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Treaty Oak Revival’s Sam Canty Reveals “Ode To Bourbon” Was Re-Written After The Loss Of A Close Friend: “Made It Into Something Different”
A heartbreaking way to develop a song. In many ways, Treaty Oak Revival serves as a reflection of their upbringing. With nearly all members of the five-piece band hailing from West Texas, primarily near Odessa, the throughline of their patented country/grunge tunes reflect the sights, sounds and inherent problems that arise in an oil town who’s primary source of entertainment come from wild, booze and drug-soaked weekends out in the country. Of course, that’s not all that Treaty Oak has […] The post Treaty Oak Revival’s Sam Canty Reveals “Ode To Bourbon” Was Re-Written After The Loss Of A Close Friend: “Made It Into Something Different” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
A heartbreaking way to develop a song.
In many ways, Treaty Oak Revival serves as a reflection of their upbringing. With nearly all members of the five-piece band hailing from West Texas, primarily near Odessa, the throughline of their patented country/grunge tunes reflect the sights, sounds and inherent problems that arise in an oil town who’s primary source of entertainment come from wild, booze and drug-soaked weekends out in the country.
Of course, that’s not all that Treaty Oak has to offer. Oftentimes providing brutally honest reflections on lost love, failed marriages, infidelity and much, much more, the West Texas band has quickly captured the hearts and minds of listeners across a wide array of different listeners, many of which aren’t traditionally country music fans.
It’s safe to say there’s a lot of buzz surrounding the band as of late, with many finding a sort of solace through their rowdy live shows backed by meloncholy lyrics, it’s safe to say that Treaty Oak Revival captured lightning in a bottle once again with the release of their brand-new album, West Texas Degenerate. After a two-year gap between their 2023 breakout album, Have A Nice Day, the band proved once again why they’re not only one of the hottest bands in the ever-growing Texas country/southern rock scene, complete with their patented grunge-inspired sound, but also one of the hottest bands in all of music at the moment.
Currently sitting at #6 on Apple Music’s all-genre album chart (and hitting #1 upon its release), West Texas Degenerate has clearly connected with a lot of fans, all for good reason, of course. Simply put, the album is Treaty Oak firing on all cylinders. Once again leaning on their blend of country, grunge and punk elements, they delivered a project that truly felt like the band fully realizing all of their strengths.
With West Texas Degenerate being the talk of the town since it’s release two weeks ago, Treaty Oak recently sat down with Billboard to discuss the creation of the album, their West Texas roots, and more.
While much of the interview centered around West Texas Degenerate and the lead up to the hit record, one of the most fascinating bits of information from the conversation centered around one of their early hits: none other than “Ode to Bourbon.”
In case you’re somehow not familiar with “Ode to Bourbon,” it’s undoubtedly one of TOR’s biggest hits to date. Recently being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the track has gained an impressive 146 million streams on Spotify alone.
What’s connected to so many, however, is Canty and Co.’s honest depiction of addiction, alcoholism in particular. Whether it’s lines such as “It’s been a damn long year, and it really don’t help that I really ain’t been too good to myself” and “They call it addiction, but I see it as an old friend,” the track serves as a simultaneous reflection on the destructive nature of addiction while, in turn, remembering those who have succumbed to the disease.
With that being said, however, “Ode to Bourbon” originally had a much lighter tone that was changed due to tragedy.
As Canty recalls, the track was first written to be nothing more than a fun, singalong song celebrating the fact that the band, like many, simply liked to throw a few back and raise some hell from time to time. However, he re-wrote the song when a close friend of his and other members of the band tragically passed away. Additionally, he’d touch on the fact that many fans have started their sobriety journey as a direct result of listening to “Ode to Bourbon.”
“It was originally kind of a song about liking drinking, and then a buddy of ours passed away, and I made it into something different. A lot of people quit drinking because of that song and a lot of people, [it] prevented them from taking their own lives, in some cases. That’s a pretty meaningful thing to hear as a songwriter. It’s a hell of a thing to live with.”
To Canty, the response to “Ode to Bourbon,” along with many other introspective tracks in their discography, is what makes being an artist worth it for him.
“I think that should probably be everyone’s goal who tried to do music or art in any form. I love that [our fans] are healing through the music. It means a lot.”
Before you go, fire up “Ode to Bourbon.”
Treaty Oak Revival 2025-2026 Tour Dates
Dec. 5, 2025 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas
Dec. 11, 2025 – Odessa, TX – Ector County Coliseum
Dec. 12, 2025 – Ardmore, OK – Heritage Hall
Dec. 13, 2025 – Lubbock, TX – Cook’s Garage
Dec. 14, 2025 – Lubbock, TX – Cook’s Garage
Dec. 19, 2025 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center
Dec. 20, 2025 – Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
Dec. 31, 2025 – Houston, TX – Toyota Center
Feb. 5, 2026 – Worcester, MA – DCU Center !
Feb. 6, 2026 – Atlantic City, NJ – Hard Rock Live at Etess Arena !
Feb. 7, 2026 – State College, PA – Bryce Jordan Center !
Feb. 12, 2026 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena !
Feb. 13, 2026 – Charleston, WV – Charleston Coliseum !
Feb. 14, 2026 – Columbia, SC – Colonial Life Arena !
Feb. 19, 2026 – Columbus, OH – Schottenstein Center !
Feb. 20, 2026 – Evansville, IN – Ford Center !
Feb. 21, 2026 – Lexington, KY – Rupp Arena !
Mar. 12, 2026 – Springfield, MO – Great Southern Bank Arena !
Mar. 13, 2026 – North Little Rock, AR – Simmons Bank Arena !
Mar. 14, 2026 – Bossier City, LA – Brookshire Grocery Arena !
Mar. 26, 2026 – Greensboro, NC – First Horizon Coliseum !
Mar. 27, 2026 – Knoxville, TN – Food City Center !
Mar. 28, 2026 – Opelika, AL – Auburn Rodeo ^
Apr. 11, 2026 – Gonzales, TX – Cattle Country Festival ^
Apr. 25, 2026 – Indio, CA – Stagecoach 2026 ^
Apr. 26, 2026 – Sacramento, CA – Golden 1 Center !
Apr. 30, 2026 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater !
May 1, 2026 – Spokane, WA – Numerica Veterans Arena !
May 2, 2026 – Portland, OR – Veterans Memorial Coliseum !
May 14, 2026 – Southaven, MS – BankPlus Amphitheater !
May 15, 2026 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater *
May 16, 2026 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena !
May 28, 2026 – Panama City Beach, FL – Gulf Coast Jam 2026 ^
May 29, 2026 – Macon, GA – Atrium Health Amphitheatre !
June 18, 2026 – North Lawrence, OH – The Country Fest 2026 ^
June 19, 2026 – Bloomington, IL – Tailgate N’ Tallboys 2026 ^
June 25, 2026 – Bonner Springs, KS – Country Stampede ^
June 26, 2026 – North Platte, NE – NEBRASKAland Days ^
July 1, 2026 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre !
July 8, 2026 – Chicago, IL – Windy City Smokeout ^
July 11, 2026 – Lincoln, NE – Pinnacle Bank Arena !
July 17, 2026 – Cheyenne, WY – Cheyenne Frontier Days ^
July 18, 2026 – Salt Lake City, UT – Utah First Credit Union Amphitheatre *
Aug. 8, 2026 – Oshkosh, WI – xRoads41 ^
^ festival
* Live Nation
! AEGThe post Treaty Oak Revival’s Sam Canty Reveals “Ode To Bourbon” Was Re-Written After The Loss Of A Close Friend: “Made It Into Something Different” first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
