I don't think of community as being a romantic notion. I think it's as vital as air and water, and so I think that informs a lot of what I write about. It could be a story about a couple, or a song about the slow death of the family farm or a small town.

Teamwork is not a matter of persuading yourself and your colleagues to set aside personal ambitions for the greater good. It's a matter of recognizing that your personal ambitions and the ambitions of the team are one and the same. That's the incentive.

I don't think that good politics ever excuse a bad song.

I think the sweet thing about my job, more than the music I sing, is that I come into some town and a really cool community of people gets together. And they meet each other and maybe somebody falls in love or starts a little business together. I really see that as my role as I travel around the country.

I think the Internet has real potential for building community. People all around the world talking to each other can't be a bad thing.

I don't need to read the news. I see it on the faces of everyone I meet.

Life is a thump ripe melon, so sweet and such a mess.