Interview: Cody Lee Ford (Soen)

Interview: 13th January 2026

Ahead of the release of Soen's seventh album, Reliance, Hotel Hobbies spent some time in the company of guitarist Cody Lee Ford to discuss what made him first pick up a guitar, how he joined Soen, his approach to solos, some of the new songs on Reliance and choosing a setlist for the band's upcoming tour.

Hotel Hobbies: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me today. Before we dive into Soen and the new album, could you talk about what first inspired you to pick up a guitar and who were your early influences?

Cody Lee Ford: It's kind of interesting. My dad always had guitars lying around the house. He's a guitar player himself. I grew up listening to him play and he's a great guitar player -  more of a blues rock-and- roll kind of guy. A little bit of metal in there but mostly blues and rock. I was very influenced by a lot of the music that my parents would listen to - a lot of 70s and 80s stuff. I was very lucky in that way. It wasn't until one of my best friends, who lived down the street from me, came over with a guitar his uncle have given him that I learned a few things: some power chords maybe. I thought, that’s sick. I just picked up one of my dad's guitars that was around and started playing. It just really snowballed from there and just became an obsession. I was probably around fourteen when that happened. I was more of a sports guy up until that point, playing hockey and high level soccer. So quickly my life changed and the sports kind of got weaned out for more guitar time. Shortly after, I got my first guitar and was spending countless hours just jamming in my room and all of a sudden wasn't hanging out with friends as much anymore - just played guitar, guitar, guitar, guitar. That’s where it all started.

Hotel Hobbies: I know Opeth has been a big influence on you. What is it about them that speaks to you and how do you think that inspiration shows up in your own work?

Cody Lee Ford: When I got into Opeth, I was probably sixteen or seventeen. I started to slowly get into heavier and heavier music. I remember hearing Iron Maiden and Metallica and just thinking, wow, how heavy is that? Then all of a sudden, I discovered Opeth and it honestly blew my mind. It was just so different to anything I had heard before. To be able to go from these super beautiful jazzy parts to being absolutely brutal within one song was just incredible. I also liked the longer compositions. I remember I was on a plane, I think my family was going on a vacation or something. It was in that moment that I really appreciated the longer songs because I had nothing to do. I've seen Opeth live and they were a big reason I bought a few Paul Reed Smith guitars. Those guitars were handling every style.

Hotel Hobbies: How did your journey lead you to Soen, what made you realise they were right for you and how did they realise you were right for them?

Cody Lee Ford: Oh man, it's kind of a crazy story, but you know, I'd grown up being in bands. I used to sing and front a metal band. I was also in a band called No Mistakes in Space, which is not really active, let’s say, but it was something to do for fun. I remember thinking I was coming to terms with the fact that maybe my dreams of being a touring musician or making a living off of this were not going to happen. I was okay with that. I knew that it was extremely hard to make it in this profession. But then I also, at the same time, saw that a lot of people on Instagram were putting themselves out there and then getting all these opportunities from putting themselves out there. So, I thought I might as well start to put myself out there a little bit. I sat down with some friends one New Year's Day and we all just vocalised our New Year’s resolutions and mine was to put myself out there. I was hoping it would lead to some opportunities. Then four months later, I got a DM from Martin Lopez and the rest is history! He said he had just stumbled across my page and he loved my guitar playing. He asked me to email him. Honestly, I thought it was a prank because I was… I am a huge Martin Lopez fan. I didn't think it could be possible that it was really him. He has a very private profile online but sure enough, it was him. The band got me to audition and here we are eight years later!

Photo credit: Linda Florin

Hotel Hobbies: Soen’s journey has seen them evolve their sound from Cognitive to Lotus to now with Reliance. How have you seen your role in shaping that evolution?

Cody Lee Ford: I think when I joined the band, the compositions had changed in a way that made more space for guitar solos for one, a little bit more like lead work. I think that’s really cool. I think that means the rest of the band hopefully know I’m not going to totally fuck up a song with a solo. They think that maybe a song will be better with a good solo. As the years go on, you feel more and more part of the nucleus of the compositions and how the songs are created. I think the band is in a good place right now. There have been some line-up changes over the years but this really feels like the most solid and cohesive Soen line-up.

Hotel Hobbies: Talking of solos, you have had some amazing ones over the last few albums. Obviously, Lotus is one that stands out. Illusion is another favourite of mine and on the new album, there are quite a few: Mercenary and Vellichor, for example.

Cody Lee Ford: Lotus was one of the first solos I wrote for the band. When I wrote that solo, I just remember I was in my crappy apartment that didn't have air conditioning and that year it was incredibly hot - in the high thirties. I was in nothing but boxer shorts sweating my arse off (laughing). I wrote that solo and then recorded it in Ottawa and sent it to the band. I was very nervous because I had no idea if they were going to like it or if they were going to think it was crap. I was just trying to put my best foot forward and hoped they were happy that they chose me for the band. I remember Martin texting back with loads of hearts. That one has always had a special place in my heart. I also like the Illusion solo and Hollowed on the Memorial album. On Reliance, the solo I love the most is Huntress. That is something that I’m proud of. It takes a lot for me to say I’m proud of something because I'm very self-critical. The guys all think that it’s the best solo on the album too.

Hotel Hobbies: Thinking about the new album, it has some incredible lyrics that dive deep into human emotion. The instrumentation balances the beauty and anger with the heaviness and melody. When your write solos, do you sometimes take the lyrics into account? How does it work with the order of writing solos, lyrics and music for Soen?

