November 2025 Edition
Howdy there from Nashville.
It's November and raining, and the smell of woodsmoke is in the air, and the leaf clumps flap in the gutters like wet paperbacks. Deflated jack o lantern grins stretch amorphously from porches and wind strewn Sour Patch Kids packets dot the sidewalks. Childrens' once triumphant candy satchel spoils are now down to plastic spider rings and a few measly Mary Janes and Bit-o-honeys. Halloween is in the rearview and even the Grand Ole Opry has already decked the halls for Christmas. Few seasons in our culture have a transition as manic as Halloween's threshold to Christmas. And that’s what makes me so grateful for my favorite of all holidays, that most wondrous, gravy bowl pouring-est, cranberry stuffing-est pageant of American family feasts: Thanksgiving. Yippee. It's almost here, folks. Acorn squash and a maple syrup glaze. I can almost taste it. Buttermilk pie, almost as sweet as the one they served last week at Hilloween in Spruce Pine, NC.
And the sour apple crumble that would make even folk hero John Chapman proud, yum! Ok, so why is Thanksgiving far superior to Xmas? No presents. Less guilt. More food. Less stress. Now, truth be told, the pilgrim lifestyle may have been a little pious for our tastes in Old Crow. I can’t really see ‘em rocking out to songs like Tell It To Me or Alabama High Test. But throw in a few tankards of ale, and a cornucopia of New England produce, a little Yankee fiddling, and maybe some minor witchcraft and you’ve got all the trimmings for the party of the century. Hooray, Thanksgiving is right around the corner!
This week I headed out for the last leg of my 2025 ‘Story The Crow Told Me Tour’. It’s been a fun record to get out and support. I’m indulging my storytelling side as I share a first-hand account of what it was like to take a struggling old-time string band from the curb to the mountaintop, in the era before the internet and cellphones. If you haven't heard the record yet, please check it out! Meanwhile, new Old Crow music keeps popping out of the oven like so much green bean casserole down at East Nashville’s famed Hartland Studios. Our new Christmas record launch is just weeks away and you need to sign up for your preorder now! Ya’ll, this is such a gorgeous new album. I wrote some of my best songs ever for it, and it’s going to be a joy to hear all year through. One of those tunes is our new single, “Corn Whiskey Christmas” which just launched today. I wrote it thinking about those early years of our band running off a few gallons of shine in our home still operation up on Flat Springs Road in Avery County, NC. Up in those hills, it's easy to see how important the holidays are to the local economy. North Carolina Frazier Firs provide vital incomes for these mountaineers, as does local craft work for quilters and folk toy makers, and, yes, even moonshiners. We shot a hilarious video down at Santa’s Pub in South Nashville, and dedicated it to their late great owner and lead elf Elmer Denzel Irwin (each of his names could have been reindeers) and you can see it HERE. Our first ever Christmas tour, Old Crow’s ‘Holiday Hootennany’ kicks off in just a month, with 11 special stops across the land. Please make plans to come out and see us, we guarantee it’s going to be at least as fun as Pee-Wee Herman’s Christmas special. Instead of Charo we’ve got special guest bluegrass music champion fiddler Bronwyn Keith-Hynes, and a host of area children's choirs signed on to help ratchet up the yuletide spirits.
See you at the show!
Well, friend. I am mighty grateful to you for the love, support, and enthusiasm you keep for our band which, for these past 28 amazing years, continues to reach new audiences. We love you and we are thankful to you this Thanksgiving season. May it be a blessing to you and your loved ones. Until next time!
Rock On,
Ketch