When I was in high school, The Dave Matthews Band was a local band, and that was the first time I was starting to connect with a live band that was something that wasn't on the radio or TV.

Writing songs is no different than explaining to somebody what you dreamed last night: No one ever gives you crap for what you dreamed last night. "I was laying in my bed, and all of a sudden a stallion jumped on my bed and the next thing I know I was in Mars but it looked like my kitchen"... That's kind of what I do with my songs, write them in a dream-like manner. It's up to people to swallow it however they want.

Creating the record is like digging up the earth, planting your seeds and waiting to see what happens.

I'm totally into new age and self-help books. I used to work in a bookstore and that's the section they gave me, and I got way into it. I just loved the power of positive thinking, letting yourself go.

Getting on stage is a bonus, that's my therapy, that's when I can tell stories and it all makes sense.

I was raised playing music in coffeehouses and I feel that was the foundation for my career. I think it is important that we remember where we came from.

My parents dreaded the fact that I was changing my life to do this, but I just kept doing it.