The New Old-Fashioned is a rock and roll and alt-country band from Dayton, Ohio. Led by vocalist and songwriter David Payne, the voices and instruments of Kent Montgomery (guitar), Tom Blackbern (bass) and Matt Oliver (drums) are very present in the New Old-Fashioned’s signature sound: big, choral vocal harmonies atop a thick Americana backdrop.
Recently the band released their latest, Hilltops & Highways, a split with The Repeating Arms for Gas Daddy Go Records, a label based in their hometown. Ghettoblaster had the pleasure of asking vocalist/guitarist David Payne about the endeavor.
When did you come up with the idea for the split with The Repeating Arms?
We’ve been tossing around the idea of doing something with those guys for quite awhile now, but I guess it’s been a little over a year since we really decided what we were going to do.
What is it about your sounds that compliments each other?
Well, I think both bands are heavily influenced by American roots music. Ya know, country, folk, early rock and roll, etc. Both bands are also very like minded, song oriented bands, but I think what really made this project a success is our close friendship. Those guys are like our brothers. We had a great time working together on this and I think it shows in the final product.
Were your tracks for this effort written and recorded specifically with the split in mind?
Yes and no. The songs were all recorded by Max of The Repeating Arms, specifically for this release. The tracks were then mastered by Micah Carli, who we had already been working with on our upcoming full length album.
As far as the songwriting goes, “My Heart Still Loves You,” “Honey,” and “Radio Waves” were all songs Kent, Harold, and I had been sitting on for a bit. The songs hadn’t found their way onto another record yet, and we felt they’d be strong choices for the split. “You Loved Me Before” is a song that Harold and I co-wrote for the split. He came to me with an idea and we finished it together. It was a lot of fun getting to write with Harold. He’s one of my favorite singer/songwriters in the world.
The final and most collaborative track, “Some Nights,” is a song I wrote specifically with this project in mind. I wrote the song on the Sunday morning after we played the release show for The Repeating Arms full length album, Blackberry Winter. I was online the next morning writing my usual “Thanks for coming. What a great night of music!” post and also reading everyone else’s, when I realized what a common occurrence this is on a Sunday morning in Dayton. We have the opportunity to play some great shows, in some great places, to some great audiences. There is such a strong sense of community in the Dayton music scene. That song is about how grateful we are for that.
When did Gas Daddy Go get involved?
Pretty early on, actually. Kent and I had met with Don Thrasher from the label, to talk about a different project we were about to release. I told him our idea about doing a collaborative EP with The Repeating Arms and asked him if it was something Gas Daddy Go would be interested in putting out. He said yes without skipping a beat. Don has always been super supportive of our music and was very patient while we got this thing together.
What formats is this available on?
It’s available on CD from Omega Music in Dayton, Toxic Beauty Records in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and online at the Gas Daddy Go Bandcamp page. It’s also available in digital formats at gasdaddygo.bandcamp.com.
You’ve got some big live events coming up later this year.  Are you excited to play with J Roddy Walston and to play the Dayton Music Fest?
We’re super excited to play with J. Roddy Walston and The Business on August 12 at Oddbody’s in Dayton. A couple of our guys are big fans of the band and it’s great to see such a solid national rock and roll act coming to our hometown. Stoked to be a part of it! As for Dayton Music Fest, it’s been an annual highlight just about every year we’ve been playing so far. Our 2013 set at the Tumbleweed helped mark a big step forward for our band and is still to this day one of my favorite show’s we’ve ever played. We’re excited to see how the new format plays out and we get to share one hell of a bill at Blind Bob’s with some of our favorite acts in town.
Also, look for our sophomore, full-length record, Low Down Dirty Summer Nights, later this summer or early this fall!
Enjoy a stream of the split below: