October 2024 Edition

Hello again friend,

I don’t think we’ve been in touch since Hurricane Helene ripped through the band’s old stompin’ grounds in Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. If you’ve ever wondered how we came up with songs like “We Don't Grow Tobacco” or “Beech Creek Dirge” well that’s all thanks to the years we scratched out a living in the Southern Highlands, that amazing region where the headwaters of Country music are found. The recent flooding has been sobering to say the least for those of us whose hearts yearn for those hills. A week after the storm I drove over to Carter County, Tennessee to assist with recovery efforts in some of the hardest hit areas. It was good to reconnect with old friends and bring some good cheer. The old school house where Old Crow once played was now serving as a distribution center for flood relief supplies. Roads we once traveled on our way to gigs across Western Carolina were now swept away. The bridge straddling the Elk River beside the little Poga Store where my dad used to send my mail was swamped. Up in Sugar Grove, NC where Molly Tuttle and I based our song “Dooley’s Farm”, the Watauga River had spilled from its banks dragging homes and farms away with it. All in all, the damage is in billions. 100 people are dead and 100 more are still missing. But for a picker like me whose musical journey is so inextricably linked to this inspiring region, what makes this catastrophe especially painful, is seeing the destruction in places so close to my heart. I first came to the communities of Black Mountain and Swannanoa as a teenager in the 90’s following the sounds of old-time music. Those mountain towns, just east of Asheville were home to the best fiddlers and banjo players in the world. Cloggers abounded. The traditional folk pathways are more intact in WNC than anywhere else I’ve traveled. I wince looking through photos of the debris filling the streets of downtown Black Mountain. The devastation continues in nearby Mitchell County where Old Crow first traveled back in 1999 looking for a farm to rent. There, Spruce Pine’s Hilloween Festival is one of 3 concerts we’ve had to postpone since Hurricane Helene. Music venues we’ve rocked and anticipated returning to like Salvage Station in Asheville have been flooded out. Y'all, it’s really been a nightmare situation. But I am bolstered by the strength and resilience of the people who call the Carolina Hills home. For these mountains are the home of the heartiest sort of Americans, the descendants of the Scotch Irish, the Cherokee, free people of color, and others who found a sanctuary in those raggedy hills of towering timbers, lush glades of laurel, and remote expanses of wilderness. Though I know it's an uphill climb for so many, if anyone can show America what recovery looks like, it’s these fiery North Carolinians and East Tennesseans. Folks ‘round here have been through hard times before, and there’s not much they haven’t seen. This resilience to difficult times is a hallmark of the mountaineer. They’re so tough-as-nails they almost seem to dare the world to throw more hardship at them. Like WNC’s grandaddy of all pickers Doc Watson sings in “Deep River Blues”, “Let it rain, let it pour. Let it rain a whole lot more.” Thankfully the rain has subsided, but now the real work remains. For those of you who have not yet written that check for relief there are many relief agencies where volunteers are working tirelessly to assist with recovery efforts. United Ways of ETN/ WNC, Hilloween,  Beloved Asheville, Red Cross and Samaritan's Purse are just a a few of the organizations we have been supporting, now it’s your turn. Let's show the hills where Country music was born how grateful we are, and how unwavering we are in our support. Sunday, October 27th​ Old Crow will be headlining Music For the Mountains, a benefit concert featuring some of our most favorite NC artists; all proceeds will go to benefit the Community Foundation of Western NC. BJ Barham from American Aquarium will be there singing their great song “All I Needed.”  And Chatham County Line singing “Wildwood.” And Chatham Rabbits singing “Kill The Snake.” You can listen to the live audio stream here. We sincerely hope you can make it out to support this incredible night of fundraising, but if you can’t, please make a donation in our name. We all have a critical role to play in supporting these communities, the ones that gave birth to the music we all know and love. Let's all pitch in and help Western North Carolina and East Tennessee. 

Yours Truly,

Ketch