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Old Crow Medicine Show Brought the Porch to the People at MPAC in Morristown


By Ilana Rapp

originally published: 04/25/2025

Photo by Penny Liss

For a bunch of crows, these guys sure have a lot of energy! I'm talking about the Old Crow Medicine Show, who are currently on their Circle The Wagons Tour. They made a pitstop in New Jersey at Mayo Performing Arts Center (MPAC) on April 23, 2025 and had the whole building shaking.

If you're unfamiliar with this Grammy-award winning Americana string band, co-founded by Ketch Secor and Willie Watson, think deep and see if you've heard of a folk song called Wagon Wheel (in your head, you may call it Rock Me, Mama). Wagon Wheel, which has a history of its own, including being co-written by Bob Dylan, went on to become their signature song, covered frequently by others, including New Jersey's own teen band The Green Planet.

Tidbit: Wagon Wheel has been certified by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as one of the top five country singles of all time!

The Circle the Wagons Tour: A Revival of Roots

The tour's aim is to bring old-time string band music to contemporary audiences.




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Ketch Secor (Jay Ketcham Miller Secor), the only original bandmate on the stage, was born in Denville, NJ. But shhh, don't let our good friends in Nashville know that! Ketch was joined by fellow musicians Morgan Jahnig, Cory Younts, Dante’ Pope, and PJ George. Missing from the lineup was Mike Harris because his newborn baby was just released into the world the same day as the Morristown, NJ gig!

The opener, 2025 Grammy-winner Trey Hensley, had some powerful guitar and vocals. He had some merch conveniently located by the men's bathroom and was planning on hanging out there to say hello to fans during the break, but was, at the last minute, asked to fill in for Mike Harris.

The Performance: A Night of Musical Storytelling

If I had to choose one thing to add to any concert, it would be storytelling. Dolly Parton is great at that. Old Crow Medicine Show hit that on the head. From a stretched-out adventure along the Jersey Parkway to wishing they were going swimming in the Whippany River (Rockaway River), the players not only involved the audience with familiar settings but also engaged in playful conversation amongst themselves. It was fun to listen to them banter.

Photo by Penny Liss

The show was an hour and a half of pure honky-tonk, boot-stomping, barn-burning country music. They brought that raw, roots revival style to the stage, which in turn had the audience dancing and howling for more.

The Band's Evolution and Continued Relevance

Old Crow Medicine Show has maintained their authenticity while evolving musically. OCMS has leaned heavily into old-time string band music, Appalachian folk, and classic Americana from the start. They’ve stayed true to this foundation by continuing to use traditional instruments like banjos, fiddles, and harmonicas and keeping storytelling at the heart of their songs. Their sound still feels like it could’ve been played on a front porch a century ago.




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While their lineup has shifted over the years, founding member Ketch Secor has anchored the band with a consistent artistic vision. Each new member brings fresh energy and musical ideas.

Photo by Penny Liss

I highly recommend you check them out, even if this genre of music is not your thing. If anything, you'll be caught up in the party. Here's a VIDEO from the April 23, 2025 show at MPAC in Morristown, NJ.

Click for the 2025 TOUR DATES.


Ilana Rapp is a media-savvy Generation Xer with instinctive wit, quick humor and a taste for deep human emotions. As a former (child) actress with Broadway, film and television credits, she is adept at, well, lots of things. She blogged on The Huffington Post and writes entertainment pieces for New Jersey Stage, Casting Networks, Casting Frontier, NYCastings and Mupo Entertainment. She is a huge fan of the television show V. Ask her why her favorite number is 22. Follow Ilana on Twitter @IlanaSpeaks22

 

COLUMNS


Rock On! This Week's Sound Bites...7/10/25

"Well, I certainly hope so, it seems like it is," laughed Blues Traveler bassist Ben Wilson as he discussed what the band has been up to and their preparations before they hit the road once again for a Summer tour. "The band has been quite active over the years through touring and we managed to continue to record some records. We've done two kinds of covers records, the first one was a blues record which actually got nominated for a Grammy which was pretty cool and the next one, we did some soul covers. That one wasn't quite as well received but it was sure fun to make. So, it's been really cool; you have this massive success for a decade or so and then you kind of dip below that cultural Gestalt line where you're just kind of bubbling below the surface and you can do just fine there even though you're not on the cover of "The Rolling Stone" and that's kind of what we've been doing. We've had a good run, it has been fantastic and these summer tours where we get together with these other kind of bands of similar eras with similar kinds of hits; we're very fortunate as kind of a neo-hippie jam band from that era that kind of bucked some of the trends that were going on at the time but we were lucky enough to have a couple of hits and that has allowed us to have kind of a different career than just the straight jam bands do; not that that wouldn't be awesome as well because obviously many of them are doing just fine but it's just a slightly different road but it has been wonderful. We didn't rehearse a whole lot because we've been playing together for 38 years but things are good and we're stoked for this upcoming tour." 




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