And if I want to get involved in choosing sides, I usually pick hockey or football.

And I'm the biggest country fan there is, but I'm always a little cautious of a slower song or just a song with subject matter.

When I was 13, I was just figuring out how to play 'Eruption,' poorly, by Eddie Van Halen.

I'm thinking of you, that's all I do, all the time. You're always the first and the last thing on this heart of mine. No matter where I go, or what I do, I'm thinking of you.

I think if you sing a song for the first time to your mom and dad, or your friends, and they go, 'That's pretty cool'-if you're playing at the local bar somewhere, or the coffee shop, singing songs, or if you have a gig somewhere and you're singing your own songs, I think that's some version of making it. ... It's not just about having commercial success; it's about having a great life.

And if I want to get involved in choosing sides, I usually pick hockey or football.

I try to make an album that reflects what I love about country music. It's not just all about happy parties all the time. There are some sad songs.