Carrying the Torch: The Smokin’ Oaks, Wavesinapril, and the Ragweed Legacy

The Smokin' Oaks (left), Wavesinapril (right) carry on the Ragweed legacy in their own way.

There are some bands that leave footprints so deep in this scene you can still trip over them decades later. Cross Canadian Ragweed is one of those bands. They lit the fuse on Red Dirt going national and rode a rocket ship to Nashville boardrooms before kicking down doors and setting the whole world on fire. They provided a soundtrack for road trips, breakups and everything in between. They were a blueprint. They remain one of one. And when something burns as hot and bright as they did, sometimes it can hurt those closest to it. The weight and fire eventually covered the band members themselves leading to the long hiatus we all know so much about. But, the sparks from that initial run lit fires we're all just now basking in the glow of. The torch Ragweed lit in the late 90's has been smokin' this entire time and has now been passed. And not to a couple run of the mill tribute acts either. The next wave is already here.

If you’re looking for a straight line of DNA back to Ragweed’s southern rock snarl, The Smokin’ Oaks are where you will find it. Big guitars, rowdy grooves, a little danger baked into every chord. It feels familiar in the best way, like the first time 21 year old you heard “Carney Man” on a Saturday night with a beer in each hand. They’ve taken that attitude and put their own stamp on it. At Mile 0 Fest this past January they became one of the most buzzed about bands. Band leaders Slade Cross and Colton Blake are cousins and have a magnetism that reminds of some other guys you might know. Their guitar tech last January was some guy named Grady Cross, Slade's father.

Then you’ve got Wavesinapril. They’re playing a different hand of cards. More atmospheric, more introspective, completely metal. It’s the Ragweed spirit viewed through a screamo lens. Dierks and WIlly Canada have been working hard on this band for nearly a decade or more. Jumping up with their dad here, blasting out at Rage cover at Mile 0 there. They've taken their parents love of heavy music and put their own spin on it. They have fun. And they're very good at what they do. If you have any sort of metal head bone in your body, you love what these kids are doing. And, even if it's not your jam, the way they have carved out their own musical path, and the way their proud father beams when they are onstage with him is a sight to behold.

What’s cool about both bands is they’re not just carbon copies of their dads’ sound. They don’t need to be. What they’re doing is honoring the past without being handcuffed to it. Smokin’ Oaks brings the spirit, Wavesinapril brings the noise. Together, they’re writing the next verse of the Ragweed story. But, it's completely their own chapters.

If you're heading to Waco for the big Boys From Oklahoma Texas Weekend, you can see both bands Friday night at The Backyard in Waco, as they will each take the stage to set the table for Shelby Stone. That’s a family reunion, a passing of the torch a party all rolled into one. You'll see the boys Friday doing their own thing and on Saturday supporting their dads. Guitar teching, guesting...carrying the torch. Ragweed is a family business.

For those of us who grew up sweating out Ragweed shows in smoky bars, this is one of those full-circle moments. For the new fans, it’s a chance to see the legacy live on in real time. Either way, you don’t wanna miss it.