MATTHEW RAMSEY

When you go out for the night with your buddies, it feels like you're in a band, and I think everybody can relate to that.

The most important thing I can say is to make music that moves you. Don't try and chase what's on the radio or what you think people want to hear.

Honestly, with pop and rock and things, artists are from all over the place, so they're kind of isolated. The city of Nashville helps create the camaraderie. Everyone moves there for the same reason.

We always talk about our kids being a great way to judge whether it's a hit song because there's something very basic about the way they perceive the music that I think needs to be there if it's gonna be a hit.

I can't imagine being a girl out there on the road. We can throw a hat on and stink. Girls have to do their hair.

There are albums that I listen to religiously just because I'm such a big fan: any Bruce Springsteen album, or old George Strait albums because the songwriting's so strong.

When we write songs, we don't ever sit down to write an Old Dominion song. We just sit down to write the best song we possibly can.

We definitely wanted to show we're a band that can be around, and we have something to say other than the lighter, 'pickup line' sort of songs.

For me, 'I Can't Make You Love Me' is one of the most brilliantly-written songs ever.

Sometimes when you're writing a song, it's work, and you really have to make sure you're kind of pounding out every little piece of it. And then sometimes you write a song, and you turn around and you go, 'How did we do that?'

This goes for our songwriting as well as our success as a band - the minute we stopped chasing what we thought people wanted to hear and started writing things that moved us, that's when people started paying attention.

When we come on the radio, people will go, 'That's Old Dominion,' 'cause it's a sound that can only be made by whatever the five of us make together.

It's very rewarding to know that people respect what you do.

There's no need to put a dumb picture of us on the album cover. We always look at ourselves and think, 'Wow, we look like idiots.' We'd rather have a piece of art on there.

We don't ever want to be this political band. We're just a bunch of dudes.

As writers, you spend so long trying to build your cred as a writer, and then everything comes together at the same time: your artist career happens when your songwriter career is, too.

The truth is, that's what we moved to Nashville to do - to learn how to write hit songs. We weren't necessarily trying to get on college radio. We're trying for mass appeal.

Fashion is a way to separate yourself - to make a statement about who you are and that you're different.

I definitely wear a lot of Tom Ford jackets on stage.

Our sound is different because it's who we are as a band.

I'm a huge Lionel Richie fan, and sometimes we actually listen to Lionel Richie on the bus.

There's no shame in being a support act for anyone. It's been extremely beneficial for us to be allowed onstage for any of the artists we've toured with, and we've gotten some big exposure from them sharing their crowds with us in the past.

'Old Dominion' is the nickname for the state of Virginia, and four of us have ties to Virginia.

You definitely want your own fans, but you also want the support of your peers and the people you work with.

We have always been a touring band, and we love playing live.