I would say my fraternity was nothing but a bunch of farm boys; we weren't really in the whole fraternity scene, but yeah, that's a safe assessment of who I am. I've lived that life, growing up in agriculture and then going off to college and joining a fraternity, livin' that life.

My focus is trying to make great music and putting on great shows, and whatever happens beyond that is a bonus to me.

When you get performance slots for award shows - that's a big deal for me.

I'm a really, really optimistic and really, really positive person. My main thing is, 'Enjoy life. Celebrate life.'

Even with all the negativeness of the whole social media thing, I still think it's leaps and bounds more positive.

Life's up and down from the time you get here to the time you leave.

'Dirt Road Diaries,' in my mind, is a perfect country guy song. It speaks to the hard-working guy, and I'm excited for the fans to hear that one.