Join us on the line right now. It's Cody Canada. Hey Cody, how are you man?
How good? How you doing this morning?
I'm great, man, It's great to talk to you, dude. Congratulations on the sold out shows over at boone Pickens.
Oh, thank you man. It's pretty pretty wild to me.
I've always wanted to ask us when we see shows get added one after another when they sell well, was it planned or did you have a contingency plan for her to add multiple days?
I mean, I honestly didn't think that we would sell out even one night. And then I walked into the kitchen and my wife was on the phone with a book an agent, and she said, Okay, it looks like we're doing night too. Okay, So and then after that they added night three and four just instantly. So it was all shocked to me.
Was there a debate ever to add another date? When like, were you like, all right, let's just do like two more?
There was like one hundred and are two hundred and fifty thousand more people in the queue, So that was definitely you know, a plan, but we decided that let's let's just get through the first the four and uh and then we'll plan after that.
You know what, what what about the because I know a lot of people that never got tickets and the did like the frustration and stuff. Were you ever guys ever brought in like hey there's a problem with ticket sales or there's more demand than we expected. Was there any that business side of that that you were involved in?
I I got online before everything went on sale, and I said, you know, don't buy from third party. You know, there were gonna everybody buy from the school. You know, if something happened, then you have to buy a third party, and you really want to come to the show and do that. But there was such so much internet traffic, server traffic that pe I mean, there was no way that anybody that everybody could get them. And then we found out, you know that a lot of it was
like seat geek and stub hub. But I don't, I don't really think you can beat that system. I don't. I mean I don't. If Tavid Swift can't, I damn sure can't. You know?
Yeah? Yeah, From an artist's standpoint is what does that?
Do?
You do you feel helpless?
I mean, of course you feel you know, empathy for fans and stuff, because you want them to come to the shows, but where does that land with you?
I mean, yeah, it's it's frustrating, you know. I mean I have people, I've been doing this for thirty thirty years, thirty one years next year, and man, I've got people all over the country that want to see the show. And then you know, on top of that, I'm only allowed so many people on a guest list. So that's definitely empathy. You know. I really felt like this is
the kind of the way I'm built, though. I kind of felt like I let people down, But in the end, I mean, there's nothing I could do about it.
How did the show? Those shows in April?
How did just because you thought it was gonna be a one day thing, but how did that come to?
Fruition? Share it with us and the fans?
Like how the idea of getting back together and doing this and doing that day and doing it in still are How did all that come about?
So about if you got a minute, I.
Got all the time you want, man.
And like two years ago, my wife lost her dad, so we went to we kind of got away from everything, and I have friends up in New York and we went up there to hang out for a few days and we went to see a band called eichnine Kills. My kids and wife loved metal, and honestly I like
it more than then I used to. But uh. We were underneath the Madison Square Garden at the Hulu Theater and we took the kids back to the house and then we walked to a bar and my wife was going around the table saying, Hey, let's let's talk about goals, you know, let's sitch goals. And she in to me and I was like, kind of teary eyed, and She's like, what's wrong with you? I said, I think it's time that we we start real man's in the idea. I would like to at least, you know, have everybody be
friends again. And so there was She said to me, you know, I think that's great, but the thing I want from you is to be happy. And I was like, well, I kind of want everybody to be happy. I mean, just the world is so especially our country is there's everything's so divided, and people were yelling at each other all the time, and like, what's this? This is something that makes people have fun. And so it was a two year process and my book and agent, John Folk, who is I told him he told me not to
say it, but I don't care what he says. He he's one the reason that this is happening. I mean it. I know it took us calling each other and talking through things, which really wasn't that big a deal. The more I lean into it, the more I realized that I think I was the one that was kind of like maybe holding a grudge, you know, and uh, for no reason. I mean my thought was nobody died, nobody's screed,
nobody around. It was just, you know, we just had a disagreement fifteen years ago, and we were overworked and we were over drinking. And now everybody's grown and their kids are grown, and maybe it's time, you know. I mean, it's think think outside of yourself, is what I tried to tell myself, you know. And what's what's There's people out there that are mad, whether it's financially or politically or whatever, and let's just kind of come together and see what we can do. And uh, John said, hey,
I think we can do the football stadium. So the first thing I thought was we're going to sell half half of the stadium. That's about it. It's like, well, whatever we got to do, let's let's do it, and let's do it in still Water first, and uh, we got on the phone with each other and man, everybody just fell back in love with each other instantly, and there was a tears and joy and and you know, talking about our kids have bands and what's let's do this for them, and man, to be honest and not
over sell it. I mean, it really was just a love fest. You know. It's let's get back in the saddle, not necessarily, you know, go back on tour, because that's that's what did it. You know, was working too much and you know we're not young anymore, so we just settled on, Okay, let's do a handful of shows. Well that handful of shows happened to turn out to be the same as the same town four nights in a row.
