Cody Canada & the Departed at the Raccoon Motel -- June 6.
Thursday, June 6, 6 p.m.
Raccoon Motel, 315 East Second Street, Davenport IA
Touring in support of their latest recording Soul Grave 2022, a 2.0 version of the 2004 Billboard smash recorded by Cross Canadian Ragweed, that outfit's lead guitarist and his ensemble Cody Canada & the Departed headline a June 6 concert at Davenport's Raccoon Motel, the alternative-country and Americana musicians' latest inspiring Rock and Blues Muse to state that "Canada has more music in him now than he ever did and he makes every beat of this set shine."
After his Oklahoma-based Southern-rock band Cross Canadian Ragweed broke up in 2010, Canada decided to start the Departed, which was initially billed by Texas and Oklahoma music scene observers as a "Super Group." Canada remained on lead vocals and lead guitar and former Ragweed bass guitar player Jeremy Plato joined Canada, with the bandleader also recruiting friend and Texas-based blues rock singer/songwriter Seth James to be co-lead on guitar and vocals. Well-known red-dirt keyboardist Steve Littleton and Oklahoma drummer Dave Bowen also came aboard, and the musicians named their outfit "The Departed" as all had left previous bands to join together, The band released its first album in June 2011 titled This Is Indian Land through its own record label, Underground Sound, and the record was designed as a tribute album to Oklahoma music and songwriters. While Cody Canada & the Departed's cover version of the Red Dirt Rangers song "Staring Down the Sun" was the only released single from the album, two other songs, "The Ballad of Rosalie" and "Skyline Radio," both charted on the Texas and Oklahoma music charts.
The band moved to an alternative rock and grunge sound for their 2012 recording Adventus, a work powered by the driving electric guitars and James' and Canada's vocals. Three singles from the album were released – "Worth The Fight", "Prayer For the Lonely," and "Flagpole" – and following James' departure from the group, Cody Canada & the Departed finished a new album, HippieLovePunk. It was released in January of 2015 and debuted at number nine on Billboard's Top Alternative Country Albums chart, with 4,700 copies sold in the U.S. in its first week. Boasting cover versions of classic country songs, the band's Jeremy Plato & te Departed: In Retrospect debuted in 2018, honoring 1960s-era country music with songs by Johnny Paycheck, Stonewall Jackson, and Charlie Walker, among others. Later that year, Cody Cana & the Departed released 3, so titled due to the number of those who were left in the band: Canada, Plato, and drummer Eric Hansen.
Cody Canada & the Departed perform their Davenport concert on June 6 with additional sets by Duke Oursler and Angela Meyer, admission to the 6 p.m. concert is $26.45, and tickets are available by visiting TheRaccoonMotel.com.
