We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Cody Bondra. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Cody below.

Alright, Cody thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Has your work ever been misunderstood or mischaracterized?

I think every form of art has the opportunity to be misunderstood. But the beauty of it is that it can be. Every song out there or every film or painting is open for interpretation to a certain extent. As the listener we’re making it our own every-time we put it on. I write about experiences and dreams. Fantasy and fears. I hope my audience finds some of their own in my work.

Cody, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

So oddly enough, I started playing music because the girl I was dating at the time went to study abroad and I had a lot of free time. My father bought me a guitar at a pawnshop and I would noodle around on it at night and finally he and my mother helped me build up the courage to go to an open mic. I used to go with my dad to sing karaoke at a bar and he would have me come up and sing background. I had horrible stage fright. I have no grand illusions about being the Rolling Stones. Who could be them but them? All I ever wanted to do was be a working musician. I am an extremely lucky and fortunate man. I have such a tremendous support system and there’s no way that I would have any type of career without them. I’m also blessed to have tremendous musicians that agreed to work with me. I always like to be the weakest person in my group. I look up to the musicians around me and they help me so much. I think I would want my followers and fans to know that I’m very aware that I need them more than they need me. It’s a lifelong journey and I’m excited that we’re both along for the ride. There’s a lot of great music around out there and there’s room for everybody at the table. I encourage everyone to try to listen to new music and new genres. I always look at my career like I’m playing with house money. I’m most proud of the fact that I am a dreamer. I think you have to be in this line of work. Obviously there’s a huge difference between myself and Bruce Springsteen lol. But I have to convince myself in my head that he is not only an idol, but a colleague. We both make music. It took me a while to respect myself to the level that I deserve. But I’m getting there. I have the help of some amazing people that always remind me that we got this far.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I’m not sure if it’s a lesson I’ve had to unlearn. But over time you learn that everyone’s just as full of Nonsense as everyone else. Fake it till you make it is an expression people use a lot. But everyone’s always faking it to a certain extent. I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some of my heroes and play with some of my idols. They have all been wonderful and gracious to me when our paths have crossed. But at the end of the day they’re just people. They have a lot of the same fears and the same stress as a lot of us. In a way it was reassuring for me to see that.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

I started keeping a diary about a year ago. During the lockdown I tried to make entries every day because I thought I could look back on it later in life and see what it was like to live in that time. I keep going on and off about making entries and I need to be better about it. But as a songwriter, it’s helped me get my thoughts out. Everyday is another opportunity to create something. I feel like I get lost in the day a lot and it seems it gets wasted. But with the diary it helps me set goals and see how far I’ve come and how far I have left to go.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.codybondra.com
• Instagram: @codybondra
• Facebook: @codybondramusic
• Linkedin: Cody Bondra
• Twitter: @codybondra

Image Credits
Photos by: Lori Lebel Guyle Morris