Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how your childhood impacted your musical direction?
A: I grew up in the South, my parents had a good record collection, and I learned to play Bach on the violin.
Q: How are you planning on growing your fan base and sharing your music with the world? What message do you have for anyone who is about to discover “American Whale”?
A: Persistance, longevity, waiting people out. Eventually people will get it.
Q: Who is the most inspiring artist for you right now? And where do you find inspiration for making music?
A: I’m mostly inspired to make music by my bandmates, collaborators, audience, and friends.
Q: Can you tell us about the story or message behind the song, “Idiot of the Cosmos.”?
A: The German philosopher Peter Sloterdijk called humankind the “idiot of the cosmos” for our dual capacities to both build and destroy. The song is about existing in that condition and about the dual nature of all things.
Q: How would you describe your sound in one word for potential listeners?
A: Wondrous
Q: Did you face any challenges while writing or recording “Idiot of the Cosmos”?
A: I wrote a first version of this song over twenty years ago. I already had the first verse finished. I came back to it more recently with new lyrics and a new approach to the singing. We recorded it in one take. One of the guitars was slightly out of tune, but it sounds better that way.
Q: What is the message of your music? And what are your goals as an artist?
A: The joy of making music, of creating, of working with a band, of sharing an evening with a room of people, and of connecting and touching their hearts with the songs.
Q: Who is your dream artist to collaborate with? (dead or alive)
A: Coltrane.
Q: What is your advice for people interested in pursuing music as a career or for those trying to enter the industry?
A: In addition to your own achievement, organize and build your community of musicians, artists, people, whomever. A rising tide lifts all boats, as they say.
Q: If you could go back in time and give a younger you some words of wisdom, what would they be?
A: No advice. I knew more then than now, and I wouldn’t have listened anyway.
