Photo credit: Ryan Vestil
Tell us about your tour vehicle.
I drive a 15-passenger 2002 E-350 Ford Van, a pretty typical touring van – it can handle all the gear and all the guys in the band when we’re doing full band shows on the road.
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
Oftentimes you can catch a good meal at the venue, so that’s always a big help.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I break quite a few strings actually, more than I’d like. Strings are one of my main expenses.
Where do you rehearse?
When it’s time for a serious rehearsal, we will often get together at a venue that my family and I own called The Redbird Listening Room in New Braunfels, TX. Nothing too crazy, we stay pretty serious and focused on the music.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
One of my very first songs was “First Born Son” and was a song I wrote about reincarnated soldier when I was about 13 or 14.
“It was hundreds of years and lifetimes ago
on an ancient frontier there’s a fresh snow,
there’s a war brewing and the wind blows,
and there’s a mama crying ’cause she knows
that her first born had been sworn to defend
the throne when the peacetime ends”
Describe your first gig.
8th grade talent show, sang “Sweet Home Alabama”, won.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
In addition to being a professional performer and singer-songwriter, I also run a music venue, that I mentioned previously, called The Redbird Listening Room.
How has your music-related income changed over the past 5-10 years? What do you expect it to look like 5-10 years from now?
Luckily it’s gotten a lot better, and I hope to see it get a lot better still.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
That going about the whole thing clean and sober, and not treating it like one big party, is a far more effective approach.