All Of It (WNYC)

Episode: A Christmas Album from Old Crow Medicine Show
Date: December 15, 2025
Host: David (in for Alison Stewart)
Guests: Catch Secor, Morgan Jonig, Corey Yountz – Old Crow Medicine Show

Episode Overview

In this festive episode of "All Of It," host David sits down with members of Old Crow Medicine Show (OCMS) to discuss their new holiday album, OCMS Xmas. The band, renowned for their energetic take on old-time and bluegrass music, explores the joys and challenges of creating a fresh, rootsy Christmas record. The episode features behind-the-scenes stories, playful banter, live listening sessions, and a peek into the traditions and intentions behind their holiday music and performances.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Why a Christmas Album Now? (00:50)

• OCMS has been in the business for a long time, and while every Nashville-act is expected to do a Christmas album, they waited to ensure love and intention went into it.
• Catch Secor:

  "We waited a really long time to put ours out because we put so much love and intention behind it because we just love this holiday season." (01:59)

Originality and Spirit (02:22)

• The album primarily features new, original Christmas songs that cover the full spectrum of holiday experiences: joy, longing, disappointment, family quarrels, and more.
• Catch Secor:

  "It's...a brand new Christmas type of record...about the experience, the joys, the highs, the lows, the crushing defeats of not getting what you want, the day after Christmas, missing your loved ones, fighting over eggnog recipes. It's the whole gamut." (02:22)

Exploring "Breaking Up Christmas" (03:00)

• The album begins with a nod to Appalachian tradition: "Breaking Up Christmas," a raucous throwback to old holiday rituals in the mountains.
• Catch Secor:

  "You got the tree and you chucked it out into the yard and you set it on fire and everybody drank corn whiskey and had a big, big frolic." (03:00)

Krampus Night – Spooky Christmas (03:57)

• The band discusses their darkly playful track "Krampus Night," inspired by the Alpine mythological figure who punishes bad children.
• Catch Secor:

  "I just thought it'd be cool to have a spooky Christmas song...What if there was a Christmas song that was about the evil that lurks this time of year?" (04:42)

• Sample lyric sung by Catch:

  "Krampus coming, slithering by, making all the little children cry...watch out he don't kill you dead on the Krampus night." (05:18)

OCMS Traditions: Holiday Performances and Community (06:03)

• For nearly two decades, OCMS rings in the New Year at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium ("the mother church of country music") and more recently tours with children’s choirs in each city, adding a communal, multi-generational element to their performances.
• Catch Secor:

  "It's really a joy to get to sing with young people and to bring them into the fold." (06:03)

Roots Music, Americana, and Christmas: A Natural Fit (07:13)

• The band situates themselves in the American roots tradition, encompassing blues, bluegrass, jazz, country, and more.

• Morgan Jonig:

  "American roots music...comes from all of the different...music that was born out of America, like the blues and rock and roll, but then you’ve also got all the great traditions of all the people who brought their music here with them." (07:29)

• Christmas music is a natural extension of their acoustic, harmony-driven style.

• Catch Secor:

  "When you have mandolins in your band, like mandolins sound like Christmas music already...the plink of a banjo has this kind of campfire glow...you just got to add a little glockenspiel...and jingle them jingle bells." (08:26–09:22)

Performing Holiday Standards and Making Them Their Own (10:00)

• The band covers John Lennon’s "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" with a roots twist and a local children’s choir.
• Catch Secor:

  "I just love...there’s a New York connection here. There’s a need for us to be talking about peace...it’s not enough just to think it. You got to go do it." (11:16–12:17)

• He calls it,

  "the bumper sticker on the back of my sleigh." (12:42)

"December 26" – Inventing a New Classic (13:44)

• The group shares “December 26,” a humorous, bittersweet reflection on the post-Christmas letdown and leftover traditions.

