I got to work with [Carlos] Santana, who's been my idol forever. When I was 18, I got up with him in Australia and jammed with him. That was an amazing moment because I got up in front of my hometown crowd.

I got to work with [Carlos] Santana, who's been my idol forever. When I was 18, I got up with him in Australia and jammed with him. That was an amazing moment because I got up in front of my hometown crowd.

I get really excited about collaborating because by the end of the day you have something that you never thought you'd have. I was really happy about writing "Bad News" and a bunch of other stuff on the record that came out so well.

I wanted to have all the songs to be the strongest they could be and all the choruses to be catchy. One of those records you could put in your car and just drive and not have to change it.

Sometimes I write from personal experience, but so much depends on what mood I'm in. If I'm in a good mood, I'll write happier songs.

The song could start with a riff that I base the song around. Or a chord progression or a melody I have, I just write a story about it. Lyric-wise, it's cool to have someone else's input too.

At school I had a really hard time being a guitar player. It’s like being a male ballerina in a way. It’s not the norm.