I think we listen to music because we want to be changed. Music is not solely for our entertainment. Music has such tremendous power to bring joy. To me, that's our job as artists. Not happiness, not a groove, whatever. You must bring joy. I think that's the assignment. I have no doubt about it.

I have a lot of albums yet to do.

It's not that I don't love the song. My songs are like my children: some you want around and some you want to send off to college as soon as possible.

I use the audience as my color palette, my instrument.

To be a musician, you have to be honest... to be honest... to be honest.

I try not to "perform." I try to come on stage and be myself, to sing the way I would in a room by myself, to interact with the audience the way I would relate to them if we were in my kitchen drinking tea and making up silly songs. Maybe the way to get past the fear of being ourselves is simply to try it more often.

I prepared five songs, I sang them, and he hired me. I started working about a month later at the piano bar.