And man, it just this last weekend we were in still Water for homecoming and was the first time everybody got together in fifteen years in the same room, and man, it was beautiful. We had a good time. We joked around, we talked about the good times and what's to come.
You know, what is it about getting older that makes you reflect back on relationships?
You had.
This is more like philosophical like anyone in general, not just you specifically, but that makes you reflect back and go, man, I want to re do on that.
I think it's the more behind you than there is ahead of you that I think, in my personal opinion, I think it's looking around going you know, I have something that's just pressing down on me that I would like to lift off me, you know. And my kids are nineteen in almost seventeen. You know, they told me that it was so nice to see everybody together. It was just like a weight was lifted. I think this was part of it, you know. I mean my kids never would bring up, hey, would you get the band
back together? Because they knew it was, you know, a subject that I was not necessarily a sour subject, but just the subject that I was tired of talking about. But now, man, I keep going back to my family and I are metal heads and comic book nerds, and I was watching the entire world just enjoy each other because of the Deadpool Wolverine thing. And I tell my wife is like, that's what I want to do, you know.
Obviously not on the scale that they're doing it, but everything they do is just positive and making everybody happy. And I want to do that on a smaller scale, and I feel like we got to do it. You know, there were people that were meant, they're upset they didn't get tickets and everything, but in the end, man, that wasn't our fault.
Would just all have fun, you know, right, uh you mentioned I mean, I think historically people think that there was personal reasons to end the band to go and spend time with family, which is true, I would I would assume. But what I'm hearing you say is no, there there's more to it. And I'm not asking to spill the beans, but like you're saying, there's more to it than just that.
But the thing that really the big issue was there was never any like one issue. It was we were overworked. We all had kids at the same time. I mean, all of our kids are the same age, well we all of us except Jeremy. Jeremy has four kids. They're all different ages. But Randy and Great and and I I mean our kids are all the same ages because our wives were all pregnant at the same time while we were recording the record called Garage, and that was
a stressful moment. You know, because that was the year that we did two hundred and fifty shows shows that's not traveling, and so really there wasn't like a really big blowout. It was just we were just overworked, over stressed, and one night a disagreement happened, and we just didn't really recover from it, you know. Just and and I'll say this to everybody out there. Alcohol does not mix well and a stressful a stressful condition, you know. But
now everybody's alcohol intake is either zero or barely. And I don't know, we just you know, when we started the band, we were hell Randy was sixteen years old, you know, I was seventeen. So I mean this is something that we were we said out as teenagers as a goal to do something, not necessarily change a scene or change the way things are done or anything like that. We just we just wanted to play music and have
fun and take it as far as we could. I remember telling my wife when we just met us, like, our plan is to take this as far as we can, you know, and still have integrity without selling out whatever that is. You know, selling, it's selling. That's different to everybody, but to me, it was you know, the they pegged us as a country band. It was like, okay, but I'm not doing the national dance. I'm not We'll sign a record label with them, but I'm not going to
do the dance. And it was just the label pushing us, booking agency pushing us, and then pregnant wives and then missing home and all of a sudden, everybody's just mad and there was really no way to get past them, and except put a little bit more alcohol on it, you know. And I'm not saying everybody, I'm really saying me and uh man, just one day we just w just woke up and thought, if we don't ever play a note together, at least we can you know, be
civil to each other. We weren't uncivil, but it was just we just didn't talk. So it was nice to It was nice to be able to shed shed that gross skin and be able to hang out with everybody last weekend and still water and you know, the guys got up and jams a couple of tunes, and our kids got up and we all jammed together. So we had a big family thing, family jam and so it uh, I feel like it's on the right track.
