMS a lot more than TN Pusher. As Pickles, the drummer for Dethklok, would say, “…it lacked ZAZZ…”.
That being said, I also had the EXTREME pleasure of seeing Split Lip Rayfield last winter. And even though my hubby, our buddy JD and I were the only people (LITERALLY the ONLY people) in that place who knew who they were, (they opened for Donna the Buffalo…weird combination) those guys played with an energy like they were playing for 50,000 screaming fans in Wembley stadium. I’ve never seen a band play to so few people and yet maintain that high energy and soul!! By the end of their set, the DtB fans were losing their minds over them!!! There just aren’t many bands/musicians out there that can pull something like that off when there are only 3 people in the entire place who know who you are. I just don’t know if OCMS could do something like that.
June 13, 2010 @ 6:40 am
Leroy- I heard Dallas Wayne (Sirious Outlaw Country) play some Hellbound GLory on saturday afternoon. First time I caught you on there- congrats.
Saw Bob Wayne last night- FUCKING AWESOME. of course- theres no going wrong when the .357’s are your back up.
Billy’ guitar playing is what really put Bob’s show over the top. And every time I see Rick Ness play, I get amazed all over again. I do miss Jayke- gonna try to catch him with the Gallows in a week or so. .357’s profesionalism is amazing. I was bummed they didn’t play ‘Ride Again’ or ‘Day’s Engrave’. I have problems with speeding when I listen to ‘Ride Again’ in my truck and I zone and get lost with ‘Days Engrave’.
June 13, 2010 @ 7:51 am
Just a comment on my last comment about how I speed and get lost when listenig to .357’s while driving. I think OCMS is talented and has soul but I don’t think they ever put me in a state of mind like that. Maybe if I need to get to my destination without any problems- that’s the time to listen to Old Crow. I think that about sums OCMS up for me.
June 14, 2010 @ 10:21 am
@ Old crow 13.. Lucky Tubb does not have a record deal and he has to work just as hard as any other musician out there. He doesn’t get half the recognition he deserves. as well as Wayne Hancock. I am getting Lucky gigs for $100. if I’M Lucky to even book him for that much of money. Regardless of his last name, don’t mean shit. OCMS is a good band, so is .357. It’s all preference really.
June 14, 2010 @ 5:04 pm
Gina i was a little pissed lucky is great i wasn’t saying that it’s just why would you question there authenticity you don’t pick up banjos and play in the streets to make big money you do that if your dedicated ocms is great i think next go round is one of the most country songs in the past few years i think if they are not authentic Justin townes earle would’nt have been friends with them since he was 19
June 15, 2010 @ 10:56 am
Old Crow.. I don’t think just because JTE is friends with OCMS, that makes them authentic. JTE is incredible and I am a huge fan and can not wait until his new record is out, but in all reality, His approach to the southern blues stuff is not all that Authentic. IN MY OPINION and I’m only referring to the few videos I have seen. I know some folks that rips that old delta blues apart, musically, vocally , heart and soul and they are washing dishes for a living. They are as authentic as it gets. Just because someone plays old timey music doesn’t make them authentic. Heart and Soul and living the life, telling your story in a song does.. again.. IN MY OPINION NO matter what your last name is, how trendy it is etc.
June 15, 2010 @ 8:38 pm
JTE was addicted to drugs when he was 12his father went to jail because of heroin possesion i think he’s lived the life Gina but the delta blues look up mance lipscomb lightnin hopkins sonny terry you’ll see where JTE influence comes from like i said i think they have lived the life they know hard times & fuck last names i’m sorry about that comment i’m sayin research old crow a little more learn the history their not the .357 stringband their not hellbound glory or split lip rayfield all great bands in their own right but if you look at old crow in that aspect your going at it all wrong because they don’t focus on the heavier side or the darker side like previous mention bands just please i renig my first comment let it die
June 20, 2010 @ 4:54 pm
Just wanted to chime in here for a sec.
