We had the good fortune of connecting with Tony Ford and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tony, we’d love to hear what makes you happy.
Writing songs makes me happier than anything else I’ve ever done. I absolutely cherish original music and would much rather listen to anyone play a mediocre original than a perfectly crafted cover. Songs can be among the most intimate forms of personal expressions. The requirement to be concise in songwriting often forces the writer to organize their thoughts into their most basic forms and personally I like to get down to brass tacks.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
At the end of the day I’m a songwriter. I’m not necessarily as interested in being unique as I am in being myself. Every song I’ve ever written has at least one line that is just for me and I think that’s something I’ll always do to keep myself honest in my own way. Over the next year I will be releasing a series of EPs that will manifest into an LP of the best material that will be released on vinyl sometime in 2024. With original music the only way forward is forward, you have to keep moving and trying to put your best stuff into the ears of people who like that kind of music. It can be utterly frustrating to release an amazing track that does nothing but the reality is we’re all playing the long game and a career in music can almost always be built with hard work and consistency but not necessarily by a ton of streams or download.s

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Anza Borrego is one of my favorite places, the Pictographs are incredible and the scenery in general is tranquil.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Every person I’ve ever played music or written songs with has made me better and I’m greatly thankful to all of them. My sister Cassandra Elaine for being my first friend & musical/writing partner with our group WillowRoad. The guys in my first band The LongShots for giving me a place to write and play most (but not all) of my worst songs. The members of my first California group Planet Waves for pushing me to work on my musicianship. Joe Savidge and the rest of The SawTones for reminding me that playing music is about joy. Jackson Wagner for being a great bandmate and constantly making me better. Casey Frensz & Matthew Mwangi from Inner Groove Studios for everything that they have done and will continue to do. My parents for always listening to good radio stations and my uncles Murray and Stu for showing me everything that wasn’t on the radio.

Website: linktr.ee/tonyfordmusic

Instagram: instagram.com/tonyfordmusic

Facebook: facebook.com/anthonyfford

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL22Yyl8zxgreCtvwtTtP3Q

Other: tonyford.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Photos by Jackson Wagner & Joe Savdige

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