You kind of gotta step back from your dreams and your passions once in a while, and kind of do something else for a minute so that you can come back to it with a fresh outlook, and be real inspired by something else, so you can give something back to your dreams and your passions.

I toured for about 2 1/2 years on twentythree and then I took about a year off. I really just spent some good quality time by myself at my house, cooking, watching movies, hanging with my friends, and family. I just really needed a chance to get away from the music for a minute and decompress.

I think people in general that don't surf, have a fascination with it. Its definitely much more than a sport or activity, its a way of life. There is a culture that surrounds it and I think people are intrigued by that.

I'm pretty down to earth, I always have been and though I am on a much different path than most 25 year olds, I feel like I have a bit of a double life. We will go on tour for weeks at a time, but when I come home, I feel like I am picking up where I left off.

We're always supposed to be happy and positive. There's something about letting yourself slip into that vulnerable space because you can really feel things there. It helps you grow as a person. I tend to enjoy being in a vulnerable space, in a weird way.

I think humans in general, make associations and feel the need to group things together to have a better understanding of them. Though I would say my music is more country in a lot of ways, than it is surfy.

There's a much bigger picture beyond surfing, its part of an ocean culture. Everything comes back to Mother Nature. Surfing is a way of connecting, and saying thanks.