Shred Dirt: Oklahoma's RDO Smokewagon
The spirit of Edward Van Halen lives in a most unlikely place
Before he went on and dazzled the crowd with his own brand of hard country, Clint Vines and I stood near the sound booth at the The Iron Horse Pub and watched RDO Smokewagon perform. To put it quite simply, these boys from Oklahoma put on a guitar showcase like I have never seen at a country show. I looked over at Clint now and then, and he was just grinning.
RDO Smokewagon has been around awhile under the direction of Ardmore, Oklahoma bandleader Ryan Oldham. As a singer/songwriter, one can’t avoid the obvious similarity in both sound and appearance to outlaw legend Kris Kristofferson, as well as Merle, Waylon, and others.
Brad “Red” Wolf plays bass for RDO Smokewagon, and not only is he skilled on his five-string bass, he’s also an enthusiastic presence onstage. He wandered the stage, mugged for the camera, and had a blast doing it, while never missing a note.
Brad’s a character and well-known known in the Texoma music community for playing in a number of bands.
Eric “Erok” Hoffman is a tight drummer, and seemed like the glue that holds RDO Smokewagon together. With a diverse group of talented, energetic musicians each doing their thing, it’s the clockwork of Erok that keeps it tight.
He’s got his hands full. Somebody get that man a beverage.
Considering Ryan Oldham is the frontman, it’s hard to take your eyes off RDO Smokewagon’s lead guitar player, Taylor Reed, who is the newest member of the group, but an old friend to Ryan Oldham.
“Taylor and I played in a band together many years ago and we just recently got back to playing together so that’s pretty exciting,” Oldham told me. “It’s been really great getting to jam with Taylor again. Him and Erok have so much chemistry... add Brad to the mix and shit gets rowdy.”
I am not exaggerating in the least when I say the spirit of Eddie Van Halen lives on in the body of Taylor Reed. While RDO Smokewagon played the expected country covers, not to mention some country rock numbers like Neil Young’s “Keep on Rockin’ in the Free World,” Taylor Reed was absolutely shredding at every opportunity.
Got four bars before the chorus? Shred.
Solo? Shred.
Bridge filler. Gotta shred there, too.
It was absolutely jaw-dropping. The guy does not stop, and his style is not only influenced by the mighty Van Halen, he even uses some EVH-gear and a very familiar sounding chorus in his effects rack. In addition, Taylor sings backing vocals, even lead on a few numbers, and is all over the stage during the performance.
I asked Oldham how country fans react when they discover a guitar hero playing in a country band.
“It’s always interesting showing up to a venue with our sound. We try not to confine ourselves to a box and let everyone’s individual influences define our sound,” he said. “I’m sure it’s not for everyone but those it is seem to dig it. We are just being ourselves and letting the music be what it is.”
If you dig country rock and heavy southern rock of the brand you’ll hear from bands like Blackberry Smoke, Black Stone Cherry, and Clint Vines & The Hard Times, do yourself a favor and catch RDO Smokewagon when you get the chance.
Follow RDO Smokewagon on Facebook
Follow the author on Facebook
Follow theFUSE on Instagram
