2016 Awards
* Academy of Country Music New Group of the Year* American Country Countdown Awards’ Breakthrough Group of the Year* Music Row Breakthrough Artist of the Year
There's a definite 1980s throwback theme developing between the guys in Old Dominion and their video treatments.
The country band's humorous video for "Break Up With Him" paid tribute to "Back to the Future," a signature film from these 30-somethings' childhood.
Now their new video for "No Such Thing as a Broken Heart," released three weeks ago, re-creates an 8-bit video game world. It features a variety of references to '80s pop culture, such as Michael Jackson's glove, a Nintendo Entertainment System zapper, video animation - even Sasquatch.
But there's nothing else old school about Old Dominion. The band is at the top of its game right now, making its show tonight on Riverbend's Coca-Cola Stage one of the most anticipated acts of the festival.
Old Dominion's hot new single, "No Such Thing as a Broken Heart" is No. 17 on Billboard's Country Airplay chart and No. 16 on Media Base.
Just Tuesday, Old Dominion announced its sophomore album, "Happy Endings," is scheduled for release Aug. 25.
If you go
* What: Old Dominion* When: 9:30 tonight* Where: Coca-Cola Stage
"We've grown so much as a band and as songwriters over the last two years, and we think the songs on 'Happy Endings' really showcase that," lead singer Matthew Ramsey said in a news release.
Besides Ramsey, Old Dominion is composed of Brad Tursi, lead guitar; Trevor Rosen, multi-instrumentalist; Geoff Sprung, bass; and Whit Sellers, drums.
In a previous interview with the Times Free Press, Ramsey said he and Sellers grew up together in Virginia until Sellers went to college at James Madison University, where he met Sprung and Tursi.
"I had a band, they formed a band, and we all kind of played the same circuit. One by one we moved to Nashville, and when we were all here, we started playing together. The reason I moved to Nashville, and that Trevor and Brad moved down, was for songwriting. All three of us were trying to be professional songwriters," he said
Their songwriting skill is what first drew Nashville's attention to the guys. They wrote Kenny Chesney's "Save It for a Rainy Day," The Band Perry's "Chainsaw" and "Blake Shelton's "Sangria."
Since "Meat and Candy," their debut album, was released, it has been RIAA-certified gold. That album produced "Break Up With Him," which has gone platinum, and "Snapback," also certified gold. "Song for Another Time" climbed to No. 1 on Billboard's Country Airplay and Media Base charts.
"The really cool thing about Old Dominion is that they are all songwriters. I think they had such success with 'Meat and Candy,' they gained a lot of fans," said Bill "Dex" Poindexter, on-air personality at WUSY-FM radio. "I spent four days in May with them in Key West (Florida) at a songwriter's showcase. Old Dominion headlined the final Saturday show. There must have been 12,000 people in the streets to hear them."
Contact Susan Pierce at spierce@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6284.