Cody & Cordelia: Behind the Music

Cody's guitar phase reached its apotheosis today. We're homebound, again. This time an ice storm, because Washington gives you all of the drudgery of winter, with none of its charm. After church, Cody asked if we could make him a guitar out of cardboard. And not just any guitar, but the same electric guitar that Keith Urban uses in the video for "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me."

So on to YouTube we went, freeze-framed the guitar, and went to work making a simulacrum from one of the giant boxes that always comes home from Costco. And then the concert began. Cody opened with a Bon Jovi cover, and was soon joined onstage by a Very Special Guest. And a legend was born:

The crowd went wild. But as with many bands that find instant success, creative differences plagued the duo.

Ultimately, the group papered over their differences in the name of art. Audiences across exurban northern Virginia thrilled as the band became one of those rare acts who achieve both popular and critical success. But tensions were never far from the surface. As the driving voice of the duo, Cody found himself pushing his creative limits from '80s arena rock to mainstream country. Cordelia resisted this evolution. And sometimes the clash of their artistic visions spilled out into public.

Following one particularly ugly incident at a show in Woodbridge, Cody and Cordelia were pushed to the brink. Years later, neither could be sure exactly what sparked the conflict. It might have been the juice, the pills, the exhaustion of life on the road and a lack of sleep. It might have been their long-simmering sibling rivalry. It might have been Cody's white-hot passion or Cordelia's black, black heart--the two qualities which made them such a riveting presence on stage. But both agreed that the dispute was always about more than the order of the set.

Whatever it was, it was Cody who brought up the unthinkable:

Yet despite everything, they eventually found a way to make their partnership work. Because they loved each other. And even more, they loved the music.

Who knows where this power-duo will go next. But wherever it is, a grateful world will be waiting to take the ride with them.

Thank you for joining us on C & C: Behind the Music. Enjoy this rare outtake from their pop-rap session: