I would say growing up in Nashville has been a huge influence in my music. Growing up with my dad being a 2-time Grammy-winner, BMI songwriter of the year for five consecutive years in a row, and having the legacy he has is definitely a huge influence, too.
When I was a young musician, the only option available to pursue secondary education in music was to attend a classical conservatory.
I ended up turning down a full scholarship of music at the conservatory to pay to go to cooking school.
Studying music in a conservatory would be stifling for me, although I respect people who can do it. And by no means am I an expert at notating music or music theory - that's not really my world.
The quality of instruction is very high at the Silverlake Conservatory of Music. It's not about being a rock star. It's about the fundamentals of music, theory and technique on a particular instrument, and playing in an ensemble or private setting.
The Silverlake Conservatory is a nonprofit music school in Los Angeles where we teach music, mostly to kids, but to people of all ages - people who are old, people with beards, all kinds of people.
Just so people know, the Silverlake Conservatory of Music is not at all about celebrity or fame or being a star. It's an academic music school.
I love classical music. Yes, I was in a conservatory when I was younger and played guitar and all that stuff, so I also love rock.
I was in a band in high school and college and I always had a love for music, but I didn't go to a conservatory or anything like that. I was fairly self-taught.
The considerations of a corporation, especially now, have nothing to do with art or music.
I feel like what I'm bringing to the table that's different is like not just consistency in the music but consistency in the creativity, consistency in the visuals, in the fashion, participation with the fans and things that I give them and merch and stuff like that. And I'm very active with them.
It's really hard in this day and age, with radio and MTV being so consolidated, to get new music out there. I think we've become a really legitimate, viable avenue for getting new music out there.
The consolidation of the music business has made it difficult to encourage styles like the blues, all of which deserve to be celebrated as part of our most treasured national resources.
For me, I need to listen to music in the morning, and after, it's kind of like a shower, you know what I mean? It's kind of getting rid of everything. I always play music after I act. It's not a conscious thing, like, 'Oh finally, I need to do this,' it's kind of a constant need.
As long as it's good music. I love all music. It's got to be constructed properly.
The lyrics are constructed as empirically as the music. I don't set out to say anything very important.
It's a joy, the process itself, even instrumentally, playing and constructing music. It's just so beautiful to me.
The tastes of country music fans are not limited to the narrow range defined by consultants and programmers and record company moguls.
I consume music the way other people consume movies.
Music is everywhere - you consume it every day, everywhere you go. The content creator should be compensated. It's only fair.
