Congratulations are in order for Old Dominion, the reigning ACM (Academy of Country Music) Group of the Year! This morning, the ACM announced the nominees for their April 5th awards show with the group earning four noms, including their fifth for the Group trophy. They’re also up for Single, Song and Video of the Year for “One Man Band.” In addition, Old Dominion members Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi each received individual nominations as songwriters of that hit in the Song of the Year category.

Earlier this week, the band wrapped up the current leg of their 2020 tour with stops in Ontario, including Kitchener and Peterborough. In two weeks, they head overseas for shows in London and Dublin, Ireland. Old Dominion has certainly been leaving a mark.

(With Old Dominion, backstage in Kitchener)

Their first two full-length albums have been certified gold, with their current self-titled collection on track to reach that mark.

And they’ve been leaving a mark on the charts. Of their 10 singles, seven of them reached the top spot in the U.S., seven of them have reached platinum or gold status in America (five singles in Canada have been certified either platinum or gold). Those are some pretty impressive stats. Their current single, “Some People Do” continues to rise up the charts.

As songwriters, members of Old Dominion have been leaving their mark on many hits for other country stars. A small, partial list includes such huge tunes as “Better Dig Two” for the Band Perry, Tyler Farr’s “A Guy Walks Into a Bar,” Dierks Bentley’s “Say You Do,” “Sangria” for Blake Shelton, Sam Hunt’s “Make You Miss Me” and Luke Bryan’s “Light It Up.”

Backstage at their Kitchener show, Old Dominion had two backdrops in a meet & greet area, each showing dozens of photos of the band. One photo really stood out, though. It was a photo of someone’s ear with a nasty-looking gash on the lobe. Was it caused by an earring accident, perhaps? Actually, no.

(Old Dominion bassist Geoff Sprung)

The cut belongs to bassist Geoff Sprung. He told the story of how he was in Florida swimming in the ocean and was bitten. Immediate thoughts turned to a possible shark or stingray attack. Not quite.

(“That’s gonna leave a mark!”)

Geoff explained he was bitten by someone’s German Shepherd! An ambulance ride and hospital visit resulted in the appropriate medical care. And since the dog had its required vaccinations, Geoff, fortunately, didn’t need to get any of the rabies tests. But the incident sure did leave a mark!