There's a gratification that comes from performing in front of a live audience, and you can't replicate that with anything else. In the studio, the creation part of this business is fun. But, when you see the fans letting you know that they enjoy what you're doing, that's why I keep doing what I do.

I only record songs that I really like and believe in and can sing with conviction.

If I feel like doing something, I do it. If I feel like saying something, I say it. If I feel like dancing, I do. If I don't, I don't.

Guitar playing is not my strong suit. I cut my finger off, working in an oil field, and it don't work anymore, so I'm limited as to what I can do on the guitar.

New York City is a notoriously hard market to perform country music in.

When I'm singing a song on stage, I hate hypocrites. If you don't put yourself in that lyric and emote and be what that lyric says that you are, then you're just going through the motions and you're being hypocritical. I just take that same approach with acting. I just take the dialogue and I emote it and become that. I use the same technic.

I love playing the CMA Music Festival each year because it's one of the very best audiences you could hope for. It's one of the places you can perform where you know everyone there is a big Country Music fan.