My dad was good friends with the Bad Medicine Blues Band - one of the only blues bands in Fargo, as you can imagine! He took me out to see them play when I was 12 years old and I was really inspired by their guitar player, Ted Larsen.
I think I'm more influenced, just in general, not by blues artists, but more by stuff from Curtis Mayfield, Stevie Wonder. Stevie Wonder is probably my biggest musical influence of all. And Donny Hathaway.
Apparently, there's this whole set of disgruntled people but obviously it's not my intention to offend anyone by changing the style of music that I've done.
I've been getting into different gospel artists; Aretha Franklin is someone I've been listening to a lot of.
I'm not a fast, stream-of-consciousness lyricist at all - I know some guys who are, and if there is one skill I wish I had, it's that.
It's an honor to win a Grammy, of course.
During a big rock show, you can flub a few things and nobody will hear it, because it gets buried under everything else.
I think the people at my record label know I'm a Christian and again, I've been really blessed that I've never had to get into a head-butt war over moral standards or anything like that.
When I began my career, I was constantly referred to as the kid who could play the blues.
Yeah, touring can get rough some times and draining, but I always have to pinch myself and realize that I'm doing what I love.
I hope that it can relate to and be a blessing to anybody, with the hope that someday they will find Jesus Christ to be the same God that I've found Him to be.
I have an awesome church home and an awesome Pastor down in L.A., and I couldn't be happier.
Probably my favorite artists to listen to James Taylor, Stevie Wonder - I haven't gone back in a really long time and really listened to them - my first guitar influences. It's been awhile since I revisited that.
I've probably gone a month or two without playing guitar, just because I've gotten so burnt on it touring all year or whatever.