Is this gonna be the one? Is it gonna be a one off? Is this gonna be it? Or is there hopes to do other things.
I am in the middle of never say never, because I said never for a long time. I wouldn't see why we wouldn't. I'm not going to don't. I really don't want to get back on the road full time. You know. I just did a pretty busy year What's Departed, and it was fun and everything, but it made me realize that that I need to be home more, you know, and my wife has a music school and it's nice
to be home bill to help her. And my kids are in a metal band and I want to help them pursue their thing, and I think doing the Ragweed stuff, I'll be able to take more time to be on with my family. So I'm not going to say no. But it's definitely not going to be Hey, let's go out for three weeks. You know. This will be probably one office or whatever. But well, I'll be able to have a more positive answer after we see how April goes.
I think people would love to see you.
Guys at the King's Ballroom again, But thinking realistically about this, you guys just sold out four days at boom Picking Stadium, right, four days, you guys could sell out to be Okay Center easily. I think the same amount of four days. So I guess, Cody, what what does retirement look like for you? As you as you're kind of you know, hey, let's just do our thing and enjoy life, and you want to spend more time at home, What does retirement.
Look like for you?
Ed to me? Chasing my kids their dreams, you know, you know, I take them to all these concerts, all these festivals, and they're really they're really good about being social and about about networking and everything. And I know that it's a hard a hard business to really crack. And I'm just now learning the metal world and the
people in it, and they're so kind. I mean, when I was a kid, my mom had me scared that, you know, I was going to go to these metal concerts and they were going to offer me free drugs, and I was gonna, you know, get in fights and everything, and and I mean the drugs thing, you know, I've kind of seen that happen. But when it comes to just the mentality of a metal crowd, there is so kind and I would I'm so glad my kids picked
that genre, so chasing them around. You know, I live in South Texas now, I have for twenty like twenty three years. I think, Man, I wouldn't mind going somewhere where it's cooler, you know, Colorado and following my kids and my wife will never ever, ever be able to not work. There's no other way around that.
Me.
On the other hand, I wouldn't mind just fishing and enjoying and enjoying cooler weather.
Well, dude, we would love to spend more time talking with you. We've run out of time.
Uh.
Congratulations on those shows, dude. Everybody is so excited. I can't wait to see the difference between Night one and Night four and what that's like for you guys, and to see you.
Enjoying it up on stage.
Man, that's that's a very cool moment that not everybody gets to experience. To relive something from the past and keep it going.
Uh.
Final question for you. We ask people, what's the best thing you bought on Amazon for fifty bucks? What's the best thing you bought on Amazon for under fifty bucks?
Cody?
For under fifty bucks, I bought a pair of black and orange parachute pants that I got to play in and still water the other night. That's the last thing I bought that was around fifty dollars pants.
I love it, didde. I got great clothes on Amazon. Don't sleep on Amazon's close selection.
Man.
You think Costco's got a good now Amazon has got good stuff.
Yeah. The older I get, the more it's like, I'm just gonna have it delivered.
My poor one hundred percent. Cody, Thank you so much man. Congratulations again, and uh, there's anything we came out you can ever do for you.
Make sure you're calling us to help out.
Thank you, guys. I will say this that they did a breakdown of the ticket sales and seventy seven thousand of them. We're from Oklahoma, So thank you guys.
Awesome, awesome, so cool man. Have a great day, Cody, thanks so much.
Bye, guys.
That's Cody, Canada.