On October 7, 2023, a moment of unimaginable fear became the catalyst for profound musical creation. A stray bullet pierced the window of Minneapolis-based guitarist and composer Cody Steinmann’s home—an act of violence that, while leaving no visible scars, ignited an emotional upheaval. From this raw, vulnerable space emerged a powerful new album that confronts fragility, fear, and resilience with unflinching honesty.
“This album is a musical expression of a harrowing personal experience,” Steinmann writes. “It’s not simply a recounting of trauma—it’s about reclaiming it.” Blending jazz, blues, rock, metal, and improvisational fire, the record speaks in many tongues, each one conveying the weight of survival and the triumph of creativity. Each track bears witness to a moment that could have ended differently, yet now lives as sonic testimony—proof that out of rupture, art can rise.
Far from just a cathartic outpouring, this album showcases Steinmann's continued evolution as one of today’s most daring jazz voices. His work has always defied genre boundaries, but this project takes that fluidity further, stitching together fury and fragility with a guitarist’s precision and a survivor’s soul.
Cody Steinmann is a genre-bending jazz guitarist, composer, and educator based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Originally from Wisconsin, he studied music at Milwaukee Area Technical College and the University of Wisconsin – Parkside, where he was a recipient of the Rita Tallent Picken scholarship. His artistic development has been shaped by a rich lineage of mentors including JD Allen, Ari Hoenig, Steve Peplin, Russ Johnson, and many others.
A mainstay in the Twin Cities’ jazz scene, Steinmann leads the Cody Steinmann Trio and Sightless Quartet, pushing boundaries with music that fuses jazz, hip-hop, and metal. His work explores the outer edges of improvisation and genre, challenging audiences to engage deeply with the present moment.
His growing discography includes 7 (2019, as C0D3 7), Sightless Quartet Live (2021), and Confined Spaces (2024), featuring Chris Bates and Abinnet Berhanu. He’s collaborated with a broad range of artists including Javier Santiago, Solomon Parham, Kevin Washington, Ben Williams, JT Bates, and Fode Bangoura.
At the core of Steinmann’s music lies a commitment to truth—emotional, sonic, and social. With this latest album, born from a night of chaos and fear, he transforms vulnerability into vitality, inviting listeners to join him in a shared act of creative survival.
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