There's something about the West Coast. The air is lighter. The vibe is chill.
We don't take ourselves too seriously. We're just friends that like to goof off.
There's no such thing as a broken heart, and there's no such thing as a Sasquatch.
This goes for our songwriting as well as our success as a band - the minute we stopped chasing what we thought people wanted to hear and started writing things that moved us, that's when people started paying attention.
We take what we do seriously, but we don't take ourselves too seriously, and I think that kind of helps us stay focused on what's important - and that is the music, our fans, and our families.
Sometimes you can gauge the excitement of the rest of the band. If I'm bringing a song in and they're excited, then I'll hold on to that one. But there are times where it's like, 'Eh, I don't really like that one,' and we have to send that one on.
There's no need to put a dumb picture of us on the album cover. We always look at ourselves and think, 'Wow, we look like idiots.' We'd rather have a piece of art on there.
SiriusXM has been an unbelievable way for us to share music. Songs move a lot faster there than they do on terrestrial, so hopefully we can continue to partner with satellite radio as a way to share as much music as possible with our fans.
The most important thing I can say is to make music that moves you. Don't try and chase what's on the radio or what you think people want to hear.
That's the challenge as a songwriter is that there's only so many things people want to hear about, and relationships is just one of those things.
Everyone wants the same thing in this band, so we definitely respect each other. I mean, all of us have had hit songs, so it's a band full of people who really know what they're talking about, so you have to respect that even when you think something you have might be great, and they go, 'Man, it's not as great as you think it is.'
It's fun to dress up and look good. And it's fun to try on clothes and wear a different jacket every night. It also helps you on stage to feel like you belong there.
Fashion is a way to separate yourself - to make a statement about who you are and that you're different.
We always talk about our kids being a great way to judge whether it's a hit song because there's something very basic about the way they perceive the music that I think needs to be there if it's gonna be a hit.