Ernest To Take ‘Two Dozen Roses’ Out On The Road For Fall Tour
Ernest. Photo: Delaney Royer
Two-time 2023 ACM nominee Ernest has announced that he will hit the road for the “This Fire Tour” in the fall. Launching in Oxford, Ohio on Oct. 18, Ernest will bring along country traditionalist Jake Worthington, hit songwriter John Morgan and his Cadillac Music songwriter Cody Lohden on the 15-show run.
“I’m really excited to get the Ern show back on the road with the fellas,” Ernest shares of the tour announcement. “The show’s gonna be a hell of a time! Anytime we get to play to a room full of people who come to hear our music—it’s an unmatched feeling. The tour last year was a blast, and since then we dropped another 13 songs. If you haven’t yet, go listen to Two Dozen Roses, then come out and sing some country music with us.”
Ernest’s Two Dozen Roses album released earlier this year to much acclaim. The 24-track project included the 11 songs from his debut album Flower Shops as well as 13 new songs that helped carve out the first album’s story—hence the deluxe album’s title, Two Dozen Roses. Added songs include the anthemic tour namesake, “This Fire,” the nursery-rhyme ear worm “Miss That Girl,” the heartbreaker “Songs We Used To Sing” and more.
The singer-songwriter spoke with MusicRow about Two Dozen Roses earlier this year, saying that he was so inspired by the Flower Shops album that he just kept writing.
“I started writing more songs that sounded like they could fit on Flower Shops. When I looked up after a few months, I was like, ‘Wow, we still got a thing here,'” he shared.
The sound captured on Two Dozen Roses is decidedly country, with the shine of ’70s and ’80s pop-country. In addition to Joey Moi‘s hit-making production, Ernest says that having studio giants such as Paul Franklin and Brent Mason playing on the songs helped his vision come to life.
One of his proudest moments on Two Dozen Roses is his Dean Dillon feature on “What Have I Got To Lose,” a song he wrote alongside the Hall of Famer and Brian Kelley.
“That was my first time writing with Dean. Brian Kelley had a day with him and he asked if I wanted to join,” Ernest shared. “I showed up, we wrote a couple songs for Brian and then Dean picked up a guitar and [went] down this rabbit hole. We just watched as fans while Dean made that song what it is.
“It’s one of my favorite songs I’ve ever been a part of because it sounds like so many of the songs I idolized growing up,” he says, pointing out that Dillon singing on the song was a huge honor. “I’ve got a Dean Dillon feature and I’m over the moon about it.”
Ernest also has a song with soon-to-be-tour-mate Worthington on Two Dozen Roses, “Heartache In My 100 Proof.” He says, “I’m such a Jake Worthington fan. I’m a stan. Having him on there is perfect.”
Catch Ernest on the “This Fire Tour” on the dates below. General ticket on-sale goes wide Friday, April 28 at 10 a.m. local time.
“This Fire Tour” Dates:
^ with Jake Worthington
* with John Morgan
+ with Cody Lohden
Oct. 18 – Oxford, Ohio – Brick Street Bar *+
Oct. 19 – Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Intersection *+
Oct. 20 – Rosemont, Ill. – Joe’s Live *+
Oct. 21 – Indianapolis, Ind. – 8 Seconds Saloon *+
Oct. 26 – Chattanooga, Tenn. – The Signal ^+
Oct. 27 – Oxford, Miss. – The Lyric ^+
Oct. 28 – Starkville, Miss. – Rick’s Café ^+
Nov. 2 – Columbia, S.C. – The Senate ^+
Nov. 3 – Tampa, Fla. – Dallas Bull ^+
Nov. 4 – Fort Myers, Fla. – The Ranch ^+
Nov. 10 – Baton Rouge, La. – Texas Club ^+
Nov. 11 – Atlanta, Ga. – Buckhead Theater ^+
Nov. 16 – Athens, Ga. – Georgia Theater ^+
Nov. 18 – Greenville, S.C. – Blind Horse Saloon ^+
Nov. 28 – Nashville, Tenn. – Ryman Auditorium ^+
