I think people are basically unhappy working their jobs, and we all need to have that thing that gets our juices flowing.

Stop thinking you have to go to big industry to have a big life, because it's not the truth.

I want to embrace all of this: touring, going to Europe, Canada, Australia. I want to travel the world, just have a great hang, and hopefully, be a messenger.

A long term goal is to encourage students to start doing concerts in which I or the other artists will come back at the end of the school year to see their concerts.

I've also been writing for other artists, producing other artists, doing some country stuff. Those lyrics I tend to leave more universal.

When I was a kid in Eugene, Oregon, there was this fantastic guitar player who went out on the tables, chairs, out in the audience and played. So I started taking my guitar in the audience. I tripped, fell backwards and ripped my pants.

My mentoring program is pretty specific, it's about self-empowerment, about being able to find solutions through teamwork. That's one of my first goals.