Rob recommends Old Crow Medicine Show

So we were chicken-sitting for our Catskill Mountain friends in early August. They were returning a little early from vacation just so we could overlap a little and actually see each other. I was in my frantic got-to-get-dinner-on-the-table mode and decided to put some music on to ease the process along. I turned on Laura’s CD player without looking at what music she’d selected. It turned out to be Old Crow Medicine Show. What a treat! Who knew? I’d never heard of them. They’re in that nexus of country/bluegrass/rockabilly/folk blues where everyone hears something different. The band has played all the usual places from the Grand Ole Opry to Prairie Home Companion to Late Night with Conan O’Brien. The album we were listening to was O.C.M.S., with a mix of original and traditional songs. “Wagon Wheel” the group’s signature song was adapted with new verses from an unfinished Dylan song. Their other albums have a few clunkers, but you won’t find any on this one.