As I sit and watch the traffic pass by my window, Cody’s song 'The Fire' plays on repeat, the refrain ringing through my head. “The things you can lose inside a fire.” I begin to think of all the things that burn away over the course of a lifetime, memories that disintegrate into nothing as if they never happened. Then I’m struck by the antithesis - the memories that are burned into the fabric of your being. The memories that seem to grow stronger the older you get. The more I contemplate the fire the more I realize how fragile life is, and how much our lives are wrapped up in a series of circumstances that we have very little control over. However, it isn’t what happens to us that shapes us, but how we react to what is thrown our way. Cody is walking strength in that regard, and has used music to reflect the pain of loss. I have heard Cody play more times than I can count since we met over a year ago at our old stomping ground the Bottle Shop, and every time he plays he gives off an infectious energy that is hard to ignore. I immediately stop what I’m doing and listen.

Although he grew up playing metal music in a band called Casket of the Pious, Cody has since transitioned to playing more acoustically minded music after moving to Dallas a little over three years ago. Over time, more and more of his material has leaked out, and I find myself being blown away by the potency of his lyrics. Lines such as, “This man’s made his pretty penny, he invested your paycheck. Then lost it all in a gamble, here comes a Wall Street train wreck,” stand out in my mind. There is simplicity in his lyrics that prove his ability to break down the complications of life into a few succinct lines that you can grab ahold of and take with you. His songs are catchy as all get out. Every time I listen to Diamond Door, I get the damn song stuck in my head for hours. Cody attributes that natural ability to nail lyrics down to a transferable melody from growing up in a musically inclined family where he recalls singing in the car with his mother wherever they would go. Most of Cody’s family is back in Aztec, New Mexico near the Four Corners region, and eventually he would like to make his way back. “I’m not really tied to Dallas like that anymore… I need mountains or the desert.” However, he comments that it is a great time to be a singer-songwriter in Dallas because unlike other cities, such as Austin, Dallas isn’t oversaturated with artists. There is room to be yourself here, with a lot of opportunities to play out. That freedom is a blessing in a city filled with so many talented musicians, and allows for the creation of space to explore music in a variety of different genres. Cody's music seemlessly blends elements of indie, folk, hip hop, and metal in a way I haven't heard before, and his collaborative projects have a unique sound that retain his signature. That signature sound has made me latch onto Cody's music in a very personal way. There is a genuine quality in his music that is hard to define, but can only be felt. THAT'S the type of music that gets me out of bed every morning.