Cody Lee Ford: It varies. Sometimes the lyrics are done before the solo; sometimes the lyrics aren't finished but we will have a general idea of what the song will be about. Regardless, the vocal melody is always there when I have to write the solo. Solos definitely come near the end of writing because I need to have a full picture of what the song sounds like or to feel what the vocals are doing. They need to match the emotion or elevate it in different way. Sometimes, they act as a transition between one part and another. They can have different roles in a song.

Hotel Hobbies: Do you think about balancing the emotion of the solos with the technical aspects?

Cody Lee Ford:  It's always a hard thing to explain because to me, solos are a conversation. Solos are an extension of yourself or an extension of your own emotions. I'm really emotionally invested in my solos. I believe solos are not something to allow you to show off; they really need to fit the song. There can’t be any ego or anything like that involved. Technicality can be cool but has become like a sport; technicality in an emotional sense is something really important to me. There are some guitar players that have a wow factor but they don’t make me feel anything emotionally other than wow.

Hotel Hobbies: I completely agree with what you said earlier about the band being a solid and cohesive unit, operating as one. The final track, Vellichor, is an amazing example of that, with every member contributing something special.

Cody Lee Ford: I completely agree. That is definitely the track I would use to highlight that. It’s got room for everybody in there and nobody is trying to take up all the space or anything. It’s about everybody putting in their own little piece and making something like this. It’s nice to be in a band like this. Nobody is looking to outdo the others. There’s no crazy ego because we just wouldn’t be able to stand that. It's all about the music. It's all about making a song the best it can possibly be. That means putting ego aside and understanding that I’m not needed in that section because if I play there, it will sound awful. However, I am needed over here. Everyone in the band has the exact same philosophy.

Hotel Hobbies: It is just a few days until Reliance is released. How do you feel when a new album is about to come out? Nerves, anticipation or just happy it is finally out there?

Cody Lee Ford: A little bit of a little bit of everything, I guess. Sometimes we're just so focused on what we have coming up and all the work that we need to do on a day-to-day basis that we're not even thinking about it, to be honest. But it's fun. It's always fun. I mean, you do so much, so much work to get these kinds of things over the finish line so sometimes, you need to really remind yourself to sit back, take it all in, enjoy this part of the process and feel proud of everything that you did.

Hotel Hobbies: You have announced a tour. I hope you slip some UK dates in there somewhere! Reliance is the band’s seventh album. How do you go about choosing a setlist that balances highlighting a new album but also diving into the past?

Cody Lee Ford: There's no easy answer for that (laughing). It gets harder and harder the more albums you put out, obviously. Typically, we would choose three or four songs from the new album then play a mix of songs that we want to play and songs we know are the most popular. It’s a really tough thing because I know on the last couple of tours, we've maybe not represented certain albums as much as we would have liked. It’s a balancing act and it's a really hard thing. There are a minority of people who really want us to play more from Cognitive or Tellurian but a lot of those songs aren’t as popular as songs that have come in the later parts of our discography. You want to please them but then there are eighty percent of the audience wanting different songs.

Hotel Hobbies: Are there songs from Reliance that you would definitely want to play on the tour later this year?

Cody Lee Ford: From the singles, I think Primal and Discordia are going to be great ones that I’m really looking forward to playing. I think the riff from Primal hits you like a fucking train! Discordia is a lot different than anything else we have in a sense that it goes from kind of mellow to the big breakdown into a 70s synth prog part. The emotional songs are always great to play live because you feel the emotion back from the fans. I think we will also play Indifferent because it’s one of the most emotional songs that we've ever done. It’s very stripped down but it’s everything that it needs to be. I remember showing that song to my family and half of them were crying.

Hotel Hobbies: Looking back at your time in Soen, what do you think is the most valuable lesson you have learned as a musician?

Cody Lee Ford: Great question. I think the most valuable lesson has been to take it all in. We are so blessed to be able to do what we do. It's incredible, this life. It’s not to say that it isn't insanely difficult because it is insanely difficult in so many ways. I had a conversation with a lot of people where they want to hear all about the life and they think it's glamorous, but everything that happens in between the shows is often really tough and uncomfortable. So, sometimes you need to remember, no matter how tired you are or how much you miss your bed or your family, that you are here in Paris, for example. You are here because you play guitar and there are people that resonate with your music and they're all coming out to support you. You need to make sure that you are appreciating every day, always put your best foot forward and respect everybody that crosses your path because you never know what other opportunities are out there and what other great friends you're going to make along the way.

Hotel Hobbies: Thinking about the fans for a moment. When they listen to Reliance, what do you hope they take away from the experience?

Cody Lee Ford: I think if they get anything out of it, joy, comfort or being pumped to go to the gym, then that is extremely fulfilling. But it’s not really for me to say what I hope they get out of it because if it does anything for them, then that’s amazing. We write music because we love to write music. That has always been our outlet and it's cathartic for us and such a passion. So, the fact that people can resonate with music and our music is so cool. When we see people out there singing all the lyrics or singing the melodies or the solos or whatever, that's just an amazing feeling.

Hotel Hobbies: Just to end, I hope that you manage to come back to the UK. The last time I saw you live was at Shepherd’s Bush Empire in 2023 and I know that you have said that was a special gig for you because of your love for Opeth and the fact that they recorded their live album / DVD Lamentations at that venue.

Cody Lee Ford:  Yes! That was a special one for sure, definitely imprinted in the memory. I hope we will be back there, maybe even this year.

Hotel Hobbies: Thanks so much for spending this time talking with me. I really enjoyed writing about the album and good luck with it.

Cody Lee Ford: Thank you so much, man. I’ve had a great time. Take care.