I was just a music lover who wondered what it would sound like if Otis Redding strapped on a guitar and played in a punk band. Thats it.
I guess I would call my music blues punk. Theres a lot of influences.
Blind Willie Johnson is a pretty big vocal influence. He can be very harsh, like gargly, gruff vocals, but also just slip into some very delicate, vulnerable soft stuff. I like that combination.
I realized that the reason why my head was so cluttered and why I was so unstable and not taking care of myself, all of these things, was that I was unhappy. If I wanted to get to a happier place and find some kind of peace, I was going to have to address problems with myself, things from my life up until that point that I hadn't dealt with: insecurities, fears, and those kinds of things.
Even when I interviewed bands, it was about asking them about writing songs, so it was more for me than anybody else.
Ive been making music since I was 14, but for a while, I was afraid to perform.
I dont think I ever wanted to be a journalist - I was more interested in what comes from being a journalist.
It's not enough to have good intentions. If you want to be a good person, you have to make good decisions all the time and live a life that's worth living and that you can be proud of, and that's what I wanted.
You will never have the answers, but you have to keep pushing yourself and keep reading and keep working on yourself.
I hope that I can make music that helps people in some way or that they can connect with, and that I can just live a life where I'm surrounded by people that I love.
I think everybody that grows up in Florida, you've got a little chip on your shoulder. It's not as bad as people think it is, but it's pretty bad. When you go to other places you're just like, "Oh, god. What was that about?"
You have to have some kind of clarity or understanding of what's happening to write.
Life is short, so I am one of those people - and luckily my girlfriend is too - who wants to live everywhere. I don't know how long I'll be there, but I like it right now.
I hardly ever go back to Florida. It's really hard to go back. I mean, I hated it so much. I didn't grow up in a great neighborhood, and it puts me back in that feeling of, "I want to get out immediately." That was kind of the push and what still pushes me, that I don't want to end up back there.