When i first heard OCMS back in ’03 or so I really loved them. I heard Live From Wawa and thought it was a great album and great band. Fuck that, i thought they were IMPORTANT! It was great to hear young kids rippin shit up, and blasting through the cornhole-stereotypes of hicks and losing the 11-minute bela fleck solos. They were one of the many reasons i wanted to start a bluegrass type band. If young punks and disenchanted youth, washed in poverty and booze could get into the new wave of Irish Folk due to content, than why the hell was all this AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC getting made fun of and scoffed at on such a grand scale?
I guess, in a way, the more Dropkick Murphy’s took off-the more i found pride in our domestic roots. I started seeking out everything at an early age, but when i found bands like OCMS and the band no one talks about enough, The Hackensaw Boys, I found my calling and started focusing on killin it on a mandolin. flash forward a few years, and i found the right group of guys to try and make a differance in music and we now have .357 String Band.
As the years went by, and the more OCMS took off, the more i lost interest in them, sadly. They’re sound was more polished and cleaned up, they’re live show I found dull and uninspired. Having played WITH them, i realized that they were just evolving into something new, and theres nothin wrong with that. I just prefer the first two virtualy unknown albums.
Sorry for the novel, but i really wished people would talk more about bands that still have that sound and still do it on the same level without changing who they are. The Hackensaw Boys are still out there killin it (check out the albums Give It Back and Look Out!) Though Im not in .357 String Band anymore, I still look back knowing we started out on the right fuckin foot. Where it all goes for all these bands is always a crap shoot but in the meantime look at it this way….
Love them or hate them, theyre one piece in this vast puzzle that has spikey haired streetpunks grabbin copies of Flat & Scruggs.
Amen to that.
…..again, sorry for the novel. Now im gonna go take a shit
June 21, 2010 @ 8:36 am
Doesn’t get any more misguided than Bella Fleck.
June 20, 2012 @ 6:15 pm
Just heard ocms for the first time a yr ago (wagon wheel) and feel in love with my favorite new band. I bought every CD except eutaw. Have only found maybe four or five total that I dont like. There is definetly changes in all there CDs but they are all uniquely ocms. I’m live 20 mins from where ketch and kritter grew up together so I now a lot of the areas they sing about so I could be bias. Still haven’t been this excited about a band in a long time!
July 20, 2012 @ 10:10 am
Not only do I completely agree with the statements made by Leroy Virgil but also want to point out what Joe Buck said about Old Crow Medicine Show: “they might as well be a boy band now.”
July 20, 2012 @ 10:25 am
Hahahaha. When OCMS came out a couple of my buddies, who are into the same types of music, said that they were the real deal. I was always skeptical. The biggest giveaway is, as Triggerman said, the way that the singer(s) affect their voice(s.) Its as if they are mocking the the people that listen to them, or the artists from whence their type of music came. I believe Robbie Fulks had a few things to say about this in “Countrier Than Thou…”
April 14, 2013 @ 2:03 pm
Just started listening to them & LOVE them. Also nice to get names of other bands I might like.
August 6, 2014 @ 5:27 am
You people must be smoking Alabama High Test. OCMS is a great band. “I Hear Them All” might be one of the 5 best songs recorded in the last decade. And I could line up another 2 dozen tracks behind that one. Wake up folks or they’ll be gone.
April 17, 2016 @ 7:18 am
Wine, whiskey, women, and guns sounds like every right wing party I’ve ever been attended. In my experience with left wing parties, there was a lot of self loathing and misery.
July 12, 2020 @ 8:43 pm
Listen to you fucks….”I used to like OCMS until I actually started LISTENING” and found out the whole time they were political…Just not to your liking or your side of the spectrum… Y’all don’t know shit about dick… except being stupid trolls who have given nothing to the human experience except the horseshit that spews out of your fingers. And wagon wheel isn’t even their best song but Johnny come latelys like y’all base EVERYTHING they have ever made off of that one song…which was a Bob Dylan song that has been in the making for decades until Ketch fell in love with the bootleg and added to it