Words

Hello from the Hampton Inn in Kearney, Nebraska. It’s five a.m. I’m pounding coffee and wiping the fog from my mind. We are halfway through this seven-week spring run, and things are rolling slow but steady. Thirty-three shows across the southern Midwest and West Coast—this one is a barnburner. We are putting some miles on these tires, folks. Last week was … Read More

It’s early morning dark. We get our badges from the check-in station. We load into the 50-year-old building under the sodium light of one streetlamp. Bars over windows and metal detectors. The hallway smells like urine. You need a key to use the restroom, and someone will wait outside until you are done. Some of the toilets are filled with … Read More

“You want to be a writer- don’t know how or when? Find a quiet place and a humble pen” – Paul Simon “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.”- Steven King   Bruce Springsteen in the brilliant The Defiant Ones: “It was indulgent, but sometimes YOU NEED TO BE INDULGED.”   … Read More

(Things I have borrowed, begged, and stolen from books, movies, conversations, etc.)   Even the kindest man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. —H. L. Mencken It’s not what they call you—it’s what you answer to. Ignorance screams and wisdom whispers. —My brilliant neighbor Craig Morris It is … Read More

(Things I have borrowed, begged, and stolen from books, movies, conversations, etc.)   One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. —Unknown It is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed. —Vida Dutton Scudder Now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their … Read More

Last week I wrote about shaking things up a bit—doing whatever we can as artists to shake the foundation and come upon some new territory. As promised, here is a list of things—notes, sayings, and reminders—that hang throughout my studio. There are scribbles on big butcher paper over the windows, some on Post-it notes, some on the legal pads that I … Read More

One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. —Unknown It is through creating, not possessing, that life is revealed. —Vida Dutton Scudder When I’m holding on too tight, when I’m too meticulous, analytical, judgmental—lacking confidence or (insert neurosis here)—then the act of writing a song, playing a show, or … Read More

(Things I have borrowed, begged, and stolen from books, movies, conversations with friends)   Create or Die. —Wade Hampton God will not have his work made manifest by cowards. —Emerson Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. —MLK The dream is free, the hustle is sold separately. —George “GK” Koufalis (thanks to The … Read More

We overestimate what we can do in a day and underestimate what we can do in a lifetime. —Unknown Focus on what you can control, and you can get a lot done. —Unknown Ever want to smack the person who says, “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey”? I often think, yeah, that’s great, but the only reason it’s called … Read More