Tampa, FL: Journey To Becoming A Band

Join Old Dominion and their fan interviewer, Heather, to talk about stories from their lives before they became a band.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Welcome to one Fan to interview the band, a production
of our heart Radio We're Old Tom. We just released
a new album, and while on tour in the U S,
we decided to ask one fan to come hand backstage
and ask us questions. You're in for an inside look
into our new album, life on the road, journey as
a band, and much more. Welcome to the crew. This week,
we're in Tampa, Florida, looking laugh back feel Hey. I'm

(00:38):
Trevor from Old Dominion and in this episode, we'll be
talking about the journey each of us took to becoming
a band. You'll get to hear stories that people might
not know what made us who we are as a
band today. Before I was an Old Dominion, I worked
at best Buy. I sold TVs and home theater systems

(00:58):
for about nine years. And uh, it's interesting because I
had that job through a few publishing deals. Actually, my
first number one song that I ever wrote used to
play on the loop there, and I used to watch
a song that I had written to play on the
loop every day while I welcome to people the Best Buy.
I first realized I wanted to join the band back

(01:20):
when Matthew and I used to write a lot of
songs together, and these guys were playing a lot together,
and I started kind of jumping up every once in
a while just to sing harmonies. And that happened more
and more than more songs we wrote together that they
worked into the set the more I jumped up, until
at one point I think I just said to Matthew,
I think I might just want to be in the band,

(01:40):
and it's like, yeah, just come on and show up
and be in the band. And uh, here about ten
years later, I'm still in the band. Your life it's
pretty much what the Haunted Woods look like. Well, hi, guys,
my name's Heather. So grateful to be here a part
of this whole interview. A lot of fans definitely want

(02:02):
to know a lot about you, as do I. So
how did you guys all meet? Four of you for
Virginia guys? And the rest kind of fell into place where, well,
Whit and I grew up in the same area, so
we went to middle school together, and then he went
to college at James Masson University, met Brad and Jeff
and uh, they were playing in bands and stuff together,
and then eventually we all sort of moved to Nashville,

(02:24):
which is where we met Trevor. Here we go, so, um,
you guys do each other. You did the drum line,
which is kind of crazy. Yeah, I was in the
drum line in my high school, and and he was
at the competing competing high school, rival high school, different division.
There was no competition. Really, that's cool. So do you
ever get behind the drums now just for fun or suck?

(02:46):
There's no words now. Together when we switched instruments for
that sound check, what did you end up? I did
play the drums, playing drums, yeah, I did? Yeah, And
and I sucked? Yeah. So what were some of the
initial I guess goals as band when you guys got together.
I know you guys are strong writers, but where does
it go from there? Just being writers? Where were you
looking to go? Yeah? I mean we didn't really have

(03:07):
any initial goals as a band. We were just playing
sort of to showcase the songs and have fun and
make an extra fifty bucks here and there. So it
really kind of started to happen without us having that goal.
We were playing a lot, and people around town, you know,
started telling us that we had a sound. And then
as songwriters, we started to have a couple of hits,

(03:29):
and then we went, well, you know, like we can
make a little money. We got a booking agent, so
it all just kind of started to happen. We didn't
really have goals as a band and realize we had
a chance to try to go after it until it
was already sort of underway. So then when you guys
are writing a song, how do you say, you know
what this isn't for the other artists, This is this
is our song. This is an old Dominion song. We
we need this to sing and produce, and right, that's

(03:51):
still not an exact science. Um, we just you know,
when we write, we try to write the best song
that we can and then you know, when it's time
to make the album. Now, we we sort of put
together a list of songs this time on this album.
A lot of times, you know, we had a few
songs we were going to record, but then we'd come
in in the studio and talk about it right there

(04:12):
and just kind of throw out different songs and and
listen to them and and try to agree on them there.
So I think every once in a while we'll write
one that we feel pretty strongly about and we might
have a good feeling. It's going to be an old
Dominion song right away. But other than that, we we
write all the time, so we just kind of accumulate
songs as we go, and when it comes time to
make the album, we take a look at what we

