Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Michael Jay here. I'm pretty excited about this.
Speaker 2 (00:02):
You guys have got a sold out show Old Crow
Medicine Show at Hollywood Casino Charlestown Races on Saturday, November ninth.
The place is capacity. That's got to be pretty cool
for you guys.
Speaker 3 (00:15):
That's awesome. Yeah. No, I hadn't heard that yet. I
can't wait to get out there now. Man, can't wait
to get back to West Virginia.
Speaker 1 (00:23):
So I have to tell you the craziest story.
Speaker 3 (00:25):
Now.
Speaker 2 (00:26):
You know, for people who have been fans, they recognize
the name catch Seacre because you know, he's the original
guy that's still in the in the group.
Speaker 3 (00:36):
Right, so well pretty much yeah, yeah, So.
Speaker 2 (00:40):
I won't want you to explain all that in a second.
But the weirdest thing is that there was a guy
at my high school. I'm from Baltimore. He originally went
to school in Harrisonburg, Virginia.
Speaker 1 (00:51):
Isn't that right?
Speaker 3 (00:52):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (00:52):
Yeah, So there was a guy one year older than
me in high school and his name was Catch Sea Corps.
So all this time, every time I hear about catch Seacorp,
I'm like, I wonder if that was the dude I
went to school with.
Speaker 3 (01:09):
So I just I can't believe there'd be another one.
There is.
Speaker 2 (01:12):
He's a few years older than your catch Sea Corps. Yeah,
your catch Sea your catch Seacorp was born in seventy eight.
We're we're a couple of we're a few years older.
Speaker 3 (01:24):
But regard with the highlander kind of situation, there can
be only one.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Yeah, Well, there's somebody else with the name. He's a
real estate investor. It turns out in Baltimore.
Speaker 3 (01:35):
Anyway.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
So let's talk about catch Seacorp.
Speaker 2 (01:38):
And let's talk about you, you know, Morgan, And how
do you pronounce your last name as it? Johnny Janneker
Janet got it? So, Morgan Jenek, how long have you
been with Old Crow Medicine Show.
Speaker 3 (01:50):
Well, I've actually been with Old Crow since about a
year and a half after their inception, so I've been
here twenty four years, maybe twenty five years now.
Speaker 4 (02:00):
Oh wow, Okay, So, so I met these guys on
the street corner in Nashville, and probably ninety nine two
thousand the band shortly after that.
Speaker 1 (02:11):
That's very cool.
Speaker 2 (02:12):
So I read a little bit about the history of
how they got started. They were just kind of playing
on street corners, and one thing led to another, and
somehow Marty Stewart got involved. He was impressed by them,
and then he started telling everybody else and you guys
ended up playing. I don't know if you were in
the band yet, but at the Grand Ole Opry, and
(02:32):
one thing led to another and then it really exploded.
I would I would guess from my vantage point when
Darius Rucker and Lady A cut wagon Wheel, which was
a song that you guys wrote, right.
Speaker 3 (02:48):
Oh, absolutely, yeah, wagon Wheel had kind of made the
rounds at you know, it's funny. It's it's like the
longest song that ever took to get to number one
or to get to like a gold record. I think
it took about twenty years.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
But it was a staple of campfires and you know,
dorm rooms and talent you know, yeah, talent shows for
years and years and years, which is actually where Darius
saw the song. I think he was at his daughter's
talent show or a program at their school and heard
(03:26):
it and that was how he got turned out to it.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
Tell me, do you have more backstory on wagon Wheel
that you can tell me about?
