The Departed (band)
| The Departed | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Yukon, Oklahoma, USA |
| Genres |
Alternative Rock Roots Rock Country Rock Americana Alternative Country Red Dirt Texas Country |
| Years active | 2011-present |
| Labels | Underground Sound |
| Associated acts |
Cross Canadian Ragweed, ZZ Top Jason Boland & the Stragglers Wade Bowen Stoney LaRue Mike McClure Band Jonathan Tyler and the Northern Lights |
| Website | thedepartedmusic.com |
| Members |
Cody Canada-Lead Vocals, Jeremy Plato-Bass Guitar, Eric Hansen-Drums |
| Past members | Dave Bowen, Seth James, Steve Littleton, Chris Doege, Ross Smith |
The Departed (also known as Cody Canada and the Departed) is an American alternative rock/alt country band. The band was formed by Cross Canadian Ragweed frontman Cody Canada after Ragweed broke up in 2010. Canada’s longtime bassist Jeremy Plato followed and joined guitarist/vocalist Seth James, keyboard player Steve Littleton, and Drummer Dave Bowen. Chris Doege would eventually replace Bowen on drums. In December 2014, Littleton and Doege left the band. Drummer Eric Hansen and keyboardist / rhythm guitarist Ross Smith was with the group from 2015-2017.
Formation and This Is Indian Land
In 2011, Canada and fellow Ragweed musician Jeremy Plato formed a new band billed as Cody Canada & the Departed. The band consists of Canada (guitar/vocals), Plato (bass guitar/vocals), Seth James (guitar/vocals), Steve Littleton (keyboards) and Chris Doege (drums). They released their first album in June 2011 titled This Is Indian Land through the band's own record label Underground Sound, consisting of covers written by Oklahoma songwriters. Among the favorite and most popular songs voted by fans off the record was "The Ballad of Rosalie", "Long Way to Nowhere", "A Little Rain Will Do", "Skyline Radio", and "Hold On Christian."
Adventūs
On August 24, 2012, the band, now billing themselves as simply The Departed, announced through their website and social media that they would release their first original album titled Adventūs the Latin word for Arrival, on November 13, 2012 through Underground Sound. Leading up to the album's release, the band released the first single from Adventūs, titled "Worth the Fight." In February 2013, the album's second single "Prayer For the Lonely" was announced, shooting for the music video also began. Later, the band also released "Flagpole." This album was noted by music critics as being the hardest driving album from a musical sound perspective.
HippieLovePunk
In September 2013, Seth James announced that he intended to leave the band. James said in a statement: “After three years of great times and great music, I have decided to take a step down as a band member of the Departed. It has been an unbelievable ride and I am so grateful for the support and love along the way. My last show will be November 23 at Gruene Hall. I look forward to supporting these guys alongside you as they continue down the road.”[1] The band continued performing as a four-piece group.
In 2014, the band finished a new album, titled HippieLovePunk.[2] The album was released on January 13, 2015, and it debuted at No. 9 on the Top Alternative Country Albums chart, with 4,700 copies sold in the US in its debut week.[3] Cody Canada and The Departed, as they are once again known as, debuted a revamped band lineup at The MusicFest in Steamboat Springs, Colorado on January 8, 2015. Ross Smith, formerly of Wade Bowen's band, is on keyboards and rhythm guitars, while Eric Hansen is on drums. In late November 2015, the band produced a music video for the song "All Nighter" on HippieLovePunk at John T. Floore's Country Store in Helotes, Texas.
Jeremy Plato And The Departed: In Retrospect
In early 2016 The band announced via social media that they would be releasing an album consisting of covers of classic country songs. This project was named "Jeremy Plato And The Departed: In Retrospect', honoring 60's era Country Music with cuts by Johnny Paycheck, Stonewall Jackson, and Charlie Walker, among others. Bassist Jeremy Plato took the lead vocals and had Canada, Smith, and Hansen as his backing on the project. Reckless Kelly's Cody Braun and Cody Angel of Jason Boland and the Stragglers contributed their instrumentation, as well as Folk singer Jamie Lin Wilson, who sang backup and also was featured on a duet with Plato. Some of the songs that were featured were Country Classics such as "It Won't Be Long (And I'll be hating you)", which has become the most popular song off the album.
The group became a trio in the early part of 2017 as Ross Smith left and now features Canada, Plato, and Hansen.
Discography
Studio albums
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Country [4] |
US [5] |
US Indie [6] | ||
| This Is Indian Land |
|
13 | 68 | 11 |
| Adventūs |
|
19 | 133 | 16 |
| HippieLovePunk |
|
9 | 136 | 9 |
Music videos
| Year | Video | Director |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | "Staring Down the Sun"[7] | Tony Gates |
| 2012 | "Worth the Fight"[8] | |
| 2013 | "Prayer for the Lonely"[9] | |
| 2015 | "Inbetweener"[10] | |
| 2016 | "All Nighter"[11][12] |
References
- ↑ Brandy McDonnell (September 16, 2013). "Cody Canada announces The Departed lineup changes, new solo acoustic live album due this fall". NewsOK.
- ↑ Jim Casey (July 21, 2014). "5 Minutes in Texas With Cody Canada". Rolling Stone.
- ↑ Matt Bjorke (January 21, 2015). "Country Album Chart Report For January 21, 2015". Roughstock.
- ↑ "Cody Canada Album & Song Chart History – Country Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- ↑ "Cody Canada Album & Song Chart History – Billboard 200". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- ↑ "Cody Canada Album & Song Chart History – Independent Albums". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : Cody Canada and The Departed : Staring Down the Sun". Country Music Television. Retrieved July 31, 2012.
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : The Departed : Worth the Fight". Country Music Television. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
- ↑ "CMT : Videos : Cody Canada & The Departed : Prayer for the Lonely". Country Music Television. Retrieved May 8, 2013.
- ↑ "Cody Canada & the Departed Return to Roots for ‘Inbetweener’ Video [Exclusive Premiere]". Taste of Country. Retrieved Feb 3, 2015.
- ↑ "The Texas Music Scene Debuts Cody Canada and the Departed's "All Nighter"". The Texas Music Scene. Retrieved Feb 5, 2016.
- ↑ Solomon, Dan. "Exclusive Video Premiere: Condy Canada and The Departed Pay Tribute To A Friend In "All Nighter"". Texas Monhly. Retrieved February 4, 2016.