(04:33):
have and decide there you go. I mean, you guys,
you're doing a hell of a job so far. You know. Definitely,
um so like, you guys aren't your traditional country music artists.
You guys are a little more broad, which I personally
I love that when you guys blend genres. What do
you feel about that way? I think it's funny when
you we were talking earlier before we started doing this
and you were talking about your husband not liking country music,
and you said, it's not that kind of country. I

(04:55):
feel like that should be our bio. That kind of
that kind of country'd be a great song. We're not country.
I like it. It could work, mean credit he there
on the end, So I asked, I don't I forgot
the question now, But yeah, it's just, you know, we
just really try to make music that we like and

(05:17):
then it gets classified. However, definitely, I mean opening the
doors to get more listeners and anybody to join along,
like than my husband is not a country fan. But
when you guys do like festivals like Tortuga, and you
guys team up with somebody that might help, you know,
open the door. The best thing about music opening the
years and the doors. I love it. So before all Dominion,
what were you guys possibly going to be called? Any ideas? Man,

(05:41):
that's always the hardest thing to pick a band name.
We we tried really hard to find something that was
Virginia related, since a lot of us have ties to Virginia,
and pretty much everything was taken. You know, we definitely
um scoured the internet for for things that weren't already taken.
Old Dominion was the only thing that we fine. Occasionally

(06:01):
we would make up some names. We did show us
Fried Eagle once fried Eagle, alright, eagle. Next question, have
you ever tasted fried bald eagle? Fried bald eagle? All Americans? No? No,
I have not? Yeah at goose Goose and you gotta

(06:27):
stop man um. So you guys obviously don't have much
time anymore to do anything other than this. But what
was the last concert you guys got to do? Besides besides,
we were talking before this we went to John Mayer
in any anstr Name, which was amazing. Before that, I
saw the Eagles at the Grand ol Opry Hou. Yeah,

(06:50):
so it was just super cool. What about when you
guys were younger, Like, what was like a concert? When
you saw that, You're like, man, you know what I
want to do this, that guy on stage, the girl
on stage. I need to be part to this music
life because of this band and for me. For me,
it was my first concert, which was Hugh Lewis and
the News, And when I saw that, that's when I
was like, yeah, that's what I want to do. And
he was even amazing amazing artists as yell. Absolutely, I

(07:12):
saw Guns and Roses, Faith in the More Metallica in Detroit.
It's awesome. That was like my first real concert. My
first concert was a band called Promise Nice Human nineties. Yeah,
that was fun. But as far as like seeing music
live and wanting to do this, it was I remember
more like local bands growing up high school and even

(07:33):
into college. Those are the ones that kind of got
me excited about playing. You guys ever got to warp
tour or anything fun like that, You guys, warp tour
guys used to being a band that called an army
of me that played like slick shows on work. We
never did the whole thing or anything like that, but yeah,
i've been there, just parstays at the Warp tour. It
was probably something like that. Actually, I remember seeing a

(07:56):
buddy of mine and I went to high school with
them and went to a college party at Michigan State
and he was playing in a band in this little
house and he had a shirt off and he had
his tie tied around his head like a headband, and
everybody was sweating and they were jamming, and I was like,
oh man, that's the coolest thing I've ever seen. And
that's actually probably more than anything else, made me want
to be in a buye around the head h It was. Yeah,

(08:18):
it was the pure rock energy, everybody drunk jumping around
college frat house. It was awesome. Yeah, probably punk rock
it goes a long way. So, um, you guys collaborate
a little with other people. Is there anybody maybe outside
the country genre just escaped just from being country that
you guys maybe would want to We're talking about Lizzo
the other day. That was cool, right, What about Like,

(08:40):
how do you guys feel about maybe, like I know
the Food Fighters. I know Dave Will just gave you
that awesome throne. Yeah, it was absolutely I would love
if you played with the Food Fight and John Mayer
of course, I like he's amazing. So do you guys
everything about like the Dirty Heads and like maybe going
a little more off the beaten path? Is that something?
Are you familiar with them? Like a jam band type

