![Eric Durrance of Tobacco Rd Band, right, and Colt Ford in the Average Joes Studio, where they cut the vocals for "That's Country."](http://cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_content_width/hash/a0/8e/a08ea0a443d843194f60beb0e6b09cc8.jpg?itok=13H_kwCc "Eric Durrance of Tobacco Rd Band, right, and Colt Ford in the Average Joes Studio, where they cut the vocals for "That's Country."")
Country music’s Tobacco Rd Band featuring Eric Durrance will soon unleash a new single that not only embodies the rowdy, no-holds-barred side of the lineup’s sound, but also features a very special guest: Colt Ford.
In a Jan. 23 interview with Examiner.com, songwriter/frontman Durrance said he and his TRB bandmates -- guitarist Lex Vance, bassist Aaron Halford and drummer Joe Markham -- “reached out to (Ford) on a whim” a few months ago “because when I wrote the song, we just felt like how awesome would it be to have Colt on it?”
At the time, he continued, “One of my business associates, Dustin Rivest, actually got the song to Colt’s label. We thought we'd never get a response, but Colt called us back and said he'd entertain doing it, (and) we flipped out. As it turns out, (Ford) thought it was a rockin' track and that it kinda fit his style.”
And the rest, as the saying goes, is history. Or at least it will be when the forthcoming single, “That’s Country,” makes its official debut via iTunes and the band’s website come Feb. 5.
Durrance — who co-wrote Jake Owen’s “Eight Second Ride” hit, among other musical accomplishments — said the new tune’s “been about five or six months in the making,” with plans to ship the single to country radio next month and ultimately shoot a music video in its honor. (The single's already been added at 106.1 "The Twister" in Tulsa, Okla., and at 103.1 "The Wolf" in Tallahassee, so expect big things ahead.)
As for the collaboration between TRB and Ford, although Durrance initially penned the song, “Colt put his rap part in it so he's considered a co-writer,” shared the brunet songster.
“Colt had (his rap) pre-written on his iPhone. … and we cut all the music down at Gasoline Alley Studios in Tallahassee, with Bobby Selvaggio (Creed, Puddle of Mudd) as the engineer and co-producer on that," Durrance shared. "Then, right before Christmas, we went to Average Joes recording studio in Nashville to cut the vocals.”
Set for release on the band’s own Big Southern Entertainment label, “That’s Country” is a track that Durrance and company hope will resonate with country-rapper Ford’s fans, as well as TRB’s devoted followers.
“The audience response to this song has been amazing,” Durrance said. “Everybody loves the song and they’re singing along by the second chorus. … Our hope is that Colt fans will appreciate it and become our fans, too. We feel like his fans are our kinda people. If you like Colt Ford, you're probably gonna like Tobacco Rd Band.”
As for the recently ACA-nominated Ford, the fact that he opted to take part in the project really says it all.
“He’s a Southern gentleman and a man of very few words,” Durrance offered, referring to Ford. “He is real nice, very laid-back, and the fact that he dug the track means the world to us.”
Following the single release of “That’s Country” via iTunes, the Coors Light-sponsored Tobacco Rd Band will release a “six-pack” EP, also dubbed “That’s Country,” for fans. To stay updated on the latest TRB news, including concerts and music updates, please access the band’s Facebook page, official website or Twitter.
- Multimedia bonus: To sample "That's Country" on SoundCloud, click here. And to spy a prior track from Tobacco Rd Band featuring CMT artist Durrance, “All About Me,” please access the clip embedded with this post. (FYI: The darling you see posted on the video link is Durrance's daughter.)
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