I still believe in the old-school show thing no frills, no fancy equipment just a guitar and some amps and some drums, and throw it out there and do it the best you can in a live sense, because it's easy to make records. But the live show is where you really show if you've got the balls to do it.

I love being a gypsy and getting on the bus with the band making sounds for the people who love and enjoy a night of Americana and good times.

I wanted to be a rock 'n' roll star. It defines life for me. It's all I've ever imagined for myself.

Ben [Peeler] and I have known each other for a decade. He trusts my crazy ideas and spontaneous combustion and he gets the players I want and knows the kind of personality players I like. He has taste that I trust and that to me is more important than any technical things.

I don’t have a problem baring my emotions in music. That’s one of the reasons I’m glad to have music in my life. I’m pretty resilient as far as being a human being. A lot of songs write themselves.

So it's the greatest compliment in the world when people want to hear you sing. That means it feels good to them, so I keep doing it.

I think a lot of people think that my parents' deaths is why I write such sad songs, but that's not true. Those songs may just be the woman I am.