The Musical Box

old crow medicine show. photo by aaron farrington.

Some audiences still view Old Crow Medicine Show as some kind of retro bluegrass novelty. But if you caught either of the band’s shows a few years back at The Dame, just as its national fanbase began to boil, you know this string band is capable of a rowdy acoustic racket full of dark, restless imagery.  Songs of corn liquor, cocaine and all kinds of love gone sour are the order of the hour for these guys.

The lead off tune of the band’s new Tennessee Pusher album continues the misadventures. Titled Alabama High Test, the song chronicles the back roads movement of nefarious contraband. No doubt the transport used was the lone vintage vehicle that ominously makes its way through the night sky on the album cover.

Is it any wonder then that a Crow show approximates a night in a Prohibition Era speakeasy more than a weekend bluegrass fest? On Saturday, you can catch the Crows in action at the Louisville Palace.

Get to this one early, folks. The Felice Brothers will be opening. The upstate New York troupe played in Lexington two weekends ago when sound problems at the Christ the King Oktoberfest were at their worst. The band persevered by playing its mix of Cajun accordion-fueled jams and roots rock spirituals completely unplugged in the midst of the festival crowd. Imagine how cool the Felice boys will sound on Saturday all amped up with a fevered Old Crow crowd at their feet.

Old Crow Medicine Show and The Felice Brothers perform at 8 p.m. Oct. 11 at the Louisville Palace, 625 4^th St. in Louisville. Tickets are $20 and $30. Call (859) 281-6644.