Meet Cody Davis | Guitarist & Songwriter

We had the good fortune of connecting with Cody Davis and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cody, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
It kind of just pursued me, honestly. I always had it made up in my mind that I was not very creative and I actually dreamed of being a quarterback in the NFL! Somewhere along the way, I discovered guitar when I was 11 or 12 years old and quickly became obsessed with it.

The major crossroads was the summer I tried out for the football team. I ran a drill and ended up hurting my hand and realized that football injuries could possibly prevent me from playing guitar and that was it. After that, I basically would hide in the back during drills and would talk to anyone within earshot about Pantera and Slayer until I got cut from the team and then went full steam ahead with music! Being that I just grew to about 5’9″ and ran slow as molasses, music ended up being a much better decision.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think one of the important things that you need to do, in any business honestly, is to ask people advice on how they got to the point that they are right now. I’ve been very fortunate to be around some really successful people that were gracious enough to share bits of info with me that have helped them along the way.

When I was performing on the Take Me Home Tour in 2013 as guitarist for Camryn, opening up for One Direction, I asked 1D bassist Sandy Beales how he was able to land a gig in the biggest pop band in the world at the time, and he said that he accepted every gig that he could (within reason) and he was very punctual. If rehearsal was at 8pm, it meant that you show up extra early and you’re hitting the first note at 8pm, not showing up at 8pm to get ready. Maintaining a professional demeanor and being early all the time can take you a long way.

Another tip that I received years ago before I became a touring musician that I found invaluable came from Phillip “Fish” Fisher, drummer from LA’s very own Fishbone. He said that, a lot of the time, the person who gets the gig is not the most talented one. If it’s between the most talented person who can be difficult or the person who can play all the parts well enough and is a joy to have around, the second person is most likely to get the gig. Bringing good energy and a willingness to do whatever it takes for the group goes a LONG way when you’re cooped up in tight spaces with people from all walks of life for months at a time.

So I’m taking these lessons and many more on my journey through music as a live session musician and also in my own upcoming projects.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I’m a pretty terrible tour guide! I would probably start with Disneyland. I will forever love that place, no matter how many times they inflate the ticket prices. After that, I’d probably recommend whatever music venue that’s hosting a band I’m making them go see with me. Some venues that meant a lot to me growing up and are very special to me are Chain Reaction in Orange County as well as the Whisky A Go Go in LA. Both places are where I discovered very influential bands that I still listen to daily decades later.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people that have been influential to me along my journey thus far. Starting with my PawPaw, who used to play old Johnny Cash and Hank Williams songs on his acoustic guitar in the kitchen back in Texas, he was my first experience hearing music performed live when I was very young. When I moved here in Southern California at age 11, it was neighbor/friend Joe McAneny who cleaned out his closet to uncover a dusty old electric guitar that would soon captivate my attention for the rest of my life. A couple others that are still huge guys in my life are Justin McCarthy (I Am Ghost/Above The Noise drummer) as well as Sean Ashe (solo artist/producer). And most recently, the great man who brought me to this interview, Lee Van Dusen.

Instagram: @CodyDavisGuitar

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/codydavisguitar

Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@codydavisguitar