(09:02):
of um, they're kind of like a hippie ish, beechy
kind of iby appropriately named then dirty Heads. I don't know.
I think you guys, I don't know. Would just be fun.
Sometimes they sing a little and I don't know, let's
to check them out. Please open open the doors to
more people following everybody. It's the best part about music.
Right now, You've covered in some interesting tattoos and I'm

(09:35):
the only one in the band, you know. I just
noticed that. I was looking around and you are the
only ones we have. The carrots? What are what are
these carrots on this? Carrots? Most of my tattoos are
about my kids. This one is from a children's book
that I read to my children when they were very small,
about a little boy who plants a carrot seed and
then everybody tells him that he will get nothing from it,

(09:57):
but he stays after it and he's persistent. In the
end gets his big carrot. So we got first number
one song. I got my carrots there. And that was
another question I was getting ready, asked, what was one
of the first things you guys did once you got
that big rock star paycheck? What was what was something
the cool thing that you said, I'm gonna do this
asn't as I make it? What was like, did you
buy peacocks and tigers on you been to my house?

(10:18):
Coolest thing I did was pay off the credit cards
I had lived off of up until that point. Yeah,
that's definitely had a good feeling when you're like, oh
the dead is gone. Remember the first thing is super lame.
The first thing that I did when I had like
a good paycheck was I got a new bicycle. I'm
dead serious. I was like, I can afford whatever bicycle

(10:40):
I want. So I remember, I mean when I bought
the jeep, it was pretty Uh, it was pretty exciting,
and then it felt it felt a little ridiculous to
ship it to l A to film a video to
the Make It Sweek video. That's my that's my jeep
and I just was to drive it in California. So

(11:03):
and how was that the shift? It was awesome. Yeah,
it was fun. That's pretty cool. It must have been ridiculous.
It felt a little um extra, Well, you go your
rocks starting. I mean, it's got to be extra. You're
not extra, You're not doing it any The guy we
found a drive it out there only had to pay
my three bucks or something like sounds a little sketchy,

(11:23):
but you know, yeah, somewhat extra extra. What are you
guys going to plan on doing now that with the
family life? Do you guys actually have your family coming
on the tour at all? Or do you guys leave
kids and family at home or do they get to
see the world with you? They see it sometimes it
just depends. I mean they have lives too, they have
they're busy with the things that they do. But you
try to pack a good show or two that they
can come out to. Um, they came to Lake Tahoe

(11:46):
last year, which was fun. Wait a couple of days
there and yeah, you just try to try to pack
a cool city and it's got a line up with
everyone's schedule. So when you guys go into our now
obviously since you guys are headlining this tour, which is
fantastic to see you guys making up the chain of
rocks ours. I'm Scotty McCarey's with you now. Do you
guys like kept talking each other when the other bandmates
are just kind of like, hey man, we'll see a

(12:07):
good set and kind of short and sweet kind of thing.
It just depends on who it is, you know sometimes.
I mean, we've definitely toured with people as an opener
that have never really spoken to us, you know, but
we've definitely had friends on tour too, And with Scottie,
this is our tonight's our first show with him on
this tour, so we're looking forward to We know him

(12:29):
a little bit, you know, he's recorded one of our songs.
We we actually opened for him like way back in
the day some um, So it's gonna be super cool
to have him on tour with us. And Ryan Heard
is a good buddy of ours too, so I imagine
that this is going to be like a super cool
hang before music. What was the most obscure job you
guys have when it's anybody Starbucks or Burger flippers obscure job.

(12:53):
I think I probably the Yeah. Yeah. When I moved
to Nashville, I was working for a temp agency and uh,
for two three weeks, I was a replacement for a
robot they were they were designing. They were designing an
assembly line that made like some sort of medical device,
and you can only you can only do one robot
at a time, like fix one, but you had to
make the assembly line work. So I was the fourth robot,

(13:16):
and so I would finish the product like at about
this speed, like one to boom boom boom, like over
and over and over. Yeah, for real. I put the
I put the lid on the on the device over
and over for like for eight hours a day. But
here's the terrible part. So they're making this thing, but
you can't like make this product and then and then
send it out, so it's just test ones. So right

(13:38):
after me was another guy that took the whole thing apart,
right in front of it and put it back on
the assembly line so it could come background and I
could make it. Absolutely not they've done. It was like
a metaphor for my life for three weeks. It was terrible.
It's absolutely terrible. Did you feel a little like Laverne
and surely like going in there? Do you go in there?
You know? I wish that I could like kind of
like muster that energy in them. Did they cry every day?

