 "Photo: Courtesy Photo")
As many Aggies no doubt are aware, the popular rock band Cross Canadian Ragweed will play Wednesday at Hurricane Harry's. Here's what drummer Randy Ragsdale had to say about their latest album, their live shows and being a part of the band.
Question: Let's talk about your latest album, "Happiness and All Other Things." How does it compare to some of your past albums?
Answer: Well, I would say the difference on this one was that there was constantly something being done. We weren't all focused on the same song at the same time. There could be two different songs at once going on. We could be laying down a part on a guitar or vocal in one room, and be practicing on another part in another room. We've never had that, so that was pretty cool and a new experience for us. And we took a different attitude with this one too, we just kinda said "no rules" and let it happen. We brought in [to the studio] everything we had. There ended up being some steel guitar and some piano and organ [on the record]. We haven't ever done anything like that on another record, but we still can reproduce it [live], I would say, very well.
Question: Your brand of music is pretty original. I can hear rock 'n roll, country and red dirt, but it also has this sort of groovy feel that sets it apart, I think. How would you describe your music?
Answer: It's really hard to explain. We're obviously red dirt, that's our territory. The older we get, the further away from country we get. A country-influenced rock band, I would say. There's a lot of different mixtures brought to the table, and maybe that's why it sets us apart a little bit. [Bass player Jeremy] Plato's a big metal head, I grew up listening to old country, Cody [Canada]'s the guitar rock guy, like Skynyrd or Ted Nugent, and then Grady [Cross] listened to Waylon and Willie - that type of stuff. Everyone brought something different to the table, and I think that still shows a little bit. We just take what we grew up with, and what we like and just make music.
Question: You'll be playing here in College Station Wednesday. What can people expect from a live CCR show?
Answer: Well it's going to be as many new songs as we can probably remember. It'll be a lot of the new stuff - we'll try to mix it up as much as possible, Lots of music; we play for a long time.
Question: Do you have a strong following here?
Answer: Yeah. I had some things go down in College Station a few years ago with my family and needed a place to stay, and the community just welcomed us with open arms and took care of us. I've always had a special feeling for College Station. And I'm not just saying that. They're just good people, you know.
Question: Have you ever played outside the United States?
Answer: Yeah, we've done France, we've done Mexico, and probably this spring we're going to be doing our first Canada tour. Which is going to be funny because everybody always thinks we're from Canada.
Question: CCR started as a garage band right?
Answer: Yeah, well, living room, really. We all grew up in Yukon, Okla., and I had all the drums and amps at my house because my dad was a musician. So I finally got everybody over and that's about all it took. Once we showed the interest, my dad was damn sure ready to tell us when we did it right or wrong. He kind of coached us along and helped us out. Those first few years, all we ever did was practice.
Question: How does the actuality of being a 'rock star,' if you will, compare to how you might have thought of it before your success with CCR?
Answer: I don't really consider myself a rock star. There's a lot of times that I miss my kids, but I could be doing something that I hate and struggling to pay the bills or worse, not have a job. It's great, you know. Music makes me happy and I'm lucky to be able to do it and I do feel blessed, for sure. I don't feel like a rock star though.
Question: What's been your favorite thing about being a part of CCR??
Answer: I'd have to say meeting John Fogerty and having him say that he always wanted to meet the "real CCR." That was probably one of the coolest things that's ever happened to me.
Question: What's in the future for CCR?
Answer: Well, getting the album out has been the main focus, so now we're just getting ready for this next year and hopefully working on some tours - just gigs from here on out, and then working on that Canada thing.
