Cross Canadian Ragweed returns to the Varsity this Wednesday night, to once again bring their alternitive country sound to Baton Rouge.
The band plays a blend of country familiar to listeners of Pat Green, Robert Earl Keen, and legends like Willie Nelson.
CCR had been lumped in with the “Texas Country Revolution,” but the band actually hails from Oklahoma and offers listeners looking for a heavier country band an alternative to the alternative.
The band gained a large fan base through relentless touring over the last seven years.
Bonnie Carlson, a geography sophomore, saw the band in her hometown of Austin, Tex. last year.
“I like them, they appeal to a lot of people,” Carlson said. “People of all ages were there, I mean me and my dad went together.”
Carlson said the band presents a heavy sound without isolating listeners by using bare bones instrumentation.
“They have a big sound but it is not jazzed up with electronics,” Carlson said. “It’s heavy in an organic sort of way. They are one of those bands you have to go see.”
And now the band is on the cusp of hitting the big time. Their major label debut “Soul Gravy” will be released by Universal South on March 9. And the band’s latest video “Constantly” is already getting airplay on the major country music channels.
The new album stays true to their original sound and was wrapped before the band ever signed their deal with Universal.
Not that Universal wanted to change anything.
Cody Canada, the band’s front-man and lead guitarist, said in the band’s biography that Universal was pleased with the band as is.
“They said, ‘When we come in, we don’t want to change one thing about you,'” Canada said. “Which tickled the s*** out of us, because that’s what we wanted. We told them, ‘That’s good, because we’re not going to change anything.'”
Since then the four-piece outfit has been dazzling audiences with a free-flowing show. The band never uses a set list, and never manages to miss a beat either.
Cross Canadian Ragweed shows are drenched in the Southern rock party vibe. The band’s rocking country sound is straight-forward and pleasing to even casual country listeners.
The show is this Wednesday with doors opening at 8 p.m. and the show set to start at 9:45 p.m.
Tickets will be available soon on www.varsitytheatre.com and at the door.