Winning a ‘Battle of the Bands’ got this Oklahoma band a coveted slot at this years Stillwater Calf Fry Music Festival
ARDMORE, Okla. (KFOR) — It’s been six years now, and countless nights setting up, plugging in, warming up to play a couple of sets, and feeling happy that someone out there liked them enough to pay them to play.
“Getting paid,” smiles Cade Roth, “That’s pretty cool. I’m liking that. It beats mowing lawns for sure.”
1515 Lincoln is an OKC address dedicated to every art form from culinary to visual
They are Cade Roth and the Black Sheep with Brad Wolf on lead guitar, Willy Rivers on bass, Cade himself, and a drummer who was too sick to play their gig in Ardmore on a Friday night.
Roth started writing songs in college and playing acoustic gigs on his own.
He found his Black Sheep while looking for backup musicians to record his work.
Brad recalls, “We just kind of got together and played some songs and we were all just like, ‘oh. I like the way you play that, and I like the way you play that too’.”
Lately, things are looking up. Venues are bigger and crowds are too.
Cade’s group entered a ‘Battle of the Bands’ contest for a spot on the stage at this year’s Stillwater Calf Fry Festival, and they won.
“It was cool,” says Roth. “That was the first time we’ve done that. It was fun.”
Cade and Brad are both Okies who write ‘Red Dirt’, play soul, and Rock ‘n Roll.
Willy brought a little Latin shade from his native Puerto Rico when he joined the band after a hitch in the Army.
Of his musical influences, he relates, “We’re playing with those melodies that we always had in our minds.”
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“How would you describe yourselves?” we asked. “Redhead,” quips Wolf who sports a long, ginger pony tail.
“Red Dirt redhead?” we challenged. “Exactly. In fact I may use that,” he laughs.
Half steps and full steps, one at a time, onward and upward; the songs keep coming and they’re still getting paid in this universe of ‘red dirt.’
Cade and the Black Sheep are scheduled to play Saturday night on May 4th at the 2024 Tumbleweed Calf Fry Festival in Stillwater.
The Festival began in 1991 and has since become the country’s largest outdoor Red Dirt and Country music event.
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Winning a ‘Battle of the Bands’ got this Oklahoma band a coveted slot at this years Stillwater Calf Fry Music Festival
1515 Lincoln is an OKC address dedicated to every art form from culinary to visual
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