Country Thunder — the largest Country music festival brand in North America — continues what’s shaping up to be the biggest and best season yet of its popular podcast “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer” by dropping a brand-new episode today (10/30) featuring award-winning, MULTI-PLATINUM Country band Old Dominion. Underscored by this mutual respect and longstanding admiration, Country Thunder CEO and host Vollhoffer sits down with the group’s Matthew Ramsey [vocals], Trevor Rosen [guitar], Geoff Sprung [bass], and Brad Tursi [guitar].

The discussion begins with the band’s origin story as a songwriting collective in Nashville, following their journey from marathon $400 gigs locally to taking flight as the musical powerhouse audiences know and love these days. Simultaneously, the chat unearths all kinds of fascinating tidbits about the guys.

Rosen dives into how they grinded to become who they are. He recalls, “We had played so long together. We had a sound. Then, people started cutting our songs, and we started having a few hits as writers. The buzz started happening to where people were going, ‘Hey, who's this band?’ After that, we got turned down by every record label for the next five weeks!”

“Twice,” chuckles Ramsey. “I don’t know if it’s tenacity or stupidity or lack of options. Honestly, I think what we had was just a love for it. We were just having fun.”

They dig into Old Dominion’s cross-genre appeal informed by love for everyone from Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, and Guns N’ Roses to James Taylor, Don Henley, and Bruce Springsteen. Rosen observes, “It’s not straight Country. We grew up in Rock bands, and I think there’s a lot of different styles.”

Of course, they pull back the curtain on their sixth full-length LP, Barbara, which arrived in August. Funny enough, choosing the cover art ended up being the easiest choice they’ve ever made. The guys refer to it as “hands-down the most unanimous decision in the 15 years of the band.”

It’s been a busy year for “On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer.” Season 3’s guests have included Tennessee-born singer and songwriter Larry Fleet and GRAMMY® Award-nominated, MULTI-PLATINUM Country star Cole Swindell. Prior, Season 3 launched in September with an episode featuring 23x No. 1 hitmaker Tyler Hubbard. Now, the podcast has steadily emerged as one of the premier Country music podcasts, elevating Vollhoffer as an industry tastemaker and sharp businessman. Over the course of its first two seasons, he sat down for insightful, revealing, and often hilarious interviews with the likes of Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, HARDY, Gavin Adcock, Koe Wetzel, Dierks Bentley, Bailey Zimmerman, Ashley McBryde, Marty Stuart, and many more. During Season 1, the podcast notably shook the charts and reached #1 in Music among Apple Podcasts in the U.S. Not to mention, the Dustin Lynch episode debuted in the Top 1% of all podcasts. Following its expansion to video in Season 2, the Jordan Davis episode remains the highest-performing YouTube video with nearly 100,000 views, while total channel views surpass 1.5 MILLION.

With cameras rolling and tape running, he engages in funny and freewheeling discourse with major Country talent as well as buzzing acts. The episodes are filmed from the Billboard 2025 Touring Power Players honoree’s tour bus and home studio, providing an unfiltered vignette into the lives of artists as they tell stories, recall memories, and share unwavering passion for music.

The podcast stands out as a must-listen for Country aficionados and music fans at large. Boasting an intimate format, exclusive content, and an elite lineup of all-star guests, there’s nothing quite like it.

 

 

ABOUT OLD DOMINION:
Old Dominion’s skyscraping anthems and electrifying live shows have put the multi-platinum-selling band prominently at the forefront of Country music. Fusing clever lyrics and an infectious sound, their lyrical wit and hook-heavy songwriting has certainly proved to be a winning formula for Nashville’s hottest band. It’s no wonder Rolling Stone cited Old Dominion as “one of mainstream Country music’s most popular live groups.” Since breaking onto the music scene, the band has notched nine No. 1 singles at Country radio, surpassed five billion on-demand streams, earned a dozen RIAA Platinum and Gold single certifications, and headlined arenas and amphitheaters around the globe. Old Dominion are currently the reigning eight-time Academy of Country Music and seven-time Country Music Association “Group of the Year,” and most recently received yet another CMA nomination for “Group of the Year” in 2025. Between the ACMs and CMAs, Old Dominion has won the “Group of the Year” title more than any other act in Country music history. The band performed a seven-show residency at Nashville’s legendary Ryman Auditorium this February, raising more than $1.25M for seven charities the band has been actively engaged with over their career. The band’s highly anticipated sixth studio album Barbara was released on August 22, and their massive How Good Is That - World Tour has seen them trek across the globe with stadium and arena performances to continue through the first half of 2026. 

ABOUT COUNTRY THUNDER:
Attracting nearly 625,000+ fans to its six multi-day events, Country Thunder Music Festivals boast unparalleled reach with a diverse demographic profile spanning the USA and Canada. Featuring top-tier Country artists, Country Thunder Festivals draw diverse crowds, fostering a vibrant atmosphere that celebrates the essence of Country music. The Country Thunder Music Festivals organization has a 21-year history which boasts five other major multi-day events in North America, including Wisconsin, Florida, Saskatchewan, and Alberta. 

ABOUT TROY VOLLHOFFER:
Troy Vollhoffer is an American entrepreneur from Nashville, TN and currently serves as the President of Country Thunder Music Festivals, Big Valley Jamboree, and Premier Global Production Company. One of the most beloved festival brands in the world, Country Thunder has seen tremendous success, receiving numerous awards including the ACM Festival of the Year for Country Thunder Arizona, Wisconsin, and most recently, Bristol in 2023. For his transformation of the festival, Vollhoffer was honored with the Academy of Country Music Lifting Lives Award and the Don Romero Talent Buyer of the Year Award at the ACM Honors in 2023. 
 
Vollhoffer played professional ice hockey from 1982-1992 and has served on the boards of the T.J. Martell Foundation, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, ACM Lifting Lives, ACM and CMA. His dedicated philanthropic commitment was recognized at the 2018 CCMA Awards, where he received the Slaight Music Humanitarian Award.

ABOUT ON THE BUS WITH TROY VOLLHOFFER:
Troy Vollhoffer, owner and founder of Country Thunder Music Festival, invites the biggest Country artists and industry giants to join him for a one-on-one celebrity interview “On the Bus.”  As Troy opens his home, his tour bus, and festival venues to his audience for behind the scenes conversations, he asks exclusive questions, discusses festival do’s and don'ts, and highlights the tracks fans will hear on stage at Country Thunder this summer. Guests include Dustin Lynch, Koe Wetzel, Tigirlily Gold, Dierks Bentley, Bailey Zimmerman, Jon Pardi, Ashley McBryde and countless other music industry legends, taking you backstage to share stories of their concerts, their careers, and their entertainment industry journeys. Be ready to be thunderstruck, "On the Bus with Troy Vollhoffer." 

 

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