Cody Weaver Releases a Love Letter to Simple Life with “Dad’s Old Ford”

In a world full of material things, it can sometimes be easy to forget the little things in life that make us happy. When looking back at one’s upbringing, it can also be easy to see how great we truly had it. Cody Weaver didn’t forget, in fact, he released his love letter to those times as the debut single from his upcoming EP.

That single, “Dad’s Old Ford,” comes just under a month before the release of his new EP Southern Noise on December 4^th. Weaver says it was important for him to lead off the EP by telling a part of his story and relating to listeners.

“I think I just liked leading off the EP with something that told the listeners a little about who I am and where I came from; they get to know me a little bit in this story,” says Weaver. “I thought it was a good choice for the flow of the five songs as well.”

The story Weaver mentions is one of his upbringing in Florida, working on his family’s farm and how much he loved the life he and his family had.

“It’s based off my childhood in Buckingham, Florida. I grew up on a small orange grove and worked that farm with my dad and three younger brothers growing up,” says Weaver. “However, the truck my dad really had was red, but lyrically, I thought hunter green fit. Talking about it now it makes me miss those days pickin’ oranges. Life was simple, we were content!”

Though the song, which features driving steel and fiddle licks married with rocking guitars and drums, taps sonically into elements of traditional and contemporary country, Weaver says he doesn’t so much focus on molding into certain sub-genres, instead, he says he writes what comes naturally.

“I usually just write what comes into my head and do it the way I feel it should sound. I don’t put much thought into sounding like a certain style of country, it’s just my style. And my band’s metal background helps us come up with some unique sounds and breakdowns,” says Weaver. “I put more thought into making the listener feel a certain way, rather than the music sounding like a certain style, if that makes any sense.”

With the release of Southern Noise right around the corner, Weaver says he’s feeling a myriad of emotions as he prepares to unveil a newfound artistic identity.

“I’m mostly excited, but a little stressed. There’s a lot more work that goes into these projects than I ever imagined. I’m loving it, but there’s definitely a bit of stress with all the chaos. I’m really excited for folks to hear it; there’s a lot of passion that went into these songs, I feel like I’m finding myself musically and vocally, and I feel like this is my first real leap into the music business,” says Weaver. “I want listeners to hear this EP and say, ‘Damn, that’s different, and damn, that’s good.’ They can expect to hear some real country music with a rock twist, and some really great and unique arrangements. I want this EP to show people what you can do as an independent artist.”

Southern Noise comes on the heels of 2019’s “Burn,” a single that has since earned Weaver more than 50,000 streams and an admittedly “incredible” response, which he attributes to a relatable lyric and a unique, genre-bending melody.

““The support I’ve received since “Burn” has been incredible. The wild part is that it really grew outside of the USA, and that was really neat to me; that so many people all around the world were listening to my music. I think it connects with people because the lyrics are relatable and the music bridges genres of country and hard rock; it’s a step away from contemporary pop-country, and maybe the listeners find our blend to be musically interesting,” says Weaver. I” put my heart and soul into my music; my idea of success is just being able to do what I love and being creative writing unique country songs. If I get millions of streams one day, that’s a bonus.”

Though 2020 has dealt a tough hand, Weaver says he has used his newfound downtime as a learning process and time to keep new music and new ideas flowing.

““2020 has definitely been a challenge, but I don’t think it’s all bad. I try to keep positive about things, no COVID pun intended. While it’s a bummer we weren’t able to play many shows this year, we were able to do a ton of writing. We have more stuff ready for the studio already, and we are trying to step our game up with branding and online presence and growth as an artist,” says Weaver. “I’ve learned a lot about myself and about music this year. We plan on releasing a music video this year for “COPE,” the second song on the EP, which is already in production. And mostly, just promotion the rest of the year until we can start booking again. The work doesn’t stop, we just adapt.”