Old Dominion has become one of the most bankable groups in American music. More than country, pop, or whatever one listens to trying to unwind, the rhythmically propulsive band of brothers who came together over their love of writing songs steps into a new phase of life – musically, especially – with
Memory Lane, the 8-song EP out today, co-produced by the band and long-time collaborator
Shane McAnally. Listen to
Memory Lane HERE.Lead singer/guitarist Matthew Ramsey, guitarist/keyboardist/accordion player/vocalist Trevor Rosen, guitarist/vocalist Brad Tursi, bassist/vocalist Geoff Sprung and drummer Whit Sellers, Old Dominion are good-time musicians who are as prolific as hitmakers for others as they are a No. 1 factory of their own. The band decided to layer up their production, create harmonies on their harmonies and dig a little further into the life changes that most people breeze by. Silky, lush, and percussive, the six-time Academy of Country Music Group of the Year and five-time Country Music Association Vocal Group of the Year lean into the ones who got away on opener “I Should Have Married You” through the stages of wanting, having, holding and regretting all the way to the final track, “Freedom Like You,” a lifting celebration of that one love that leaves you more alive than you’ve ever been.
“We’ve been through hotel keys, one-man bands, boats for the day, meat, candy, happy endings, therapy and tequila,” says Ramsey with a laugh. “We’ve put hooks on our hooks, and all kinds of sing- and clap-alongs, and we love the look on fans faces when we play all these songs live, but we’re all adults: we know life is sometimes a little more complicated.”
“We didn’t want to get all heavy and serious,” picks up Tursi. “But we figured we could keep doing what we do… and maybe go a little further into thinking about life. When we started writing, started working these songs up, they felt just as good – even while going deeper.”
With 13 Platinum and a pair of Gold RIAA Certifications, plus over five billion streams, the cocktail that is five-part harmony, guitars that whoosh up, well-deployed accordion, the lock-and-load rhythm section that delights in making complicated time signatures simple and Ramsey’s powdery voice that is equally pensive and euphoric delivers. Infectious, jubilant, shimmering and bright, Old Dominion doesn’t just craft ear worms, they render them with a sense of surrender that’s made this band not just one of the most listened-to, but also most sought-after headliners out on the road.
“You learn when you look into people’s eyes what lights them up, what gives them fire or makes them forget,” says Ramsey. “Sometimes these songs are about the absolute best escape possible. We figure if people are going to come out and spend the night with us, then from the moment we hit that stage, we want to be the best thing that happened to your week. If you’re celebrating, we want to take you and your friends to that next level. If it’s been one of those weeks, we want to get it so far in your rearview, you don’t even remember what was so bad.”
“Now that we’ve been doing this in big rooms for so long, on stadium stages with Kenny Chesney, and headlining arenas all our favorite rock bands played, we’ve figured out how a song like ‘Easier Said With Rum’ or ‘How Good Is That’ can take those things and transform the horrible into something sweet,” Rosen continues. “Though we’re still more ‘Love Drunk and Happy,’ that idea of live it, enjoy it and know how great life can be if you’ll let it. We’re that band: the one that’s grateful for every second.”
With Memory Lane rolling out now, their No Bad Vibes Tour picks up June 30/July 1 with a doubleheader at Lake Tahoe’s Outside Arena and runs hard in some of the nation’s most iconic arenas, choice festivals and the occasional tennis stadium through a three-night stand at Key West’s Coffee Butler Amphitheater March 22-24. For full list of US tour dates visit HERE.
About Old Dominion
Old Dominion’s skyscraping anthems and electrifying live shows have put the Multi-Platinum-selling band prominently at the forefront of country music. Fusing clever lyrics and an infectious sound, their lyrical wit and hook-heavy songwriting has certainly proved to be a winning formula for Nashville’s hottest band. It’s no wonder Rolling Stone cited Old Dominion as “one of mainstream country music’s most popular live groups.” Since breaking onto the music scene, the band has notched eight No. 1 singles at country radio, surpassed five billion on-demand streams, earned a dozen RIAA Platinum and Gold single certifications, and headlined arenas and amphitheaters around the globe. The band are currently the reigning 6X ACM and 5X CMA “Group of the Year.” Most recently, the band took home their record-breaking sixth successive win for “Group of The Year” at the 2023 ACM Awards. They also earned nominations for “Album of the Year” and “Vocal Group of the Year” at the 2022 CMA Awards. During the latter, their win for “Vocal Group of the Year” marked their fifth successive award in the category.
