I've always been shy, but I see that as a good thing because it kept me focused on music. When I was in seventh grade, I asked my parents for a mobile recording system for Christmas, and I got it. I didn't come out of my room for years after that. I'd get invited to the movies and I'd say, 'I'm gonna finish a couple of demos.'

All my band members were old enough to be my dad. It was like this family vibe.

I just love music gear, I'm a total geek all around.

I don't have a girlfriend. I don't know if I have a type, but I really like girls who are driven. I really care about music, so I like it when a girl really cares about something too. Whatever it is they are into, I'll be their biggest fan.

I've got some crazy, stupid big goals. I really wanna headline arenas. I wanna have such a big crew that we've got to have 20 or 30 buses on the road because that's how big the show we're putting on is.

When I was 13 or 14, I took seven months off from touring. I did a lot of weekend gigs in Louisiana. We have fairs and festivals every weekend. But I took seven months off. That's when I really started digging deep. I wrote a couple songs that year that I still play every now and then for people.

I write for myself. I don't write because I have a record coming out. I write because I want to. I need to.