Tennessee Pusher
Unadulterated revivalism, at least in music, is a dicey endeavor: Plainly regurgitating aged tropes can feel disingenuous, lazy, or a little silly. But Old Crow Medicine Show—a country-folk-rock-bluegrass ensemble based in Nashville—seems mostly unconcerned with bowing to hallowed sonic ground. Instead, it synthesizes…
Calling Old Crow Medicine Show a bluegrass band is really a bit of a stretch, since they actually sound more like a prewar jug and string band filtered through Uncle Tupelo than they do, say, Bill Monroe, and the group's attitude and themes are all rock & roll, which gives the band, when it's at its best, a wonderfully fresh vitality with a little bit of wounded cowboy angel pathos tossed in for good measure.
Old Crow Medicine Show is the rare band that has found a way to be all things to all people without ever sacrificing their integrity at the oft-visited...