Cross Canadian Ragweed parted ways in 2010. Since then, frontman Cody Canada said a reunion would never happen. However, the stars aligned earlier this year, and the band decided to reunite for a limited engagement. Next year, Ragweed will team up with other Oklahoma-based Red Dirt favorites Turnpike Troubadours, Jason Boland & The Straggles, The Great Divide, and more for a four-night event dubbed The Boys from Oklahoma. It’s scheduled to take place April 10-13 at the Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
Videos by American Songwriter
Earlier this month, Canada sat down with American Songwriter to talk about the Cross Canadian Reunion, the upcoming concert series, and the future of the band.
[RELATED: Cross Canadian Ragweed Add More Dates to Boys from Oklahoma Reunion in Stillwater]
Cody Canada on the Fan Reaction to the Cross Canadian Ragweed Reunion
When Cross Canadian Ragweed started hinting that something was coming back in September, fans exploded with excitement. Then, when they announced the concert in Stillwater, tickets sold out almost immediately. As a result, what started as a one-night engagement turned into a four-night mini-festival.
“I really, honestly, had no idea there would be anywhere close to this,” Canada said of the reaction to the reunion news. “I thought that we would sell half of that stadium out. Then, we would move on and do another show. I really did not think it would be anywhere close to this,” he added.
How the Reunion Happened
“My booking agent was a big part of it,” Canada said of how the Cross Canadian Ragweed Reunion came about. “We had been getting requests for years and I told him, ‘I’m not ready and I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready.’ He goes, ‘Weil I keep getting offers.’ And I’m like ‘I know you do and I don’t want to hear what they are.’ Then, a couple of years ago, we were up in New York and it just kind of hit me that maybe we should try to do something,” he explained.
“Earlier in the year, offers started coming in for this show and he said, ‘We’ll get the ball rolling if you want.’ I hadn’t talked to Grady in like nine years,” Canada said. “So, he went up there and got the guys together. Jeremy and I have still been playing music together. He went up there and got those guys to go to dinner with him. He told them ‘This could be a really good opportunity. This is not back on the highway situation. It’s let’s do a few shows and have fun.’ And they agreed. We all started talking and it went really good,” he revealed.
A Happy Reunion
Canada and his band The Departed played the OSU homecoming in Stillwater. That weekend, the other members of Cross Canadian Ragweed showed up to hang out and catch up. “This weekend was the first time we’ve all been together in ten years,” Canada revealed. “We saw each other in Stillwater and Grady got up and jammed with us. Randy had to go home, he has kids he has to take care of. It was a love fest. Everyone was having a good time,” he added with a note of pride in his voice.
“It feels good, it really does,” he said of getting back together with his friends and former bandmates. “I keep telling people let’s see what happens in Stillwater for four days. I don’t want to get back on the road. We toured so much that I blame touring for a big part of splitting the band up,” he said. “We were just so busy all the time. Everybody had kids and we never got to see them. That turns into you’re missing home so you’re drinking more,” he recalled. “We’re going to see how the four days go then we’ll see about doing some other stuff. Right now, we’re just all happy that we’re getting along.”
Will This Be a Permanent Reunion for Cross Canadian Ragweed?
Many fans surely want to know if Cross Canadian Ragweed is back to stay. That’s something that Cody Canada can’t answer. However, he’s open to the idea. “I learned a lesson here recently to never say never,” Canada said. “Back in February, I did an interview with Rolling Stone and I said it would never happen. Here we are, in the same year going full steam ahead. I’m going to let John, our booking agent, and the powers that be kind of guide us through that.”
Putting the Boys from Oklahoma Concert Lineup Together
The Boys from Oklahoma will feature Cross Canadian Ragweed, Turnpike Troubadours, Jason Boland & The Stragglers, The Great Divide, and Stoney LaRue.
“Really, it was just calling everybody. As far as I know, nobody said no,” Cody Canada said about putting the lineup together. “To make it work, you’re going to have to have that lineup. You’re going to have to have the original Oklahoma bands to make that lineup work. I don’t know anything about the business part of all that stuff but I know everybody was excited to sign up and do it,” he added.
“My main thing with that was having Mike McClure,” Canada said of the lineup. “The Great Divide, Mike McClure, whatever incarnation of whatever music—he’s got to be there. Without him, none of us would be doing this. They’re the ones that started things for us,” he explained. “I mean, there was a generation before them but we were kids when that happened. So, we didn’t learn about those guys until after the Great Divide. They were our gateway.”
Featured Image by Paul Natkin/Getty Images
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