I write a lot more when I'm happy, because you're hopeful, you're motivated.

What's cool about indie rock is that one band can do effectively the same thing as another band, and one band nails it, and the other one doesn't. I like that elusiveness.

The idea of writing songs because you're depressed and you need to communicate it somehow, that isn't really true for me.

I've never approached classical music in a formal way, ever. I couldn't read very well. I'd have to play every piece and internalize it, almost as if I had written it myself.

I still play solo shows. And some of those shows are still some of the best, most gratifying shows.

I have some irrepressible pop impulses to write an appealing, concise song. And I also have some irrepressible kind of restlessness as well, and I need to keep myself interested. When I'm left to my own devices, there's a struggle.

Music as a social conduit has always been important to me.