|
Old Crow Medicine Show frontman Ketch Secor shares the official music video for his new single “Old Man River,” which appears on his debut solo album Story The Crow Told Me, out now on Equal Housing Records via Firebird Music. A joyful ode to old Nashville and the historic Cumberland River, the new video was featured this morning at Relix, who said “Like his intent to seek a natural sanctuary in the sanctified waters of his city of choice, the track seemingly transmutes into a modern layer, akin to Alison Krauss’ O Brother, Where Art Thou? stunner, ‘Down to the River to Pray,’ or Natalie Merchant’s ‘Where I Go;’ river songs that celebrate the power of the cold current, and its ability to heal.” Next week, Secor will make his debut as the new host of Tennessee Crossroads, the long-running travel and culture series, starting September 4 at 7pm CDT on Nashville PBS (WNPT) and the free PBS app. Now in its 39th season, the beloved series airs on public television stations across Tennessee and the Southeast, while reaching viewers nationwide online. Secor will also lend his signature curiosity and warmth to Jaunts, the show’s digital companion, taking viewers on quick discoveries across the region. |
|
About “Old Man River,” Secor says: “While the jib cranes went whirling and the dynamite blasts shook the earth, I leaned against the motel billboard sprouted up in my yard, chewed a wad of Mail Pouch, and watched as a mid-south city became a national boom town. Everyone wanted in. Bus benches advertised singers; public access TV held square dances; bands, venues, festivals, whole genres were born and died before they ever learned to walk. Where was the bread crumb trail the great ones left behind for us to follow? If I had been born in Athens, I would have taken my worries to Aristotle’s Lyceum or Plato’s Academy. But I was from the Athens of The South, so I took my troubles to the river and left ‘em there.” On the video: “Nashville’s a river town, and folks down south will tell you there’s nothing like taking your worries to the banks of something far mightier than yourself. So, I buzzed down to Shelby Bottoms and the muddy Cumberland River for this new video. It’s a place I’ve long sought refuge. A quick roll of my pant legs and a couple of catfish later, and I’m soaked to the gills in baptismal waters. Hope this song cures what ails you. It sure did me.” To date, Story The Crow Told Me has garnered praise from American Songwriter, Holler, Music Row, Relix and Rolling Stone, who debuted the video for the album’s first single “Dickerson Road” and proclaimed it “bristles with the same energy of its namesake.” Recently, Billboard published an extensive feature with Secor and his video for the album’s coda “What Nashville Was,” which features Molly Tuttle as well as a poignant sample from Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash. Recorded at Secor’s own Hartland Studios and co-written/produced with Jody Stevens (Luke Bryan, Jake Owens), Story The Crow Told Me is a potent reflection on a quarter century spent in Music City that features additional special guests Marty Stuart, The Cadillac Three’s Jaren Jaren Johnston, and Old Crow alumni Critter Fuqua and Willie Watson. Fresh off the Railroad Revival Tour with Mumford & Sons and Friends, Secor is continuing his Story The Crow Told Me Tour this fall with upcoming stops in New York City, Asheville and more. |
