Life, Values & Legacy: Our Chat with Tod Weidner of Ojai, CA

We recently had the chance to connect with Tod Weidner and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Tod, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: Are you walking a path—or wandering?
A little bit of both, I think. The ultimate endgame is making art that I can be proud of and connects with people, and I’m committed to it, but it’s not a straight path by any means. It meanders quite a bit, and the creative detours and cul de sacs all end up informing the final result.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Tod Weidner. I’m a singer/songwriter/musician, born and raised in Ohio but nowadays based in Central Coast California. I primarily play and perform my own folk/blues/influenced rock music in a solo acoustic format, but I’m also a member of several bands, including Black Lab, the Motel Beds, the Katie Leigh Band, Jess Bush and the Bad Habits, and the Mazarines. I have 10 solo singles out currently, and have played on dozens of albums over the last 30+ years.

Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that lived through the decline of the Music Business as it once was. In the 90s and early 2000s I gave a lot of credence to the notion that I had to be “marketable” to be “successful”, that my worth as an artist (and by extension, as a person) depended on my ability to fit in boxes and be easily digestible by the masses. That approach gave me motivation and discipline, but these days I’m much more concerned with making music that I like and believe in, with the faith that it will reach the ears it’s meant to reach. Making a living in my line of work has always been a long shot, and now it’s an even longer shot as revenue streams seem to be drying up, but the upside of that rather bleak landscape is the feeling of freedom to do whatever I want, and the satisfaction of that outweighs the uncertainly in my book.

Is there something you miss that no one else knows about?
Yes. And if I told you what it was, somebody else would know about it.

I think our readers would appreciate hearing more about your values and what you think matters in life and career, etc. So our next question is along those lines. Whom do you admire for their character, not their power?
Any disenfranchised, working-class human being who lives their life with dignity, undimmable joy, and a willingness to share what resources they have with their community. This past year of ICE raids on the Latin community has been heartbreaking to witness, and the resilience of those folks in the face of the persecution they’re dealing with is incredibly inspiring. Actually, come to think of it, I believe character IS power.

Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: What will you regret not doing? 
I wish had gotten an earlier start venturing outside of my local music scene and traveling and touring more when i was younger. Due to various circumstances, my band in the early days more or less decided to remain a local/regional act and, while we carved out a nice niche for ourselves, I think my younger self missed out on a lot of cool opportunities as a result.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.todweidner.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/todweidner/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@todweidner684
• Other: https://linktr.ee/todweidner
  https://music.apple.com/us/artist/tod-weidner/1588811804
  https://todweidner.bandcamp.com/

Image Credits
Jack Piatt