• Catch Secor:

  "It celebrates the deluge of wrapping paper and all the kids who got what they wanted and the tears of those who didn't. A little bit of everything." (13:44)

• Notable lyric:

  "Cause it's the day after Christ’ ain't out of cheer." (14:18)

The "Holiday Hootenanny" Live Experience (16:05)

• Their live holiday shows mix music, humor, Christmas-themed stage gags (present-wrapping 101, story times), and visual effects for a communal feel.
• Catch Secor:

  "There's a lot of Christmas music and some revelry, and there's also some funny Christmas gags. There's present wrapping, kind of 101. There's trees..." (16:05)

Vibe, Setting, and the Spirit of Nashville: Past and Present (17:31–19:57)

• Secor reflects on Nashville’s transformation from a quirky, close-knit music community to a tourist party destination, and how the band’s music is a Christmas card from ‘the place formerly known as Nashville.’
• Catch Secor:

  "We want you to stick around. We want you to, you know, sit down, eat with us, hang out on the street corner with us....this record has a little bit of component of that. This is what our Christmas party is like in Nashville." (18:21–19:40)

Why Make a Christmas Album? The Deeper Meaning (19:57)

• The holidays are a time of joy and nostalgia, but also sorrow and longing—a dynamic that suits country and roots music.
• Catch Secor:

  "When you make Christmas music, it's like you got a fifth Beatle in your band...Everybody already loves the holidays." (19:57)

• "It's a time where we miss the past. It's a nostalgic time, but it can also be a time of lonesomeness and sorrow. And that's where country music comes in...country music is always there to champion the hard working folk." (20:30)

Christmas Traditions: Band Members' Family Plans (21:40)

• The band members share their personal plans—family gatherings in New York and Arkansas, last-minute planning, and newly engaged Catch Secor heading to Illinois.
• Corey Yountz:

  "We love to wait till the last minute to come up with what we're gonna do and fight over recipes." (22:11)

• "And then we hug and love on each other with a little eggnog and everything's fine and, and we're all family again." (22:22)

• Catch Secor:

  "I just got engaged, so I'm gonna go...to my fiance's family farm up in the land of Lincoln and see some of this big snow." (22:28)

"North by Northeast" – The Holiday in the Snow Globe (22:45)

• The episode closes with mention of the song "North by Northeast," capturing the magical snow-laden spirit of a Northeastern Christmas.
• Catch Secor:

  "The Christmas holidays up here...especially going further down east towards New England...it's when you're experiencing the snow globe effect, it's all around you. The colors, the lights, the smells, the bells." (22:45)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "You just got to add a little glockenspiel...and jingle them jingle bells." – Catch Secor (09:22)
• "It's a new, fresh thing...We're not really on autopilot at the moment." – Corey Yountz (09:41)
• "This is the bumper sticker on the back of my sleigh." – Catch Secor referencing “Happy Christmas (War is Over)” (12:42)
• "When you make Christmas music, it's like you got a fifth Beatle in your band...it's like having Santa in the act." – Catch Secor (19:57)
• "This record has a little bit of component of that. This is what our Christmas party is like in Nashville." – Catch Secor (19:40)
• "Country music is always there to champion the hard working folk." – Catch Secor (20:30)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:50: Why record a Christmas album now?
• 03:00: Origins of "Breaking Up Christmas"
• 03:57: The story and intent behind "Krampus Night"
• 06:03: Old Crow Medicine Show’s holiday traditions; performing with children’s choirs
• 07:13: "American roots" and the band's musical identity
• 08:26–09:22: Why their style naturally fits holiday music
• 10:00–12:42: Performing "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" and the message of peace
• 13:44–15:12: "December 26" as a future holiday classic
• 16:05–17:31: What to expect at a live OCMS holiday show
• 17:31–19:57: Nashville's changing character and its impact on their music
• 19:57–21:40: The emotional landscape of the holidays in roots music
• 21:40–22:28: The band’s personal holiday plans
• 22:45: Introduction to "North by Northeast"

Conclusion

This episode offers an inside look at Old Crow Medicine Show’s thoughtful, joyful, and sometimes mischievous approach to Christmas music. The conversation balances tradition with innovation, blending historical observation, personal anecdotes, and musical sneak peeks. The band’s warmth, humor, and heartfelt dedication to roots and community come through at every turn, making OCMS Xmas a holiday contribution filled with both nostalgia and new energy.