(14:01):
I don't remember people replacing these robots. It's a big problem. Yeah,
Scala want to tend How funny was that? Okay, thank you?
It was pretty good. What do you want to do
when you're done? I mean, obviously you're gonna have families
one of lives once the tour has done, the bands
are done, Where do you what do you guys want

(14:21):
to do? You want to you know, Caribbean Island? You
want to go hide in the mountains? You want to
Both of those sound lovely, Yeah they do. I want
to go to space one day. Yeah, I think that
it sounds like I'm joking, but it's fairly impossible. Yeah,
I think that by the time we were ready to
hang it up, I think there will be you can

(14:43):
pay for a trip to space. I want to try
it pod and just float around and preferably uh with
somebody who has made a professional device that gets me there.
But yeah, I want to I want to see what
it's like. My goal has always been a Christmas tree farm. Really. Yeah,
I just I don't really have a big plan for
making money. Oh, I just want lots of Christmas trees

(15:05):
and then like all my friends can come get their
Christmas trees and then uh, you know, just hang out
and there gonna be any apple cider down. That's it.
There's gonna be there's gonna be apple cider, hot chocolate.
You know how they like you know how they do
the like um pumpkin patches where there's like I want
to do a Christmas one off Christmas tree patch, Christmas

(15:29):
tree patch. Yeah, Brad wants to be on the Senior
Golf Tour, right, Yes, that that's gonna be my main goal.
You golf now? Or we mean I do, But I'm
nowhere close to even being close to that about nowhere
close to even being close. I'm gonna get there. Well,

(15:51):
I think we briefly touched on that about asking about
how you guys met, But would you guys all think
when you guys all met each other, was it like
an instant click or did you guys? I thought? What
was an asshole? And what about now? Still do remember
the first time I met any of you? To be honest, yeah, yeah,

(16:13):
I believe that too, alright. The only one I remember
meeting Matthew because we met on stage. We had heard
about each other through different publishing circles in Nashville. People
told us we should write together and whatnot. So we
got set up in the writer's around one night and
that's the first time we met. We heard each other
play songs and started hanging out became friends. So my

(16:35):
first impression was, oh, cool songs. Awesome dude. I also
remember when I when I re met Jeff because I
had known Jeff because he was in a band with
Wit and I used to play shows with him in
Virginia and stuff. But then I moved to Nashville and
I was down here for a while and then, uh,

(16:56):
this was back in the MySpace days. I got a
message on my Space from from this dude. The profile
picture was of a bear belly with a really crappy
um fake tattoo job. Yeah, that said the Jeff. But
it looked like like like you know, the thug life.

(17:18):
It looked like that, but it said the Jeff. So
is this pasty white soft belly? And that said the
Jeff across it. That was the profile picture, and it
was like Hey man, I'm coming to Nashville. I want
to get a beer. And I was like, who is
this person? You said, yeah, goodness, Well yeah, it's a

(17:42):
solid fake tattoo. So thank you, thank you. I should
have a T shirt. Each one of us should have
our own merch and yours should be a T shirt
with that tattoo on the belly of And you know,
girls would be wearing it left and right or how
they have that zipper danny pack now perfect for that.
You can put o D on the back of it.
Did Jeff thing would be funny? I'm gonna do it. Yeah,

(18:05):
I can remember the first time. I don't know if
it's the first first impression with Matthew. He when he
would open for Whitne Eyes band. We would all sit
and watch him play because he would do so acoustic
and would be like, wouldn't be cool to be in a
a band with that guy? And uh, what would it take?
Like fifteen years? Fifteen years and one awesome fake tatto? Yeah,

