Daily Inspiration: Meet Cody

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody.

Hi Cody, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Well, music has always been in my family. My Mom did a lot of musical theater work in SoCal, my dad played guitar as a hobby, and my brother played in the middle school and high school jazz band. So, it was always kind of inevitable that I would gravitate towards music. It took a while to find my path, though. I started with violin lessons at age 6, and that didn’t go anywhere, so then I did clarinet and that also didn’t go anywhere. I did take trumpet lessons for a while – until I was around 13 or 14, but then I listened to Metallica for the first time and decided that I really needed to learn it. I asked my Dad if he could help me learn the riff for Enter Sandman, so he learned it and showed me how to play it. Then he showed me a couple other songs, and pretty soon I was playing on his red Stratocaster every day. He eventually bought me my own guitar – a red Epiphone SG – and I noodled on that thing the whole summer. Within a few years, I went from jamming in my bedroom, to being the lead guitarist in the House Band of School of Rock West Hills. I pretty much spent all my time playing and rehearsing with that band, and it really helped me refine my musicianship. I earned my Associates Degree at Musician’s Institute Hollywood in 2022, and I credit them with helping me really bring my skills up to the professional level.

Shortly after graduating, I got a gig playing guitar for the musical Tick… Tick… Boom at the ICT theater in Long Beach. I initially approached it as just another gig, but working in musical theater was much more fun than I expected. In the next few years I did a few more theater gigs, while working at Musicians Institute as a teaching assistant. Earlier this year, an audition notice came my way for the Mrs. Doubtfire 2nd National Tour. I submitted for it and, much to my surprise, I got hired! I’ve been touring with the company for about two months now, and I can confidently say that it has been a great experience. I’m looking forward to the rest of the tour, and anything else that comes my way.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
From where I’m standing now, it feel like things have gone pretty smoothly. However, I would give a different answer if you had asked me a few months ago. There have been plenty of challenges – dry spells, gigs that don’t pay, juggling personal responsibilities with passions. I’ll admit that there were times I wondered if I made the right choice. Luckily I had plenty of support from my family during the more difficult periods when I was getting started. Having that TA job at MI also kept me afloat during those dry spells. There will always be ups and downs in a creative pursuit. The good thing about them is that they prepare you for how to deal with more challenges in the future.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
To be honest I think that my versatility is what I’m most proud of. Having explored a lot of different genres while in the School of Rock House Band, I learned how to play in different styles pretty early in my journey. Studying at MI also helped me a lot on that regard. There are a lot of paths you can go down at that school, so I tried to broaden my horizons as much as possible. Taking a lot of jazz centered electives, and going to a lot of Live Performance Workshops really strengthened my musicianship and helped me get more work, especially in musical theater. While musical theater is a genre of entertainment in and of itself, many musicals explore different genres of music. Little Shop of Horrors, for instance, features a lot of 60’s rock n’ roll, whereas Cabaret is… well, cabaret! Seedy vaudville-esque show tunes. I love really getting down to the core of why different styles sound different from each other, and musicals are a great way to explore that. I will always be fascinated with what makes each style of music special, and I will continue to explore that throughout my career.

Risk taking is a topic that people have widely differing views on – we’d love to hear your thoughts.
Well, pursuing a career in music is inherently risky, but there are ways to make it less risky. Take advantage of any financial support you can find, whether it be family, a day job or savings. You won’t see a lot of money at the beginning of your career, so you really have to have a solid support system to stay afloat. A genuine love for what you do is also extremely important. If you only do music for the money, you’ll eventually start to hate it. The money will come if you consistently deliver high quality work in your field. People will see that you’re good at what you do, whether it be producing, playing guitar, drumming, singing, or all of the above. It’s like any other job at the end of the day. You won’t get that raise or promotion if you don’t put in the work, and make excuses. Likewise, if you’re always late for soundcheck, unprepared for rehearsal, or missing deadlines, people will stop calling you for work. In short, pursuing any creative career is a lot less risky when you know what is expected of you and can consistently meet those expectations.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://codycadena.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/c.w.cadena/
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@codycadena5955?si=alvrW0FHg2PaDqIy