Aliza Ford Prepares New EP, “Four Strong Walls”

2018 was a big year for Aliza Ford. He released an EP, opened for a few major names, and began work on his next EP, “Four Strong Walls.”

Hearing music’s call, Ford hopes that 2019 is an even bigger year; one where he can begin to pursue music full-time and make a career out of what he feels he is meant to be doing.

As he prepares to release “Four Strong Walls,” get to know Ford and his musical upbringing, which artist drew him to country music, the stories behind a few of the songs he has released so far, which national television show he just auditioned for, and more!

Pro Country: Who were your biggest musical influences growing up?

Aliza Ford: I love heavy metal bands such as Metallica, Megadeth, etc., but now, it’s Hank Sr., George Jones, and Johnny Cash.

PC: Was there a specific moment you knew you wanted to make music for a living?

AF: When I had my metal band when I was 13 years old. First, I wanted to be a rock star!

PC: You were involved in a heavy metal band and a fan of artists like Metallica and Megadeth. What was it about country music that drew you in?

AF: When I was about 16, I watched the movie “I Walk the Line” with Johnny Cash, and fell in love with the music and the way he was, so it drew me in to research further into country music- the old-school Country music.

PC: Were you feeling any type of pressure, internally or externally, as you were preparing to release music for the first time with your first release?

AF: I was definitely nervous, because it was my first time in the studio, not to mention me and my dad built the studio for our producer in exchange for my 10-song CD because we had no money. But there was definitely some pressure, because I wanted everything to be right.

PC: “Keep Going” has become one of your signature songs. Can you talk about the inspiration behind that song?

AF: “Keep Going” was written 3 years ago, when I was 20 years old. My cousin’s husband died, and we were pretty close and loved to play music together. He died, and shortly after his death, I wrote “Keep Going.” It’s basically saying just keep going, even though bad things are happening. Remember all the good times. [Also, my 2nd music video sponsored by North Texas Construction.]

PC: What does it mean to you to see “Keep Going” chart on the Texas Radio charts and hear the song being played?

AF: It means the world to see my single hit number 81 on the charts. When we released it to radio, people told me it wouldn’t hit the top 100, only because it was my first time and I’m a new face. We proved them wrong!

PC: “Party Time” is a fun song and has a great music video. What went in to the decision to record it acoustically? How do you think that helped the delivery/feel of the song?

AF: On the Patio sponsored that music video for me about 2 years ago or so. A fella named Sparky recorded it for me at his house, and although I could have used my CD version, we tried the acoustic version instead, mostly because I had no actual band, and the music video wouldn’t add up if I had full band playing, so we just had me in the video.

PC: You’ve opened for big names such as Doug Supernaw and Jamie Richards. What can you take away from those experiences that can help you in your own career?

AF: It was a great experience to open up for those great legends. They mentioned my name to the crowd, and that means a lot for a new guy like myself. it’s about helping other musicians out when you can.

PC: What information can you give on your sophomore album that you’re working on?

AF: HJ foundation sponsored my 6 song EP last September 2018, and I’m very thankful for that. They hooked me up with producer Jude Dyllan, and I’m very impressed how the way things are going and have been. Very professional and fun experience. We are now in February 2019, and we are wrapping up fiddle, steel guitar, and back-up vocals, and getting ready for Jude to send off for mastering. We are so close to releasing the EP. Most likely we will have a CD release party somewhere for people to come pick up a new “Four Strong Walls” EP.

PC: What are your plans for 2019?

AF: My plan for 2019 is to take on anything I can music-wise, and to form my band. Unfortunately for me, it has been hard these past couple of years to find good, reliable musicians. That’s my goal for this year, to form a band and do music full time, so I can do what I’m really meant to do, and get out of carpentry/framing work.

PC: Additional comments:

AF: On Friday, 2/1/19, I auditioned for America’s Got Talent, and it went great. We will see how it goes. I love all my supporters and fans. Thank you, Justin, for the interview, I wish you the best with whatever you do in life. “KEEP GOING.”