Americana music has always had a unique kind of patriotism. It tends to avoid the shadow of imperialism or—dare we say—anti-intellectualism that mainstream country music sometimes preaches, and instead totes patriotism for the people, by the people.
So when old-time crooners Old Crow Medicine Show set out to make a “patriotic” album, they aimed their focus on people—not parties—percussionist, vocalist and banjoist Cory Younts tells RM. Their newest record, Union Made, drops June 5 amid a ~six month U.S. tour—including a stop at Koka Booth Amp in Cary May 28.
Commentary that felt fitting—or at least pride in their country—didn’t come easy at first. “Management didn’t want to use the word patriotic,” emphasizes Younts, “but wanted some sort of tribute to the 250th anniversary of America. Let’s face it: Who’s proud of America right now?”
Despite starting out discouraged, Old Crow rose to the occasion to make an album for everyone. “How much longer will it be before we reach as one, torn apart and divided by the colors that we see, refusing to believe we’re all in the same family,” sings the track “Beautiful Land,” calling out the steep and often nonsensical divide through the country. “[OCMS frontman] Ketch loves to—as he says—get the hippies and the rednecks together,” notes Younts.
Bipartisanship has always coursed through the Nashville-based band’s blood. What other band would open for staunch conservative Hank Williams Jr. only to later feature blatantly leftist folk artist Jesse Welles in an opening track? Younts tell RM that while they wanted Welles on the record, he didn’t have a hand in writing the opening track “Howdy Do America”—he only had a voice in the vocals.
“That song is very Fozzie Bear and Kermit to me,” quips Younts. “It’s very moving right along.”
Also gracing Union Made is Merle Haggard’s influence via a cover of “Rainbow Stew,” a whimsy and hopeful (at least by Haggard standards) deep cut. “Merle didn’t perform it the way we do,” says Younts. “We listened to it, and ‘I said, you know, we could double time this and make it our own,’ and we’ve been performing that pretty much every night.”
On top of “Rainbow Stew,” OCMS is still happily strumming “Wagon Wheel.” The show may be in Cary, but the line “If I die in Raleigh, at least I will die free” will hit close to home no matter where you are.
The 36th annual MerleFest promises something for every musical taste.
The North Carolina foothills are about to come alive again with the sound of music (someone call Julie Andrews!). The 36th edition of MerleFest—the annual celebration of “traditional-plus” music (think a mix of bluegrass, newgrass, blues, country, rock, folk and more)—is rolling through Wilkes Community College campus in Wilkesboro April 25–28.
Founded by late legend Doc Watson, the Americana fest—named after Watson’s son and fellow picker, Merle—promises something for every musical taste, with 100+ musicians taking to 13 stages throughout the weekend. A musical choose your own adventure, if you will. Nearly 80,000 festivalgoers from across the country and beyond are expected to attend this year’s festival, according to MerleFest Director Frederick “B” William Townes IV, affectionately known as the father of MerleFest.
Want to go to MerleFest for free? The festival is still looking for volunteers, which typically number more than 4,000! Email [email protected] to learn more.
Also a boon for the community, the economic impact totals ~$12–15 million, with the revenue serving 45 local nonprofits. “It grew from a one-day one-man concert to a two-day multistage festival,” he adds—“and, as they say, the rest is history.”
And while on that quest for the next musical phenom, don’t miss the annual MerleFest Band Competition, which allows you to hear previously unknown talents (and the next big thing) from across the country as they compete on the Plaza Stage on Saturday for the coveted spot of performing on the festival’s Hillside Stage on Sunday. That is, of course, if you’re not too tired out to catch the winners after staying up for the rollicking Saturday Night Jam or from the Dance Tent. (Push through—you won’t regret it!)Beyond all the great sets, the second-largest tourist draw to North Carolina is about so much more than the music. There’s shopping, a wide range of local fare, nature walk ops and documentary screenings. But, most importantly, it’s about the people—from the longtime volunteers to the fans who have never missed a festival to the first-time attendees. Jerry Douglas, master dobro player of Alison Krauss & Union Station and the Earls of Leicester, calls it a homecoming and a reunion for the musicians as well as their fans. We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. One-day tickets from $80, multiday tickets from $205, merlefest.org
MerleFest 2022 brings headliners Emmy Lou Harris, Josh Turner, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band—and a whole lot more.
Spring has sprung in North Carolina and that means music fans from around the world will make their annual pilgrimage to the campus of Wilkesboro Community College for one of the country’s most beloved weekends of live music, MerleFest. Here, music writer Lisa Snedeker gives her hot take on this year’s beloved roots-based music festival.
If you haven’t already blocked off the weekend of April 28–May 1 on your calendar—trust me on this—you’re going to want to because this year’s lineup is one of the festival’s most impressive. And if you consider the fact we all met for this storied festival less than six months ago, it’s even more formidable.
While I know many festival goers will purchase tickets because they want to see the headliners—think Emmy Lou Harris, Josh Turner, Old Crow Medicine Show, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Greensky Bluegrass, Trampled By Turtles, Steep Canyon Rangers, Jerry Douglas and many other talented acts—it’s the myriad “other” acts you’re not going to want to miss. I often find that it’s the acts in the small print at the bottom of the festival poster that become the headliners of the future and each new festival gives you a chance to discover them before anyone else!
Caleb Caudle, a newcomer to MerleFest, is just such a performer for me. I first heard him perform at the now unfortunately defunct Phuzzfest in Winston-Salem. I knew immediately I wanted to hear more from this amazing young talent. He later introduced me to another favorite band, Raleigh-based Jack the Radio, who opened for Caudle at another Winston-Salem show in another sadly defunct music space, The Garage. I have been writing about Caudle long before Rolling Stone finally caught on to his amazing talents—and for good reason.
It’s been said that MerleFest is a homecoming, a reunion of sorts for fans and musicians alike. Familiar faces include the one and only Sam Bush, who has never missed a MerleFest since it first started on the back of a flatbed truck in the middle of a then-field; MerleFest’s house band Scythian and their friends from across the pond, We Banjo Three; The Wood Brothers; The Steel Wheels; Darrell Scott; and, well, you get the picture.
There are too many other great acts to mention them all here, but you can find a full lineup at this link.
Additionally, this year’s Late Night Jam features Hogslop String Band, whose unique sound and amazing energy I had the pleasure of experiencing at the International Bluegrass Music Association’s Wide Open Bluegrass event in Raleigh in October. The group will be joined on Saturday by myriad guests for a night of “The Times They Are A-Changin – Songs From the ’60s and ’70s Folk-Rock Revolution.”
And that brings me to Will Easter, a native son and recent graduate of WCC, who looks and sounds like he should be in a ’70s folk-rock band. He will be among those competing in this year’s Battle of the Bands, one of my favorite things to check out at MerleFest, along with the Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. Get your tickets!
