We’re looking forward to introducing you to Sally & Shawn Weimer. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Sally & Shawn, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What are you chasing, and what would happen if you stopped?
At this stage of our lives, we are chasing the dream of playing music together in public regularly. Over the past few years, we have devoted a significant amount of time to learning and practicing over 100 songs. We have attempted to put together a few different bands. We have purchased all of the necessary musical instruments and sound equipment to play at both small and large venues. If we stopped now, we would feel like we did not give this pursuit enough time to succeed.
We know from experience that new ventures take time to build and grow. We were each interviewed a few years ago by SD Voyager and shared our individual stories about our respective businesses. Shawn founded Zoe Guitars and spent several years handcrafting gorgeous, high-end acoustic guitars. I rediscovered the hobby of wheel-thrown pottery and turned that into a business, Oceanside Ceramics. We worked together for several years, sharing a large workshop and attending art shows under our corporate name, Timber, Love & Clay. (You can still read the interviews if you search for either our personal names or business names.) Establishing these successful businesses required thousands of hours of planning, implementation, practice, and refinement to achieve the desired results.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Sally Weimer, and my husband’s name is Shawn. We retired a few years ago and recently decided it was an opportune time to put together a band. So, we formed a six-piece cover band called “The Smokin’ Ocotillos.” I play the keyboard, and Shawn is the lead singer and plays the guitar. We also have a bass player, a lead guitarist, an acoustic guitar player, and a female drummer.
We have both been playing instruments since we were children. I played classical piano from age 5 to 18. Shawn played the accordion starting at age 8, then the drums, and finally the guitar. Shawn has played in many bands over the years and always loved it. I made the switch from piano to keyboard and also from playing alone to playing with others about 15 years ago.
We are thoroughly enjoying learning and playing a wide variety of music with our band, from classic rock to country to pop. Some of the artists/bands that we cover are: Chris Stapleton, Tom Petty, R.E.M., Van Halen, Hootie and The Blowfish, Stone Temple Pilots, Matchbox 20, Kenny Chesney, and many more.
We are actually very impressed with how quickly we have been able to create great music together with a small group of people who used to be complete strangers! The complete band has only been together a few months, and we are already playing out in our community. We are currently performing frequently at Coomber Craft Wines in Oceanside. We also have some upcoming gigs at The Hangar 76 in Oceanside. We are looking forward to playing at other local venues, in addition to private parties and corporate functions.
Shawn and I recently decided to start performing out as an acoustic duo, under the name, “Turning Home.” This is also the title of one of the songs we play, written by a very successful songwriter we know in Nashville, and recorded by David Nail. We will be playing our first official gig at Coomber Wines in Oceanside on October 1st. We hope you will join us!
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’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Both Shawn and I were forever changed with the birth of our granddaughter in 2015. Her name is Zoe, which means life. Not just a “take another breath” kind of life, but a life that embodies fullness, vitality, and purpose. We had both been struggling with the grief and loss that we experienced in 2008 when the death of our son turned our world upside down. Zoe’s birth gave us both a new outlook on life, filled with hope and the possibility of joy. A year and a half after Zoe was born, we were blessed with another grandchild, Elon.
Today, we are incredibly thankful to live less than five minutes away from our daughter, Kelly, and her two beautiful children. We have been a part of their lives since day one and continue to create incredible memories together that we will cherish forever. Having grandchildren to share our lives with has brought us so much joy and laughter that we honestly thought we could never experience again.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
In 2008, our 12-year-old son was in a tragic accident on a zip line at a church camp and passed away after five days in the hospital. Both Shawn and I wanted to give up on life after losing our only son. We honestly didn’t know if we could survive the pain and grief – it felt overwhelming and impossible to overcome. Our faith and our daughter gave us the courage and purpose to keep living.
I hesitated to share this part of our lives in this interview because we decided years ago not to let this tragedy define us. We spent several years with the identity of “the couple who lost a child,” and we wanted to do our best to move forward with our lives without that stigma. However, I decided to include this painful part of our lives to encourage any readers who might be struggling with their own loss or tragedy.
As we all know, the world is full of pain, suffering, and unexpected grief. It may feel so easy to give up and escape. I admit that we both had these thoughts, especially in the darkest hours after our son’s death. However, I am so grateful that we chose to stay here and fight through the darkness, hoping to find light and life again. When we look at our daughter and grandchildren, we are filled with hope, joy, and happiness that we honestly thought we had lost forever!
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. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies is that we are too old to be playing in a band. I am 63, and Shawn is 62, and we often feel like we are starting these bands too late in life. However, we are going to call this a lie and continue moving forward.
The music industry often portrays success as being synonymous with youth and beauty. However, now that we are playing in bands and sharing our music with the public, I realize that age and looks are not as important as talent and personality.
I have noticed that many of the local bands that play at the various venues in North County San Diego are similar in age or older than us. I believe that bands like us are performing for the joy and love of music, not the money. Because it takes so much time and money to put a band together, most people can’t afford to pursue this dream until after retirement.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
After we are gone, we hope people will talk about how we never gave up, even when life became extremely painful and difficult. In fact, we did the opposite of giving up – we pursued many different avocations after tragedy hit us in 2008. We led teams of families and adults to Jamaica, Guatemala, Cambodia, and Thailand for cross-cultural education and humanitarian aid. We coached mountain biking at Temecula Valley High School. As I mentioned earlier, we launched two new businesses. Now we are creating music with two different bands and our duo.
We also hope that our grandchildren will tell stories of how we were an integral part of their lives from day one. We have purposely chosen and continue to choose to make our daughter and her children our top priority in our lives. They are why we live in Oceanside – to be close to them and spend quality time with them as often as possible.
We hope that people in North County San Diego will remember us as the couple who pursued a variety of dreams – from building guitars to making pottery to performing music. We want to share our love of music with our local community. We hope you will check us out on social media, and, more importantly, in person at some of our upcoming gigs!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/smokinocotillos/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61577281984711#
