Old Dominion. Photo: Dove Shore

RCA Nashville’s Old Dominion spoke to MusicRow about their 2016 Breakthrough Artist of the Year win at the 2016 MusicRow Awards, as well as the hurdles to success the band has faced. A quintet of songwriters, the boys have managed to keep upwards of 200 dates on the road while achieving outside cuts and maintaining families at home. Lead singer Matt Ramsey explains the marathon his band has just begun.

Read more about Old Dominion’s award win in the new MusicRow Awards print issue, available now.

– – –

MusicRow: Do you feel the support of all of Nashville’s music industry?
Ramsey: We do, especially when we win an industry-voted award like this. Every time we come back to Nashville and see the people in the community we spent years working with, everyone tells us they are rooting for us and are proud of us. So we definitely do feel the love.

How does decision making happen with your team and band members?
It’s a five-way partnership. We’re all five equal decision makers in the band and we are all usually on the same page. If we’re not, it’s never a fight. It’s more a discussion where everyone is willing to listen to any idea. We certainly know that we don’t know everything, which is why we have this team of people to help us make those decisions. It’s usually fairly easy to get everyone on the same page.

One of your songs released as an independent band, “Shut Me Up,” was left off your major label release. What went in to that decision?
We felt like it had run its course by the time it got to making the album. We already had an EP out and “Shut Me Up” had got pretty high on satellite radio’s countdown and people knew that song. We just wanted to get as much new music out as possible with Meat and Candy, so “Shut Me Up” was left off to make way for a new song.

What do you think it was about your No. 1, “Break Up With Him,” that really connected with fans? 
It’s a fun song. For the most part, people get the joke. It is real life and definitely a thing that happens. We’ve seen it numerous times. Couples come up to us and say that they are together because that song gave them the courage to realize they were with the wrong people. That’s a great thing for us. There’s a big part that is luck. You never know what’s gonna connect when it gets out there.

Tell us about the fan reception of follow-up singles “Snapback” and “Song For Another Time.”  
A fair amount of people still ask us what a snapback is. They love the song and a lot of times we open our show with that. It’s a big sing-along. We wanted to bridge ourselves into something more serious from “Break Up With Him” to something that is more substantial as far as songwriting, which would probably be “Song For Another Time.” So we felt that “Snapback” was a good middle ground, as far as the sound of the song, from a fun summery song to more serious subject matter.

We’re lucky we even have “Song For Another Time” on the album because we thought we were done recording the album. We were out on the road and Matt Jenkins was out with us and played through the song at soundcheck and we fell in love with it. So we convinced everybody to let us fly home for one day and assemble the entire team to record that one song.

What are the challenges new artists faces that songwriters don’t?
There are a lot of challenges. One would be finding time to write. We spent so much time in town writing every day to play 200 shows a year. All of a sudden you have all kinds of other things to do. You don’t have that time to write and lose that sense of songwriting community you have built. We’re lucky that we write together, but being a new artist definitely eats into your writing time—out there doing what you need to do to push your album.

Early on you’ve been given the stage at many stadiums, what have you learned works or doesn’t work when compared to a smaller stages?
Anything that works in a stadium will work in a smaller venue. It just doesn’t go the other way—things that work in smaller venues don’t necessarily work in stadiums. We learned to work on our transitions from song to song to eliminate dead space. Especially with a new artist, you have to keep the set list moving and energy high. We still watch Kenny [Chesney’s] show every night and take notes.

What can we expect in the next phase of Old Dominion?
We’re writing a lot now. We’ve figured out the groove of writing on the road and thinking ahead at what our next album will be like. We’re playing some of them in our set right now to gauge the fan response. We’ve got all kinds of shows, some 160 shows this year, so touring through the fall.

In countless ways, we’re lucky we’re songwriters together in this band. It’s not just one person but the whole band contributing. We’re lucky to be out here constantly bouncing ideas off each other and our fans to get their response.

LANco Takes Video Premiere To The Big Apple

LANco performs in New York City.

Arista Nashville five-man band LANco celebrated the world premiere of its debut music video, “Long Live Tonight,” in New York City on Tuesday (June 28), as the clip aired on the Sony Digital Billboard in Times Square at 43rd and Broadway.

“Times Square is something you see in the movies or maybe get to visit in your life, but you never dream that one day your face will be on one of those giant screens,” shared LANco lead singer Brandon Lancaster. “This was truly a surreal and incredible experience.”

