You may not know their names (yet) but you've definitely heard their songs.
Kenny Chesney's Big Revival Tour is shaping up to be a can't miss event!
With Jake Owen, Cole Swindell, Brantley Gilbert and Chase Rice already on-tap to open – plus select dates with Eric Church and co-headliner Jason Aldean -- the country icon has selected buzzed-about Nashville band Old Dominion to join the roster. You may have heard their songs "Shut Me Up" and "Break Up with Him" recently, but this band has been in the biz for more than a decade writing songs for Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and yes, even Chesney. Among their biggest hits are The Band Perry's "Better Dig Two" and "Chainsaw," Tyler Farr's "A Guy Walks Into a Bar," Craig Morgan's "Wake Up Lovin' You," and Dierks Bentley's "Say You Do."
PICS: Luke Bryan Wins Big at the AMAs
"We're songwriters first," O.D.'s Trevor Rosen tells ETonline, with front man Matthew Ramsey adding: "We've been lucky enough to have other people record our songs, so we've proven we know how to write hit songs. Now it's just exciting for us to be able to be the ones singin' them."
The band worked with Nashville hit-maker Shane McAnally on their debut, self-titled EP, which hit shelves on Oct. 7. Their latest song "Break Up with Him" is currently ranked No. 2 on Sirius XM's "The Highway Hot 45."
"It's still kinda sinking in," Ramsey said of their impending tour. "For a band like us that's been playing small clubs for years, just to even conceive that we're gonna be on a stadium tour is mind boggling. We feel like we gotta step it up a bit."
Chesney believes they can deliver. "People need breaks," he says. "Coming up, I played for tips, in bars, anywhere people could hear my music. It's part of building, and it's part of learning how to do it. We've had Kacey Musgraves, Carrie Underwood, Jake Owen early in each of their careers. I think the audience understands and likes seeing newcomers."
Q&A: Jake Owen Talks Chesney Tour and Debuts Emotional New Video
Rosen says fans can expect to "have fun" during their set. "Even at the club shows, we bring a lot of energy and really perform," he says. Adds Ramsey: "We have fun playing with each other, so that really comes across to the fans."
Named one of Rolling Stone Country's artists you need to know, Old Dominion is the first independent act to ever join a stadium tour. Rosen puts it best: "It's really gonna be crazy to be on this tour."
Owen, touring with Chesney for a third time, also recently spoke with ETonline about mentorship, collaborations and his emotional new music video. Read the full Q&A here. In the video below, Chesney opens up about his new album and writing about women.
Follow Sophie on Twitter: @SophieSchillaci
