When did you first know you wanted to become a musical artist? What was the first song you ever wrote?
When I was 10 years old I wanted to be Randy Travis! That’s when I started playing guitar. All I wanted to do was be a Country singer! I think I wrote my first song around that time. I was in elementary school, but I have no idea what it was about. I think maybe something about love, you know a topic most 10 year olds know nothing about!
Who are some of your top 5 musical influences?
I’d say Randy Travis, Alison Krauss and Union Station, session master of all strings David Johnson (he’s the reason I play all the instruments), Bluegrass Gospel singer/songwriter David Marshall, and mandolinist Adam Steffey.
What’s on your playlist this week?
I don’t listen to music as much as I should, but lately I’ve got some of Joel Patterson’s Christmas stuff on vinyl. He’s an amazing retro guitar guy from Chicago. I usually listen to anything 80’s/90’s Country or Bluegrass Gospel.
What do you like most about playing live?
I love seeing people’s reactions to the songs I’ve written, and telling the stories behind those songs. You can hear a song on the radio, but when the writer tells you where it came from, or what they were thinking, that really adds to the tune.
Your new single is called “Outrun The Pain.” How did that come about?
I wrote the first version of “Outrun The Pain” over 20 years ago, as a pitch for another artist, and they didn’t record it. I had it in my back pocket, and I liked the feel of the song, but something was missing. I started messing around with it for the new album, and added a verse about a fast moving train, and bingo it was complete. You can’t go wrong with a train song in Bluegrass!
What other new material are you working on?
I’ve been writing a bunch with my friends Rick Lang and Bill Whyte via the internet these past few years, and several of those songs are on the album. It’s easy co-writing great songs with those guys. I also have been doing some solo writing, and I am excited for folks to hear the new tunes.
Why did you decide to create music in the Bluegrass industry?
I don’t think it was a conscious decision, but as a kid I fell in love with Bluegrass. With my dad being from Kentucky, it reminded me of my roots and family there. I think Bluegrass is something that gets in your veins, and once it’s there, you can’t lose it. You may play other styles, but Bluegrass is always home, and bluegrass people are my people.
What’s the best concert you’ve ever been to?
A real special one for me was seeing Randy Travis in Nashville at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, backed by his band and the Nashville Symphony. My wife got us tickets for my birthday, and Randy sang so great that night, and it wasn’t too long after that that he wasn’t able to perform anymore, and I am so glad I got to see that show.
If you could meet, play a gig, co-write a song, have dinner, have a drink with any band or artist (dead or alive) who would it be?
You can tell I am on a Randy Travis kick, but I think it would be Randy. Especially co-writing something with him, that’d be a dream.
What are your goals for the future?
My goals this year are to get the full album out in the spring, play more shows, and bring this music that God gave me, to as many places and people as we can.
End of Interview