(18:26):
it's great combo there. Who was like, somebody, if you
got the opportunity, even if they had been deceased, who
would you have like got anything to write for or
perform with? Who was something with a kid? You'd always said,
once you did music, who would it be? Um? I
would say maybe Bruce Springsteen, although I wouldn't want to

(18:48):
taint what he does with what I would bring to
the table, But just to see play. I would have
always loved to have seen us. Yeah, yeah, I would
have loved to see the Beatles and I you know,
I would still love to work with Paul McCartney, which

(19:09):
seems like an impossibility, but you never know, reread it
and kind of needed it, so I'm sure you guys. Yeah,
why can't you? Guys? I don't think to write a
song with maybe James Taylor, that'd be fun. Yeah. Yeah,
he's brilliant. He's definitely overcome a lot, so he's probably
have a Do you have any drumming inspirations? Was there

(19:32):
anybody out there that was the nobody? You just went
and banged on that drum all day and now you're
doing it for work. Yeah, I'm very lucky, extremely lucky.
Any chance we can see you rotating and spinning and
fire or something. Yes, actually he doesn't know it, but
we've designed the whole thing. Why does my what does
my drum? Kid have a seatbelt. Now I don't understand. Yeah,

(19:54):
he's like, wow, whatever, all sudden, mid show just takes off.
He used to, uh went back when we played this
little club. He I bought a up, I bought a
little fog machine, and he used to have control of it.
I don't know why we gave him control of the
fog machine, but it was this teeny, little crappy fog

(20:15):
machine and it was like right behind me and he
had the switch and so every chance he guy was
just blasphemy with this fog and I would disappear on
this curtain. Of the best part of that it was
to look back and see the smile on. It was
so loud. The stage was so small and it was
so loud. It would come through the mics like you

(20:37):
would just hear this. Where is that? That's the mini
fog is dead? Yeah, but I still have it because
I can't bring myself throw it away. Yeah. Yeah, when
it's finished at you know the museum. Yeah, I'm working
on a Trevor Rosen museum. And what is this to
contain currently? Which going to contain you know, a whole

(20:58):
bunch of stuff about me and my year and probably
our career too. So, yeah, I'm not really doing that,
but someday someday I might not really doing that something.
I might really do it someday. But all random stuff.
My wife won't let me throw away any clothes that

(21:18):
I've worn in any video or album cover or anything.
She's like, no, I gotta say, I hold onto that
stuff too, though, Yeah, because I'm just like it might be.
I do agree, like when when she says that it
could be like a Hall of Fame thing, like when
you go through the Hall of Fame and you see
people's clothes or something cool about it. Yeah, I never
been to the rock and roll bets on the list

(21:39):
of things, I've never been to the rock and roll
me neither, but it's been to the country music all. Well,
we'll wrap up with the one more question just to know.
So obviously, the songwriting is big for all the younger
dies and girls out there that are looking to write
and looking to do music. What is something you would
say to them to start to do to encourage What
would be the best thing for an upcoming songwriter Just
to keep writing just right, right, right, right right. You're

(22:00):
gonna write lots of bad songs and eventually you'll get better.
It's like a muscle. You have to train it and
work on it, and it gets better and better the
more you do it. And don't be afraid to be unique.
Don't try to be what you think you're supposed to
be or try to chase what's on the radio, and
just do do you. Just just do what you think

(22:21):
is cool, and stay true to what you do, make
music that you like. That's it. Well, thank you guys
so much for having me. I'm very grateful to be
here and I'll definitely keep listening and I'm sure everybody
out there will too. Thank you, Thank you, thanks for
joining us on this stop of the tour. One fan
interview the band's production My Heart Rate. For more podcasts

(22:41):
from My Heart Radio, visit the I Heart Radio Apple
Apple Podcast, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcast.
Go beat up back round Awful potholes, Man, I'm on
the hell alright, doing my best and I can't get arrested,
i can't get time on my side, down on my luck,

(23:02):
and I'm down on my knees and I'm down on
my last dirty die risk I' morning. It keeps on pouring,
just like the tears in my eyes looking for sleep,
sail seeing