Traveling all over the country and all over the world, I think you've got a lot of pop acts and a lot of rock acts that are making a point of traveling to different places and making people aware of their music and their shows and the whole deal and I think country music has always sort of stayed, for the most part, in the states.
Records are one thing, and obviously, without hit songs, you don't have the opportunity to do your shows. But my live show has always been my selling tool.
To me, a critic is someone who gets paid for their opinion, and they're entitled to that opinion but I don't really put a lot of stock into their opinion. I'm going to cut the kind of records and the kind of songs that I like, and the kind of things that I enjoy doing. If critics dig it, that's fine, if they don't, that's fine.
I think it's important for artists to work together. It's great for fans to see, like, Ludacris came out to our show in Atlanta and kinda made a surprise appearance there, it shows a mutual respect for what each other does.
My dad started teaching me how to play guitar when I was 13 years old. When he'd go to work, he'd map out guitar cords on a piece of notebook paper. I'd sit down and look at it every day and practice while he was gone.
I didn't want my records to sound like anybody else, and when I've got my guys in the studio, I have a language with those guys because we work together every day. A lot of times, you bring in outside guys, studio players, whatever, and they're great musicians. It's just that they don't necessarily play the way I want it to be played.
I only took about five guitar lessons in my life from an actual teacher. I learned fast that that wasn't for me. I didn't have the attention span to learn that way. So I learned the basics from my dad, then just from playing on stage, and watching other guitar players.
My dad encouraged anything I wanted to do, especially music. Actually he drove me around to places where I could play.
Capricorn was one of the homes of the Southern rock movement with the Allman Brothers and Charlie Daniels and the Marshall Tucker Band. I don't think you can come from that area and not be influenced by that stuff a little bit, no matter what generation you grew up in.
Typing in the name of a song and downloading the song you really have no connection with the artist at that point. So I think it is still important to have physical CDs and stuff like that.
You don't want to get too ahead of yourself and go out thinking you can play stadiums every night, and they end up being about half-full.
I love playing music. And that's what it's all about.
I think when you wear the brand anyway, why not go out and try to promote it and make it as cool as you can? The fact that I can continue to do what I've always done and kind of become the face of that brand is to me, kind of just makes sense. It doesn't make sense not to do it I guess.
I think great songs can come from anywhere and you constantly have to be able to look out for those. I think a lot of the times people will try too hard to write everything themselves and therefor miss out on great songs that way.
I don't really think that audiences are that much different. I think that a fan is the same whether you are from here or from Japan - you come to a show because you like the music. I don't really see much of a difference anywhere.
There are a lot of people out there that really aren't that different than me, I consider myself a pretty average guy, so hopefully they understand me and know where I am coming from. I kinda feel like I am a voice for them.
I have a love of baseball and a love of music.
I would say, 'Go ask any couple that's been married for 30, 40, 50 years... It hasn't always been roses.'
If it takes you a year to cut a record, I don't know, you need to find something else to do. It really shouldn't take that long.
There's a lot of people I'd love to work with at some point, but I think the song has to be the right thing. It has to be the right fit.
If the right thing comes along and you get an opportunity to be a part of something you believe in, and you think it's cool and want to put your name on it, then you should.
I think everybody would love to say they were in a movie. Whether or not I'm any good at it, I don't know.
I think my music is definitely country but it's got a little bit of that rock flair about it. I always try to find the things that everyday people deal with in their everyday lives and situations in the songs that I sing.
I try to record music that people can relate to.
I grew up listening to all kinds of music, everything from country to rock, pop, R&B and even rap, so for me, music is music and a great song is a great song.
