OCMS Xmas

Description

For Old Crow Medicine Show, playing music has always felt like a holiday celebration. "We're in the joy business," says singer Ketch Secor, who launched the Grammy-winning band in 1998. "From the very beginning, a lot of the virtues of Christmas—revelry, caroling, happiness—were present in our show." Nowhere is this more evident than on OCMS XMAS, the band's first holiday album. Decked out in seasonal spirit and string-band stomp, it's the rare breed of Christmas record that packs a punch all year round, casting new light on the band's chart-topping version of American roots music. Old Crow Medicine Show doesn't just reinterpret their favorite Christmas standards; they also add new songs to the canon, from "Jolly Man"—a country-blues number inspired by Mississippi John Hurt and spiced with harmonica, sleigh bells, and resonator guitar—to the zydeco-flavored "All About A Baby." They also tell new stories. In "Corn Whiskey Christmas," a bootlegger drives his Chevrolet through the snow on Christmas Eve, bringing moonshine to those craving a cup of joy. On the worthy John Prine "Bethlehem, PA"—a sly reinvention of the Nativity story, with lyrics swapping Steel Country for Jerusalem—the band heads to the Keystone State to witness the Nativity, making stops at Wawa and Motel 6 along the way. "Grandpa's Gone" grapples with the loss of a family figure during the holiday season, while the wicked "Krampus Night" gives a minor twist to the Christmas catalog, paying homage to a folkloric creature who, according to Secor, "might just leave you coal and steal your soul." Old Crow has thrived for over a quarter century. Like many of their heroes, they have become torchbearers of classic folk music, reshaping those sounds for the modern world. They are creators, not replicators, and OCMS XMAS sees them tackling another tradition—the time-honored Christmas album—with humor, hillbilly twang, and fresh ideas. Backed by the band's first-ever "Holiday Hootenanny" tour, OCMS XMAS might just be the start of a new tradition in itself: a celebration of seasonal sounds, shared joy, and the holiday rituals that bring us all together. Christmas just got a new soundtrack.