Photo credit: Alysse Gafkjen
Tell us about your tour vehicle. Any notable breakdown stories?
I tour solo in a Toyota Camry Hybrid sedan that has 220,000 miles on it. Miraculously, I’ve had no major repairs or notable breakdowns!
How do you eat cheaply and/or healthy while on tour?
I hate to say it, but I don’t really do either. I tend to eat cheaply/healthily when I’m home and then resign myself to the delights of the road once I’m out there. Part of the fun of touring is eating local cuisine which often isn’t cheap, and a lot of the clubs I play serve me food which isn’t often healthy.
How many strings do you break in a typical year? How much does it cost to replace them?
I try and replace strings before they break, so I’d estimate I replace strings on my acoustic guitar every few shows and every other electric guitar show. I bet I spend $500 a year on strings.
Where do you rehearse?
I rehearse in the basement of my home in Nashville and nothing particularly crazy or peculiar happens down there. It’s a safe, neutral space that allows me to focus on my playing.
What was the title and a sample lyric from the first song that you wrote?
The first song I wrote was an 8-10 verse fictitious “Bonnie and Clyde” (but without Bonnie) type epic, western tale. I’d have liked to think was in the style of something like “Joey” on Bob Dylan’s DESIRE or “Big Iron” on Marty Robbins’s GUNFIGHTER BALLADS. It was called “Jonesy” and the only lyric I remember rhymed “Jonesy” with “a case of mistaken identity.”
Describe your first gig.
It’s tough to discern what would qualify as my first gig, but I think it was playing drums for my high school band, Mildred, named after our pianist’s Mom and at who’s house where we used to practice. We set up on the back porch of Mildred’s house and invited a bunch of people from high school to come watch the concert. I’d like to remember it as a quintessential Dazed and Confused type event with boys and girls lounging out on the lawn.
What was your last day job? What was your favorite day job?
I currently work on and off in music supervision and it’s my favorite day job.
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?
I feel fortunate being able to perform and record music which is my passion, and I don’t view music-related compensation in strictly monetary terms so it’s kinda hard to weigh in on the past 5-10 years or what I expect the next 5-10 to look like. I like my life and I’m just thankful to do what I love.
What one thing do you know now that you had wished you knew when you started your career in music?
I wish I’d have known to take more time to be present and enjoy moments of my career as it evolved, which is a little of what the song “Golden Years” is about. I put a lot of pressure on myself early on and there’s always something else to get caught up in instead of pausing and taking moments to simply enjoy where you’re at at any given time.