Two-time Grammy-winning band Old Crow Medicine Show are bringing out the jingle bells early this year, announcing the November 21 release of OCMS XMAS on Hartland Records. Featuring just two covers and 11 originals, the band’s first holiday album is decorated with seasonal spirit and string-band stomp, shining new light on their chart-topping version of American roots music.
Along with the announcement, Old Crow honors John Lennon’s birthday with a timely take on his and Yoko Ono’s global peace anthem “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).” The song is stacked with choral harmonies from the children of the Episcopal School of Nashville, the East Nashville-based school founded by frontman Ketch Secor.
Old Crow Medicine Show aren’t just reinterpreting their favorite yuletide standards; they’re adding new songs to the canon and telling fresh stories, too. From barn-burners like “December 26” (which marks the songwriting debut of longtime band member Morgan Jahnig) to the Zydeco-flavored “All About A Baby” and a tribute to New England winters called “North By Northeast,” OCMS XMAS upholds Old Crow’s combination of the timely with the timelessness. The album also features a few classics, including a cover of “Holly Jolly Christmas” with horns from the Tennessee State University ensemble Brassville, and a rowdy version of the Appalachian standard “Breakin’ Up Xmas,” recorded live in the band’s East Nashville headquarters, Hartland Studio.
“We’re in the joy business,” says Secor. “From the very start, a lot of the virtues of Christmas — the revelry, the singalongs, the happiness — have been present in our show.” Supported by the band’s first-ever Holiday Hootenanny Tour, OCMS XMAS just might be the start of a new tradition itself: a celebration of the seasonal sounds, shared joy, and holiday rituals that bring us all together.
This is the latest release from Old Crow Medicine Show, who celebrated their 25th anniversary as a band with the 2023 Grammy-nominated album Jubilee. Last year, the group performed an NPR Tiny Desk Concert and dropped the first-ever vinyl release of their debut album O.C.M.S., remastered from the original analog tapes by its original producer David Rawlings. This summer Ketch Secor released his first solo album Story The Crow Told Me and made his debut as the new host of the long-running travel and culture series Tennessee Crossroads. He recently spoke about both projects on Rolling Stone’s Nashville Now podcast and gave more insight into his Louder Than Guns documentary, which premiered at the Nashville Film Festival last month.
Old Crow Medicine Show have also announced support for the band’s annual New Year’s Eve performances at The Ryman Auditorium, with The 502s and AJ Lee & Blue Summit on Tuesday, December 30, and Shovels & Rope and The Creekers on Wednesday, December 31. See a full list of tour dates below, and find more info here: crowmedicine.com/tour.
OCMS XMAS Tracklist
- Breakin’ Up Xmas
- Holly Jolly Christmas Feat. Brassville
- Jolly Man
- North By Northeast
- Corn Whiskey Christmas
- Happy Xmas (War Is Over)
- All About A Baby
- Jinglin’ Jack Guy
- Store-Bought Christmas
- December 26
- Krampus Night
- Grandpa’s Gone
- Bethlehem, PA
Old Crow Medicine Show 2025 Tour Dates
October 9 – Kalispell, MT @ Wachholz College Center
October 10 – Bozeman, MT @ The ELM
October 11 – Billings, MT @ The Pub Station
October 12 – Rapid City, SD @ The Monument
October 23 – Charlottesville, VA @ Ting Pavilion
October 24 – Virginia Beach, VA @ Sandler Center for the Performing Arts
October 25 – Spruce Pine, NC @ Hilloween’s Hurricane Helene Benefit Concert – Three Peaks Enrichment Center
December 3 – Fayetteville, AR @ Walton Arts Center
December 4 – Nashville, IN @ Brown County Music Center
December 5 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
December 6 – Joliet, IL @ Rialto Square Theatre
December 7 – Huntington, WV @ Joan C Edwards Performing Arts Center
December 16 – Tysons, VA @ Capitol One Center (Capital One Hall)
December 17 – Troy, NY @ Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
December 18 – New London, CT @ Garde Arts Center
December 19 – Torrington, CT @ Warner Theatre
December 20 – Englewood, NJ @ Bergen Performing Arts Center
December 30 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
December 31 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium