Cody Ikerd: Building an Outlaw Country Band

About Cody Ikerd

Cody Ikerd is the lead vocalist and guitarist for Cody Ikerd and the Sidewinders, an outlaw country band from Bedford, Indiana. He grew up playing drums and spent years in alternative rock, pop-punk, blues, and metal bands before learning guitar and singing in his twenties.

In 2016, Cody and his father began putting the Sidewinders together. The band developed a country sound shaped by classic artists including Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, and George Jones, along with the energy Cody carried from rock and metal. Their work has earned vocalist and group recognition at the Josie Music Awards.

What we talked about

• Starting as a drummer and playing in rock, punk, and metal bands
• How Hank Williams III helped bridge heavy music and country
• Starting Cody Ikerd and the Sidewinders in Bedford, Indiana
• Why Cody wants a permanent band instead of rotating hired musicians
• Bringing heavier drums, guitars, and stage energy into outlaw country
• The four-hour first Sidewinders show with only about 35 songs ready
• How Cody writes songs and the band's role in developing each arrangement
• The stories behind “I Miss You,” “Whiskey Made Me Do It,” and “Roll On Chevy”
• Recording a live album at the Brown County Playhouse
• Winning at the Josie Music Awards and performing alongside established artists
• Band turnover, day jobs, family responsibilities, and social media pressure
• The upcoming album The Nineteenth State

From drummer to Sidewinders frontman

Cody spent years behind the drum kit in a three-piece cover band called Primo. During breaks, he borrowed an acoustic guitar and played country songs for crowds that had come to hear rock. When his bandmates moved to California and Cody stayed in Indiana, he finally had the opening to build the country band he had been imagining.

The Sidewinders' first full-band show was a four-hour New Year's Eve set at the Bedford Moose. They only had about 30 to 35 cover songs ready, so they stretched their breaks to make it through the night. Moving from the drums to the front of the stage gave Cody a new feeling he describes as addictive.

Putting rock energy behind outlaw country

Cody does not separate his earlier musical life from the Sidewinders. The band's country foundation carries faster tempos, heavier drums, overdriven guitars, instrumental breaks, and the movement of a rock show. His goal is to give traditional country what he calls a “swift kick in the ass.”

That approach has helped the band connect with listeners who normally say they do not like country music. Cody also believes the sound depends on having committed members who rehearse, write, travel, and spend enough time together for the chemistry to become part of the performance.

Song stories from the episode

“I Miss You”

“I Miss You” arrived in pieces. Cody wrote verses over different chord progressions without fully understanding what the song meant until he played the finished version back. Listeners later told him that the song helped them find closure and express feelings they could not put into words themselves.

“Whiskey Made Me Do It”

The song began through a partnership with West Fork Whiskey Co. One listener later told Cody that she had started every morning for months by playing it. The story was funny, but it also reminded him that the music can reach people even when social-media numbers make that difficult to see.

“Roll On Chevy”

Cody wrote “Roll On Chevy” about his truck and treated it as a chance to have fun without taking songwriting too seriously. The recording stacks guitar overdrive with heavy drums and organ, and the video was filmed at Bloomington Speedway with friends and square-body Chevrolets. Cody's keyboard player even received a speeding ticket while listening to the demo.

Keeping an independent band moving

Everyone in the Sidewinders works a full-time job, and some members are raising families. Shows can mean getting home at three in the morning, then returning to work, parenting, booking, rehearsal, promotion, website updates, and the rest of ordinary life.

Cody says lineup turnover is more discouraging than mistakes onstage. Losing a member can push the band backward while someone new learns the songs and the small cues that hold a live show together. Social media adds another demand because artists are expected to produce a constant stream of visual content simply to remain visible.

The Nineteenth State

The Sidewinders' next album is titled The Nineteenth State. It contains nine songs, including eight written by Cody and a Hank Williams cover that the band reshaped around its own sound. Cody says the finished recordings finally capture what the Sidewinders sound like as a band.

The release plan includes several singles before the full album, along with a music video and full-band acoustic performances. “Roll On Chevy” introduces the heavier direction while keeping the storytelling and country foundation at the center.

Episode highlights

1. 0:48 Starting on drums before learning guitar and singing
2. 2:54 Moving from rock and metal toward country music
3. 4:47 The band that led Cody toward starting the Sidewinders
4. 9:08 Giving country music a heavier live-show energy
5. 13:20 The four-hour first show with only about 35 songs
6. 17:36 Writing the songs and letting the band shape the arrangements
7. 21:21 Understanding “I Miss You” only after finishing it
8. 27:01 “Roll On Chevy” and the speeding-ticket story
9. 34:02 Winning at the Josie Music Awards
10. 44:36 Day jobs, families, band turnover, and social media
11. 48:25 Finishing The Nineteenth State and planning its release