What are your latest projects?
Everything's going good! I'm at home, having a cold beer right now. We just
got off a several day tour with Molly Hatchet. Then, we're going to be
opening for Jackyl this Saturday. We're working on a brand new CD, we're
mixing it, that we hope to get out before Christmas.
Your mom is a musician. What instruments did she teach you to play?
She just encouraged me. I was into sports as a kid: baseball, football and
boxing. My mom was part of the Midwestern Hayride in the '50's. They put out
two or three records. Then, my dad got home from Korea and she quit. She's 70.
But, she's started singing again and has put out three CD's. She got to sing
with us the other night. We sang, "I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry," Which I have
tattooed on my arm, and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." It's real interesting
to see this hard-core crowd get quiet when she sings.
Tell me about playing Sturgis.
Ah, hell, it's great! It was our eighth year. We play all these bike rallies
and poker runs across the country. We were there with Shooter Jennings and Tom
Petty. That place is a little, bitty tiny town that for a few days, is the
biggest place on Earth! It took me two days of hard riding to get out there.
We also play in Laconia, New Hampshire and Daytona.
Everything's going good! I'm at home, having a cold beer right now. We just
got off a several day tour with Molly Hatchet. Then, we're going to be
opening for Jackyl this Saturday. We're working on a brand new CD, we're
mixing it, that we hope to get out before Christmas.
Your mom is a musician. What instruments did she teach you to play?
She just encouraged me. I was into sports as a kid: baseball, football and
boxing. My mom was part of the Midwestern Hayride in the '50's. They put out
two or three records. Then, my dad got home from Korea and she quit. She's 70.
But, she's started singing again and has put out three CD's. She got to sing
with us the other night. We sang, "I'm So Lonesome, I Could Cry," Which I have
tattooed on my arm, and "Will the Circle Be Unbroken." It's real interesting
to see this hard-core crowd get quiet when she sings.
Tell me about playing Sturgis.
Ah, hell, it's great! It was our eighth year. We play all these bike rallies
and poker runs across the country. We were there with Shooter Jennings and Tom
Petty. That place is a little, bitty tiny town that for a few days, is the
biggest place on Earth! It took me two days of hard riding to get out there.
We also play in Laconia, New Hampshire and Daytona.
You've gotten your songs included on movie and t.v. show soundtracks. How'd
that come into being?
It's like a really cool thing. My old manager is still my best friend. He
booked Willie Nelson in Louisville at a private party for the producer of the
movie. He snuck us on the soundtrack, along with Willie Nelson, David Allan
Coe and Lyle Lovett.
How old are you?
36
Are you married?
No, I'm divorced. My girlfriend's in the band; she sings and plays percussion.
Do you have kids?
No, but I have pets. I just lost my dog, Bull. He was Great Dane and Lab. I
have his paw print tattooed on me, I did it when I found out I was gonna lose
him. I've had many pets over the years, but none like him! Now, with this
tattoo, it's like he's always with me. He's my guardian angel looking out for
me.
On your DVD, "One Night in Kentucky," you spoke about playing Big Band music
and jazz in school. Could you elaborate on that?
It was great! I studied at Northern Kentucky University. I just took all the
music classes for two years. It even gave me the opportunity to play classical
music, in a quartet! I figured out that what Benny Goodman was doing wasn't
all that different from what Bob Wills did. Some of it, I have to let go,
though, for what I do.
Your audience crosses a span of different people. What's your secret to your
broad appeal?
The best advice I ever got was from Willie Nelson. He said, "Just always play
to whatever your audience is that night."
What kind of guitar do you play and what equipment do you use?
My main guitar is a real beat-up '68 Telecaster, with scars, scratches and
some pesos from when I went to Mexico. My acoustic guitar is an Alvarez
Silver Anniversary. Our amps are from Ashdown! We have an endorsement deal
with them, because we play all the time. We use DW drums.