Speaker 3 (03:35):
Sure? I mean I know that ketch, you know, Catch
and Critter, Critter Fuque, who was another founding member of
Old Crow. They grew up together in Harrisonburg, Virginia, and
they were both huge Bob Dylan fans. And this was
you know, this was back when you would go to
your local record store and every now and then you'd
(03:56):
find a bootleg tape for sale. And on this bout
leg tape was a bunch of outtakes from the soundtrack
for Pat Carrett and Billy the Kid and on. And
one of those outtakes was Bob kind of mumbling his
way through in this noisy recording of what was ultimately
the chorus for Dragonwheel. And you know, catch, being a
(04:21):
sixteen year old songwriter, has the kind of gumption to say, well,
I'm going to finish this Bob Dylan song. And and did,
and he wrote, he wrote the verses and kind of
rearranged the the chorus a little bit right. And you know,
when we were first, when I was first in the
band and we were plans to recorders, we really weren't
(04:43):
really playing a song that much. Really, yeah, it wasn't.
It wasn't one of the songs. You know, we were,
we were and are the kind of band that wants
to stop you when you're walking so that you look
at us and you put a dollar in the dip jar, right,
and you know, so it tended to be a lot
of loud song. There was a lot of fast songs,
a lot of songs about drugs and drinking, and you know,
(05:05):
a lot of fun. And I remember the first time
that I played wagon Wheel. It was actually at the
They used to have these parties outside the Opry House,
the Opry Placid parties, and they had a big stage
out there, and I think I can't remember who we
were opening up for, but maybe it was Del McCurry
and we pulled out wagon Wheel for the first time
(05:26):
on a stage, and I remember thinking like, this is
a good fun. We should be playing this more, right,
And then you know, as the years went on, we
started playing it more and people started liking it. And
that's his history.
Speaker 2 (05:39):
So have you ever had a chance to meet or
talk with Bob Dylan about how he feels about it.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
Never? We have had two former members of the band
meet Bob Dylan and speak to him. But all the
time that we have been working, all the time we've
had wagon Wheel, and Bob even sent us another song
to finish, Sweet and the willow years now.
Speaker 1 (06:02):
He's like, hey, I got fifteen more of them, and
see what can you do?
Speaker 3 (06:06):
One would think, ye would think, But we still have
yet to speak to the man. So one day, one day,
the stars line and we'll find ourselves in the same
room together.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Have you ever met a son.
Speaker 3 (06:19):
Jacob? Yeah, we actually have met Jacob and in La
one time we were we did a show that I
think he just came to a show as we were
playing at the I can't remember where it was or
or something.
Speaker 2 (06:32):
So you guys are a five man band now right,
we're down to five.
Speaker 3 (06:36):
Or we'll be five. Yeah, we're six at the moment
at the moment, all right.
Speaker 2 (06:40):
And and all of you guys are super musicians too.
It seems like because I know you played bass, but
do you play anything else besides that?
Speaker 3 (06:50):
On stage? I am the bass player, that is, I
am the one constant thing right on stage all the
other guys. Yeah, I mean I think tallied it up
at one point, like in the course of one show
he might play ten different instruments.
Speaker 1 (07:07):
Wow, that's crazy.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
You know. Most of the guys, I'm sorry, all of
the guys are all multi insurmalits it's all incredibly talented
you know, singers and pickers, and it certainly lends itself
to the kind of you know, party excitement atmosphere where
you know, everybody could basically just pass their instruments to
the left and continue on as if nothing had changed.
Speaker 2 (07:30):
M Well, I don't know if you've ever been to
this area before, I mean, played this particular venue. But
they they called me up and they're so excited that
you guys are there. And I think they're also just
very thrilled that you know, you guys are selling like crazy.
Uh you know, like I said, a completely sold out show.
So I guess you know you're you're talking to second
(07:51):
time ticket sellers if you're trying to get into this
thing now.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
But Saturday, you know, November ninth, that's coming.
Speaker 2 (07:58):
Right up at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races, have
your show.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
I mean, you probably noticed that.
Speaker 2 (08:03):
Your shows have have gotten a little bit more packed
with the success that you've had over the last several
years with it. I got, you know, I mean, I
hate to keep hanging at all on one song, because
you guys are a lot more than just that.
Speaker 1 (08:16):
But you know that certainly didn't hurt.
