Being in Portland is cool. I have some good friends here and the general feeling might be a little more welcoming.

As far as the music being inspired by Seattle, I think it's in some of the songs. Seattle is a really beautiful place in the right light, it's perched on a pretty unique geographic setting.

I'm looking forward to doing things more intuitively in the future, just going with whatever happens and not immediately categorizing it as potentially good or bad or original or whatever.

There are personal topics on the record that have nothing to do with creativity but were maybe amplified by the demands of the band. I can't say that none of these things would be present without creativity as a catalyst, but it was definitely on my mind a lot while writing.

The simpler songs are just done when the lyric has been stated; the more complex or band-oriented stuff can go in a million directions.

The notes sound like they're coming from inside your mind... It was the closest thing to a psychedelic experience I've ever had.

I think that's becoming more and more of a priority, letting other aspects of life take precedent over making music, or just approaching the whole thing more holistically.