How Old Dominion Managed to Turn Backstage Country’s Kelly Ford to a Fan
In Old Dominion’s recent interview with Backstage Country’s Kelly Ford, Ford admitted to the band that she was “ambivalent” to them until the band’s third, self-titled album.
Old Dominion’s Third Album
Singer/guitarist Matthew Ramsey said that it was unusual to release a self-titled third album. “Yeah, I think I mean, it was kind of odd to self-titled album at that point in your career, I think. But the whole thing was such kind of a whirlwind and we finally were sort of figuring out who we were.” Most bands and solo artists release self-titled albums at the beginning of their career, but that wasn’t the case for Old Dominion. It was meant to be after all, since this album is what turned Ford into a fan.
Music and Memory
Ford shared that she’s a fan of the band’s old stuff and their music evoked a moment in time for her. She asked the band if they had an album or a song that had the same effect on them.
Bass player Geoff Sprung understood what Ford was talking about. “Yeah, of course. I mean, I think that’s like the human condition, right? There’s, that’s kind of a magical thing, is that you can hear a song, and it instantly snaps you back to a moment in time and an experience, but it all comes flooding back. It’s not just the imagery, it’s the kind of visceral feeling of that moment.”
For guitarist Brad Tursi, the song “Blue Sky” by the Allman Brothers evoked memories of cleaning up the night after a party. While for Matthew it was “Thunder Road” by Springsteen describing it as “Oh my gosh, this is everything I feel, you know, it just felt like he was singing about me. And, you know, there’s a last line in the song that says, ‘It’s a town full of losers, and I’m pulling out of here to win!’ And that to me was like a call to get out of my hometown and search for something bigger.”
Geoff shared a sweet and funny story tied to Paul McCartney’s “Let ‘Him’Em In.” He said, “For whatever reason, when my daughter, who’s now 17, was like maybe three, 2 or 3, I’d play that album all the time and she would sing the lyrics, but she was little enough that she didn’t know that she was using a British accent. So, she would sing like Paul McCartney. And whenever I hear that song, it instantly snaps him back to watching her do that.”
Guitarist/keyboardist Trevor Rosen had nostalgic moments every time he heard “Time Machine” by the Eagles. He remembered being completely mesmerized, staring at the speaker and entranced by the song.
The Power of Music
Ford told the band that their music is now part of many people’s memories, with some of their songs becoming the soundtrack to fans’ significant life moments. The members said they could just hope so.