Published: July 18, 2008 07:18 am      

Ruptured vocal chord causes cancellations

Jason Boland and the Stragglers recently announced they would be canceling the remainder of their July tour dates including a performance scheduled for the Saturday night dance at the Woodward Elks Rodeo.

According to the band’s website www.thestragglers.com, the band has been “temporarily sidelined after Jason suffered a ruptured vocal chord last week.”

The website states that Boland is under medical orders from a specialist in Nashville, Tenn., “to stand down from his tour dates for the immediate future.”

The band members are not sure when they will be able to resume the tour, noting on the website that it depends on when Boland receives clearance from his doctors. However, they are hopeful the tour will be back on sometime in August.

Since Jason Boland and the Stragglers are unable to perform, Mark McKinney will be headlining Saturday night, said Kevin Kornele, dance chair for the Woodward Elks Rodeo Committee.

Local band Northwest Passage has been selected to open for McKinney, he said.

Even with the band change, Kornele said “it will be a great evening.”

“McKinney and his guys do a great job,” he said.

Having seen McKinney perform live, Kris Day, with The Cowboy’s Tack Shop, described his performance as “energetic.”

“It’s Red Dirt music with a little more oomph,” she said, noting that McKinney will be offering fans a taste of his music during a signing to be held at The Cowboy’s Tack Shop from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. today.

“It’s a lot of fun and a great party,” she said. “Everybody should go.”

Saturday’s dance will begin around 9:30 p.m. at the Woodward County Fair Grounds.