What’s your favorite kind of sandwich?
I love so many kinds sanwiches. I’m a big fan of Cubans, grilled cheeses, peanut butter and jellies, BLT and the list goes on. But I’ll say that one of my favorite sandwiches ever is the meatball sub from Firehouse Subs.
The Beatles or Elvis? Why?
Beatles! I feel like they were better songwriters and artists. But I also don’t know as much about Elvis as I should.
Lyrics to live by?
“The road goes on forever, and the party never ends” – Robert Earl Keen.. Now I could just live by them a little better.
“Desert Island” album?
The correct answer is “Everything Under The Sun” by Sublime because it has 60 songs, encompassing roughly 6 genres, and it’s 3 hours long. It also reminds me of my teenage days.
What country music artists do you listen to the most?
I try to spread it out amongst the legends, the older folks, and the newer ones. Lots of Merle, Willie, Waylon, Robert Earl Keen, Jerry Jeff Walker, Cody Jinks, Cody Johnson. I just discovered Alex Williams and he’s great.
How would you describe your “sound”?
Probably country rock. That’s pretty vague, which is good for me. I mean, I’ve done reggae, metal, punk, country, folk, and merged many of those. Country and rock hybrids are my favorite though, so I’d say country rock covers it fairly well.
Where do you see your musical career in 5 years?
In my dreams; Playing big, fun shows with really cool artists who don’t conform and take pride in doing things their way, with a fanbase that respects that. In reality, probably; I may be dead. If not, I will be releasing my 7th studio album and my fanbase with be respectable. Nothing special in quantity, but VERY high quality people.
Are there any instruments you don’t play but wish you did? Why?
Fiddle. It’s the most beautiful instrument, or at least close with piano. And yeah, piano would be cool too. Bass guitar is the most badass instrument. If any instrument could raise the dead, if would be a bass guitar playing a funky lick.
What was the best advice you have received?
One time, I heard Andy Frisella say “don’t be a pussy” and it helped me add 25 lbs of muscle to my frame. That same advice has carried me through countless spectacular feats.
What advice would you give to yourself at the start of your musical career?
Pick a freaking genre, at least as a template. I spent about 6 years playing undefinable insanity. It helped me become a better writer, but there is not a big audience for music THAT weird. And its depressing when you write a good song and nobody likes it because it sounds weird.
Where does most of your inspiration come from?
Love, hate and anger are typically the main emotions in my head when I write. As far as what makes me WANT to write, usually when I hear a song with great lyrics, I get mad because I know I can do that too and that anger results in me drinking whiskey and writing a song I’m very proud of.
What do you consider to be your biggest achievement in your career so far?
Personally, recording the Puzzle Man album was the biggest thing to me. I’ve been writing songs since I was 16 and it took me until the age of 33 to record a radio worthy album. That ended lots of feelings of hopelessness. It was huge for my mental state and I’m proud of it.
What’s on the horizon for you that you would like to share?
I’m going to start playing a monthly show in Canton at Canton Trade Days. My buddy, Colton Mathis, bought a stage and its going to be really cool. Also, I have 13 songs “in the can” that I still need to re-sing, mix and master. That will be my next album. Hopefully I can release it this Summer. If not, this Fall. It’s definitely more rock than Puzzle Man, but far more country than 90% of the songs currently on country radio. Fiddle and/or steel in every song and lyrics that matter.
Meet Country 