Interview: Mike Harris (Old Crow Medicine Show)
Twenty-three years since its formation, Old Crow Medicine Show continues to evolve with new members and new sounds, expanding elements of traditional music — which, no matter what, remains at the core of the band’s identity.
The ensemble has played with the legends, and have legendary status themselves, having been inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2013. Their fame might make you wonder if they’re an inaccessible bunch, but it’s not what Asheville Stages found with multi-instrumentalist Mike Harris –– one of the newer members of the band, prior to headlining Salvage Station on Thursday, June 9 OCMS is still pounding the pavement, giving high-energy shows, all the while raising the bar musically for themselves and keeping fans on their feet, cheering for more.
Even though Harris hasn’t been playing with the band since they were discovered by none other than Doc Watson on the streets of Boone in 1998, he’s no newbie to North Carolina, or to playing great music.
Heather Taylor: Do you have any history with Asheville, professionally or personally?
Mike Harris: I probably have not played any one venue more in America than I've played The Grey Eagle. I love that place. Seriously, some of the very first times I ever played music outside of Nashville was in Asheville, because it was not that far away.
Obviously, there's a lovely, vibrant, not only musical scene but cultural scene there. And on top of that, I grew up in North Carolina. I lived all over. So going to Asheville was a reasonably regular thing. I loved going to [the] Biltmore [Estate] as a kid.
HT: I've been playing the flute since I was five, and I joke that it's like another appendage. Since you play so many instruments, do you consider one of them more like a third arm than the others?
MH: That’s a great question! I’m primarily a lead [electric] guitar player, and that’s definitely where I feel most at home. But of course, if you accept the call from the guys in Old Crow, you know, the one [instrument] is just not gonna cut it.
It’s like, “What else you got?” [Frontman/fiddler] Ketch [Secor] told me when I really took the gig on, “the mentality is, after every song, you take your instrument and pass it to the left to keep everybody on their toes.” So, yeah, the guitar is always going to be homebase for me, but I really enjoyed the opportunity to grow and to learn some new skills in this band, primarily the dobro.
It's a stretch to call it “dobro” the way that I'm playing. I'm really playing resonator guitar or resophonic guitar, but I'm not really playing in the traditional sense like Jerry Douglas or Rob Ickes would. I'm playing it more like a regular guitar. I'm kind of creating my own little sound with it, and I've really enjoyed doing that. I've enjoyed expanding my horizons as a banjo player as well. That's been nice.
HT: That sounds challenging! Did the band want you to play the older songs in a certain way? Or did you have room for interpretation and to bring a fresh perspective?
MH: They definitely give me a long leash. I mean, they want me to have a lot of ownership over my spot in the band and they're really cool about it. I’ve really enjoyed that aspect of it — I’m kind of carving out a little niche.
I think for any fan of Old Crow who comes along to shows nowadays, there's always going to be, at the backbone, the fiddle and banjo aspect. But we're choosing from a wider sonic palette these days. Jerry Pentecost on drums is like a musical brother of mine. We've worked on a lot of stuff together in the past. We’re adding a little bit more electric guitar into the mix, and we’re able to do a lot more with it. It's been a lot of fun.
HT: So I read Jerry, you, and Mason [Via (guitar/Gitjo/vocals)] came in at a similar time?
MH: Jerry beat us by a little bit, but he kind of got cut short by COVID in between. Before COVID, Jerry and I were working together in the Brent Cobb Band. And again, I've known Jerry for over 10 years, just kind of kicking around Nashville and playing pickup gigs together.
I think my very first gigs with the band were back in March of last year. Maybe April, but it was a very, very quick, sharp learning curve. I got called in to do an audition one day, then I came back and did a second audition on some other instruments on a Thursday. I got the offer on a Friday. By Saturday, I had 30 new songs in my inbox, and by Monday we were working out demos for the record that's out now, Paint This Town.
HT: So the band hasn’t really toured these songs yet?
MH: I think that some of the songs have been kicking around for a while. Like I'm pretty sure Cory [Younts (mandolin/keyboards/drums/vocals)] has been singing the song “Lord Willing The Creek Don't Rise” for a couple years on the road. But now, it's cemented itself in history on this new record — but I think a lot of this stuff is brand new.
HT: Well, I love the new record. I think it's so fun! “Bombs Away” is a total anthem, and I think people, especially around here, will be able to relate to “Used to be a Mountain.” Why is keeping tradition alive while bringing a fresh sound or perspective important to you as a band?
MH: I mean, we would never want to alienate any traditional fans of Americana/roots. This whole giant melting pot of Americana is anything that's not considered “popular music” these days. We're in a cool place where we have so many strengths across the stage and we're able to draw from so many places that it’s like, “Why wouldn't we?”
But you're right: We do want to preserve, like I said, that backbone of the Old Crow sound. I think you know, at the heart of it, the banjo and the fiddle will always be present in some form or fashion.