Speaker 3 (08:18):
I guess you know, we've always been a live band.
You've always been the kind of you know act that
you want to go see, right, and so we've been
real fortunate to be, you know, to have a you know,
twenty six twenty seven year career where however long we
are now since nineteen ninety eight, the fact that we
(08:38):
can still go out and still play shows that people
want to come see, I mean, I think that you know,
we know, we know, we know how to put on
a good show, we know how to entertain, and luckily,
you know, the venues keep getting, you know, a little
bit bigger, and we've played everywhere you know, from CBGB's
(08:59):
size venue all the way up to the you know,
we did a bunch of shows with Hank Williams Junior
last year, big stadiums. You know, we can, we can
lend our talents to just about any kind of stage
in front of just about any kind of audience, and
we know that they're going to have a good time
because we're having a good time.
Speaker 1 (09:18):
So more.
Speaker 2 (09:19):
Morgan Jennig, bass player for the Grammy Award winning Old
Chrome Medicine show.
Speaker 1 (09:25):
Let me ask you this this final question.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
You know, everybody that that dreams of being a guitarist
that's ever played air guitar, you know, you always you
always see him kind of fantasizing that they're the lead guitarist.
It doesn't seem like if you I mean, you know,
when you end up being the bass guitarist, is is
that a different personality? Does it take a different vibe
(09:48):
to be the bass guy rather than the lead.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
You know, I've got a story about that. We were
playing in England in leads and we were on tour
with David Rawlings and Gillian Welch, and you know, oftentimes
Dave and Gill would just know somebody in town and
they would have them come out and play, you know,
when they were playing, and so it didn't really phase
(10:15):
me or any of us at all. When just this
guy kind of showed up, this older gentleman with a
mandolin and he you know, he's like, hey, he's going
to sit in with us for a couple of nights.
We're like great. He introduced himself as John and we
start playing and it's John Paul Jones.
Speaker 1 (10:32):
Wow.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
And you know, I hadn't realized it at the moment,
and then just sort of had that like we were
sound checking, had that connection like I'm in a bass player.
I mean, I'm the bass player in a band with
John Paul Jones right now, He's.
Speaker 2 (10:44):
Right, And for people who don't know the name right away,
you know who John Paul Jones.
Speaker 1 (10:49):
Is, of course from the bass player from Lein right.
Speaker 3 (10:54):
And we get done with the show, and you know,
it was there was people kind of going crazy for Dave.
You know, there was this one, this one lady in
the in the crowd who was like kind of losing
her mind as if Dave was a beatle, like really
just kind of rending her face. And and I was
(11:15):
just thinking, you know, as a bass player, you know,
that's somebody on the back like you know, am am
I using all of my talents to their best abilities.
You know, like everybody that I know in this in
this field is you know, like a little bit you
know crazy or just a little bit you know out
there and really you know, extroverted. And here I am, like,
you know, kind of steady, this sort of guy like
(11:36):
am I an air traffic should I have been an
air traffic controller? And John Paul Jones says, you're a
bass player, That's exactly what you are right, So that's
kind of what I am. I'm the air traffic controller
of the band, and I think a lot of bass
players are as well. So yeah, we might not be
doing the big Pete towns and drums with our air guitars,
(11:57):
but you know, everybody's always definitely listening to everybody in
our band that's listening to what we're doing.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
Right, You're like the drummer, you know what I mean.
You're keeping you're keeping everything.
Speaker 2 (12:06):
On track, everybody, honest absolutely, well listen. It's great talking
to you. Congratulations and all the success. Have a great
time at the show at Hollywood Casino. And here's to
the next wagon wheel.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
One day.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
All right, buddy, it's good talking to you. Take care
of yourself.
Speaker 2 (12:25):
Morgan Jennig from Old Chrome Medicine Show, thanks for visiting.
And that's this edition of the Michael J. Podcast. Make
sure you're following so you never miss a thing.