Diedrich Donald Weiss is a musician who believes in the transformative power of music in people’s lives. From 2009 to 2015, he performed at the cancer and mental health unit of Fairview Southdale Hospital in Minneapolis, Minnesota, every Friday for patients, families, and staff. One day, he arrived at the unit and met Tim, a musician he had booked before, who was suffering from late-stage cancer. Tim rolled out of his room in a wheelchair with an IV tree and his baby Taylor acoustic guitar. Diedrich played chord progressions while Tim soloed, and soon, a crowd gathered. The impromptu concert lasted for 45 minutes, despite Tim’s d-string breaking. Sadly, Tim died the following week, leaving behind his wife and four children.

During those years, Diedrich recorded four solo studio albums, engineered and produced five albums for other artists, and performed as a studio musician. One of his records, Public Songs For Private Use, earned praise from critics like Chris Riemenschneider of the Minneapolis Star & Tribune, who described Diedrich’s music as “pretty damn compelling” with elements of Richard Thompson and Jeff Buckley.

After 2015, Diedrich continued writing and producing music while travelling. He settled in the Sierra Nevada mountains of Colombia, where he built a recording studio and collaborated remotely with artists from around the world. Under the alias RED BIRD RISING, Diedrich produced over three albums worth of material.

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