Today, the two-time Grammy-winning new Americana and indie-folk band Old Crow Medicine Show announces the return of its founding member, Christopher "Critter" Fuqua, following a four-year hiatus.
"My relationship with the band is a bit like a Saturn 5 rocket," said Fuqua. "For whatever reason, I need to leave sometimes. I achieve an escape vector from the gravitational pull of Old Crow, then I'm off into space, orbiting, floating in zero gravity in my capsule."
"But I always seem to come around again, shooting through the atmosphere, my pod landing in the ocean," he continued. "The boys picked me up again. I'm so glad they did. I really missed them."
Fuqua will jump back on the group amid their ongoing "Jubilee Tour," which they embarked upon in support of their Grammy-nominated record of the same name and 25th anniversary celebration.
Critter Fuqua's Return to Old Crow Medicine Show
Ever since co-founding the Old Crow Medicine Show in late September 1998, Fuqua has performed with the band across seven of its studio albums, which include their Grammy-winning record: "Remedy."
Fans best know Fuqua as the songwriter and lead vocalist for group favorites like "Take 'Em Away" and "Big Time In the Jungle."
Recently, the band performed a revamped setlist in their recent Paste Magazine session in this year's iteration of the MerleFest, which features highlights from "Jubilee" and "The Donkey and the Elephant," a previously-unreleased satirical song poking fun on the American political system.
"It stirs me to my very soul to share the good news that my oldest and dearest friend is coming back to join Old Crow onstage," said fellow band frontman and multi-instrumentalist Ketch Secor about the return of Fuqua.
"We started this band together as teenagers out of a shared love for traditional music, songwriting, rock 'n' roll, and the road," he added. "All these years later and we're still harmonizing, what a joy."
Alongside this announcement, new dates for the tour have also been added, including two performances at the world-famous Grand Ole Opry venue in Nashville, TN on May 17 and 18. For the full routing and ticketing information, click here.
As for "Jubilee," you can stream the album now by clicking here. You can also sample all of its tracks right below.