Chris Lane Anticipates Girl Problems In August

Chris Lane. Photo: Delaney Royer

Big Loud Records artist Chris Lane will release his debut album, Girl Problems, on Aug. 5. Lane recorded the album with producer Joey Moi. He’s currently in the Top 10 at country radio with “Fix.”

“While in the studio working on the album, I started to notice a trend … every song seemed to be about some type of ‘girl problem’,” Lane said with a laugh. “So it was only fitting to title the album Girl Problems!”

Rodney Atkins Hooks Deal With Fishly

Rodney Atkins

Curb Records artist Rodney Atkins is gearing up for summer fun by partnering with Fishidy, a waterway-based social network for fishermen of all skill levels to connect with local anglers, track fishing activity via interactive maps and guides, log their catches and even share tips to improve their fishing skills. From now through August 31, fans can enter to win an all-expenses-paid trip and day of fishing with Atkins when they create a free Fishidy account.

“I love spending time outdoors, whether it’s teaching my son how to hunt and fish, or just getting away for a little while to unplug and recharge,” Atkins said. “I’m always looking for new places to visit and trying to improve my own skills, so I’m excited to partner with Fishidy as a way to share that experience with others who are as passionate about fishing and enjoying the outdoors as I am.”

Cordovas Sing At War Memorial Auditorium

Nashville band Cordovas have filmed The Attic Sessions at War Memorial Auditorium. The four-piece band is made up of Joe Firstman (acoustic guitar, vocals), Lucca Soria (acoustic guitar, vocals), Jonny Loyd (accordion, vocals), and Graham Spillman (hand percussion, vocals).

They formed in 2011 when Firstman joined with Soria, Loyd, and Spillman to develop a sound that embodies bluegrass, country, and jam-based rock. Many of their songs are based around the idea of coming home, literally and spiritually. This fall, they will appear at the Americana Music Festival in Nashville and release their second album, produced by Kenneth Pattengale of The Milk Carton Kids.

Apple’s newly-approved patent could allow your ability to record video on your phone to be impaired when detecting an infrared signal.

Reported by CNN and Patently Apple, this technology offers noticeable applications at entertainment venues such as concerts and movie theaters when recording is prohibited.

The patent details the process. In simple terms, the infrared signals are sent out in venues, i.e. from the stage or screen. Once the phone picks up these signals, the image on the phone would be altered or the video recording ability shut down completely. The phone’s functionality would not be affected if it was not directed towards the infrared signals. This would permit photos of the crowd, selfies, etc., as well as videos, to be taken in the venue.

The application could also be used to add content to the video, rather than shutting it down, by allowing information to appear on your phone about the subject matter being viewed once it detected the infrared signal.

In the past, recording concerts was mostly banned. Now, many artists value the benefit of fans capturing content and subsequently sharing on social media. These fans essentially become unpaid advertisers for the artist. However, other artists prefer to restrict photo and video recording in order to eliminate unauthorized distribution. Some feel recording a concert on a phone diminishes the value of the live experience.

With different views, it’s unclear at this time how Apple’s newly-approved patent will affect future live entertainment.

MusicRow is proud to announce the release of its MusicRow Awards issue, featuring BMI’s Jody Williams and the Writer/Publisher Team on the cover.

The June/July issue includes interviews with 2016 MusicRow Award winners Dave Cobb (Producer of the Year), Lori McKenna (Song of the Year, “Humble and Kind”), Maren Morris (Breakthrough Songwriter of the Year) and Old Dominion (Breakthough Artist of the Year).

In addition, the issue recognizes the Top 10 Album All-Star Musicians.

Other features include a candid look at the close-knit partnership of a songwriter and financial planner in a conversation with Brett Beavers (Big Deal Music/BMG) and David Adams (David Adams Wealth Group). Music Health Alliance is profiled as a healthcare resource for the music industry, while Jill Block discusses the benefit she and her late husband, Billy Block, received from the organization.

Additionally, the appeal of vinyl music is highlighted from commentary from industry players while legendary country artist Kenny Rogers joins MusicRow Publisher/Owner Sherod Robertson for a candid conversation about his farewell tour, his musical heroes, and his legacy.

Though the music industry might be changing, one constant that has remained is BMI’s unfailing devotion to songwriters. The building, a staple on Music Row, is often frequented by songwriters of all levels, from aspiring teenagers with parents in tow, to chart-toppers gracing the building in celebration of their latest No. 1 hit.

The new issue is available for purchase at musicrow.com for $10, and included with yearly subscriptions at no additional cost.