Tell us about:

Your latest single you have released:

Burning Down

Your first single and how you felt when it was released:

I released a song called “Turn This World Around” when I was just a kid. It was right after the Columbine High School shooting, which took place very close to my home in Colorado. This was the first school shooting to really make headlines, and as a kid it devastated and terrified me. The song was written about how if we all just took a little more time to really see the people around us, and care, we can make a profoundly positive impact on the lives of others.

Your favourite song that you have created that is an album track:

My most recent single, Burning Down, is one of my all time favorite songs I’ve written. Behind that is probably The Black, Somebody Else, and Fix. 

Your favourite song to play live:

Impossible Love – this is an older song I co-wrote with John Magnie of The Subdudes (legendary Louisiana band). It is beautiful and haunting and I love the musical bridge leading up to the last chorus.

Your most emotional track:

Probably The Black – it’s about overcoming depression, which is something I’ve dealt with for most of my life. The verses are moody and a little dark, describing how depression can take over your ability to function, but the chorus is enlightening, hopeful, and quite positive. 

The best lyric you have ever written:

Woof. This is a tough one. For Burning Down, I love the lyrics in the bridge, “They’ll surely come to save me. I know they’ll come no doubt. They wouldn’t leave a baby with a fire to put out.” In The Black, I love the chorus lyrics, “Stay right here. Come back to what is real. You’ll find what you’re made of. It makes you blind, when you become defined by what you’re afraid of.”

Describe the feeling you get when you walk on stage to do a show:

Excitement and joy to be in a room sharing something I love with so many people. It’s like when you’re a kid and it’s your turn at show-and-tell and you can’t wait to show what you’ve brought in. 

The hardest track to play live:

As a classically trained pianist, every once in a while I throw in a classical interlude, and unlike a contemporary song that you can easily cover a mistake or play things a little differently each time, with classical music there really is only one correct way to execute it, which can be a little nerve wracking! 

Essential items you always take on tour with you?

Extra cables! 

Describe your fans in three words:

Kind, supportive, warm

A song by another artist or band you wish you had written:

Stop this Train by John Mayer or I Can’t Make You Love Me by Mike Reid and Allen Shamblin (made popular by Bonnie Rait).

What we can look forward to from your band this year:

More music is in the can and ready to go! I’m also planning to put out some solo piano music, covers of some of my favorite 90’s bands including Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more.