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

My job as a songwriter is to write good songs.

Much is written about wine ... of its makers, its nuances, its myths. The white hot center of each wine’s mystery lies in humble corners of the world, where growers pour their intention, their character and their love of labor into each wine.

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.

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

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

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.