HT: I love that! The product is so special and fun. And it seems to turn into such a very physically demanding show – it feels like there's a lot of energy coming from you guys.
MH: Most of the guys in the band have got a decade on me — not only in life, but on the road. And they set the bar pretty high.
I was pretty surprised when I came in. When I was younger, I definitely had a lot more energy on stage. But these guys kind of set the bar and were like, “Hey man, we're up here. This is where the show is happening, so get on board.” And I appreciated that because I think it really comes from a place of love for the fans —just a desire to give people a great return on their ticket. If you come to see our show, we want you to feel entertained.
HT: Do you have to prep for that?
MH: Some of the guys are definitely doing some stretches. Me and Morgan [Jahnig (upright bass)] get up and stretch it out on the golf course. [laughs].
HT: Oh yeah? You guys go to the golf course before shows?
MH: Sometimes! laughs] I know that's probably not what people think these cool musician guys are up to during the day, but yeah, you know, stuff like that.
HT: Hey, I haven't heard that before, but it makes sense. I bet it's focusing and gives you some time to chill out.
MH: You'd be surprised to hear how many of your favorite musicians are out there during the day in your hometown in golf courses or in the disc golf courses. Maybe going for a run in a local park. Getting outdoors is a great part of getting to travel the world.
HT: I believe it! I heard Michael Franti had been on the French Broad River tubing before he hopped off at Salvage Station to play a show later on.
MH: I think that’s a little bit riskier business. I normally calculate, “OK, what are my odds that my activity today is going to keep me from soundcheck and/or my set time?”I have to see if there's some fly fishing to be done around Asheville when we get there. I think there are some streams and stuff. That's another thing I like to get up to.
HT: Are there any songs that stand out to you on the record that you just love playing live and feel really connected to the audience with?
MH: I'm really loving playing our song about Mr. Deford Bailey, ["DeFord Rides Again."] It's nice to see Jerry Pentecost get up and tell the story of DeFord every night. We're just trying to carry his legacy on and maybe help right a little bit of the wrong that was done there. As a band, I think we've looked back through history and we see a great moment of racial injustice that happened between Mr. Bailey and the [Grand Ole] Opry back in the ‘40s. That's something I look forward to every night.
HT: So you joined a band that has an incredible song that's part of mainstream culture, and you probably heard it [“Wagon Wheel”] a million times before joining…
MH: Oh, tell it to me! [laughs]. When I was like 19 years old and I’d been in Nashville for like a year, I had that record in my CD player on repeat. I mean, literally, I look back to the summer when I was 20 years old, around 2008, and I just listened to that song and that record on repeat and tried to pick it out on banjo, even when I really didn't know what I was doing.
But it sounds like what you're asking is maybe do we ever get tired of playing it? I don't get tired of playing it at all because we're lucky to have a job where people come out and they just love what you do. I didn’t have anything to do with the recording or writing of that song, but I'm in awe of the guys that did, and I'm very honored and very stoked to have the opportunity to stand next to them and play every night.
HT: Do you still get a huge roar in North Carolina when you play “Wagon Wheel” and sing the words “North Caroline”?
MH: Oh, yeah! But in fairness, that song gets a pretty good reaction everywhere.
That's the fun part about a song like that: People get to identify with whatever part of it that they feel. It mirrors a corner of their life and they have a bit of ownership. I'm sure that everybody's got a memory with that song around a campfire or a keg somewhere.
HT: I noticed people posting about y'all busking at Merlefest. I’ve been at Merlefest doing their social media posts in the past and I can say that I’ve never seen a headliner doing that! Knowing the history of the band of busking on the streets, that feels super authentic to Old Crow. So what inspired that moment? Or was it planned, and do you guys do that at every festival?
MH: That's not an every festival thing, by any means. That was very special to Merlefest and very special to the band's history with the festival. It was a bit of a callback, and I think I can tell you, as one of the newer guys in this band: I come to this band, into this broad genre of music, with a great reverence for old-time music. I was brought up around bluegrass, but I think those who know [music history] know there's a line of demarcation between old-time and bluegrass.
When you looked at that busking set and all the old-time tunes, I can tell you a lot of that was me learning those songs for the first time that day. We wanted to do something special, and kind of lean into that tradition of songs and styles that people of North Carolina and fans of Doc and Merle Watson hold so near and dear to their hearts. So, that really was just for Merlefest.
HT: The Asheville Stages crew thought that was a really cool moment. Well, I’ll leave you with a silly question: If you could resurrect anyone in history for a night to come play with you, who would it be?
MH: Jerry Garcia. Yeah, Jerry Garcia or Tony Rice. But, you know, you got the guitar player in the band. Some of the guys would say Uncle Dave Macon, for sure. Some of the guys would have said Doc.
IF YOU GO
Who: Old Crow Medicine Show with Gangstagrass
When: Thursday, June 9, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Salvage Station, 468 Riverside Drive, salvagestation.com
Tickets: $42.50 advance/$48 day of show
(Photos by Kit Wood)
