Old Crow Medicine Show detailed their seventh studio record, Paint This Town, out April 22 via ATO Records.
The Grammy-winning band also shared the video for the album’s title-track today, which was directed by Travis Nicholson.
“This song is about growing up in a small town, and having to make fun wherever you could find it,” bandleader Ketch Secor said in a statement. “Our band has always drawn its inspiration from those elemental American places, where water towers profess town names, where the Waffle House and the gas station are the only spots to gather; this is the scenery for folk music in the 21st century. And the John Henry’s and Casey Jones of today are the youth who rise up out of these aged burgs undeterred, undefeated, and still kicking.”
Paint This Town was recorded in the spring of 2021 at the group’s own Hartland Studio. Shining a light on the darker aspects of American life, the record is driven by the near, harmonious future that is waiting for us all after the pandemic is over. Old Crow co-produced the album with Matt Ross-Spang (John Prime, Jason Isbell), and it is available for pre-order now.
The Nashville-based band released three tracks this year that also incapsulate the feelings and aura that the global pandemic brought: “Nashville Rising,” “Quarantined,” and “Pray For America.” The band’s Hartland Studio is host to their regular “Hartland Hootenanny” live steam variety show, and it is set to return at 7 p.m. CT on December 18 for a special holiday episode. It will feature special guest Brittney Spencer, and will broadcast live on the band’s YouTube and Facebook.
Old Crow is currently on the road and only have several shows left to close out 2021. They are returning to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for their annual New Year’s Eve performances on December 30 and 31.
“At the end of the day, we’re still just trying to stop you on the street and get you to put a dollar in the guitar case,” bassist Morgan Jahnig said in a statement. “Then once we’ve got your attention, we’re gonna tell you about things like the opioid epidemic and the Confederate flag and what’s happening with the environment—but we’re gonna do it with a song and dance. We feel a great obligation to talk about the more difficult things happening out there in the world, but we also feel obligated to make sure everyone’s having a great time while we do it.”
Paint This Town Track List
1. Paint This Town
2. Bombs Away
3. Gloryland
4. Lord Willing and the Creek Don’t Rise
5. Honey Chile
6. Reasons To Run
7. Painkiller
8. Used To Be A Mountain
9. DeFord Rides Again
10. New Mississippi Flag
11. John Brown’s Dream
12. Hillbilly Boy
Old Crow Medicine Show Tour Dates
December 10 – Nashville, TN @ Grand Ole Opry
December 11 – Nashville, TN @ Grand Ole Opry
December 16 – Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theater
December 17 – Newkirk, OK @ 7 Clans Casino
December 27 – Greenville, SC @ The Peace Center
December 28 – Knoxville, TN @ Tennessee Theatre
December 30 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
December 31 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
