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Bridge Music Magazine: Ross Flora Collaborates With Blackbird Studio For Project “Part of Me"
Producer, songwriter, and performer Ross Flora, known for the golden age of rock ‘n’ roll featuring a southern Americana flare, debuts his first collaboration project, “Part of Me,” with world-renowned Blackbird Studio. Recorded in Nashville at John and Martina McBride’s Blackbird Studio, the two-song release “Last Part of Me” and “Get It Right” explore the various American music styles, including country, roots-rock, and folk, resulting in distinctive rural sounds.
With the help of the students at The Blackbird Academy, Ross’ new project features unique and bold soundscapes, each catering to a different style and tempo. “‘Last Part of Me” is a song I wrote around the time I moved to Nashville. To me, it’s about the point after a breakup where the heartache starts to fade, but that pain is your only interaction with that person anymore, so you hold on to it as best you can.”
Ross says, “These two songs, “Last Part of Me” and “Get It Right,” are some that I wrote earlier in my career. Originally, I was working to get these on my 2022 summer EP release of Shoulders of Giants, but the timing of the opportunity to record them in Blackbird Studio meant they would have to be released later on. Ultimately, I couldn’t be happier that the decision was made to put them out as their own project.”
Ross’ catalog expands to include styles that have influenced him throughout his career. Particularly, Ross’ father, Millard Flora, who is also a musician, got to be in the studio as he continues to influence Ross’ musical performance and songwriting. Millard says, “As Ross has gained life experiences, this project shows that he is more aware of the forces that got him here — spiritual, cognitive, and social interactions that make him the man that he is today. On this project, all of those influences are reflected in his songwriting.”
Inside the prestigious recording studio, Ross and the students of the academy were able to record and bring these songs to life. The mentor-driven and hands-on education at The Blackbird Academy for Angela Gonzales was one she won’t take for granted.
Angela says, “Working with Ross Flora at Blackbird Studio was a dream. An artist I love, in an amazing studio, capturing songs I believe in. I felt fortunate to just be behind that console and witness the moments. The electricity between Ross, the band, and even having his father, Millard Flora, on the B3, was just so special. Ross gives his heart to every show he plays, to every song he writes, and to every person he interacts with.”
The sparks of musical inspiration that exist within The Blackbird Academy coexist with the passion for music education that lives inside the studio. Many greats of country music have walked the halls and cut hit records at the academy, with Ross being among them to get the opportunity to record his project there. “The time spent recording these songs at Blackbird Studio with my dad and closest friends will easily go down as one of the best moments and milestones of my life. And finally hearing them on tape, mixing them, and sending them off to be released was such a weight lifted from me,” adds Ross.
In these two new singles, you are able to hear Ross take on new sounds and even include some R&B. “‘Get it Right” is a saying I remind myself of all the time — If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. In this case, it’s focused on a relationship that has had its issues, but the character has finally made a commitment to change, stop making cliche and selfish mistakes that lead to more and more bad decisions,” says Ross.
Throughout Flora’s career, he has performed as a lead guitarist and vocalist with the Johnny T band, opening for Love and Theft, and was also the lead guitarist and vocalist with Smoke n’ Guns, opening for Blackberry Smoke and Dustin Lynch. Ross continues to play weekly gigs in Nashville as a solo artist, having performed over 4,000 shows while also writing and producing his own music. Most recently, he released his debut EP, Shoulders of Giants, which made headlines alongside Morgan Wade in the Roanoke Times as two Virginia natives making waves in Nashville.
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