National touring and recording artist/singer-songwriter who plays guitar and just put out a new EP, “Everything is Changing,” his seventh release. He is scheduled in December to do eleven shows in 18 days in seven different states and has toured with some household names in Christian music. Away from music, he and his wife opened a group training fitness facility in Nashville in late 2014 and earlier this year they were blessed with the gift of their first child, all of which he talks about during this interview, plus some thoughts on baseball.
“If you ever see a guy – myself included – a guy that just exudes confidence and looks like he has it all together, I promise you, underneath some of those layers, some of those shields, are these same exact insecurities and maybe that’s why they’ve put up those walls and just try and put on that face and, so, I’m just learning in my own life to just tear down those walls and just say, ‘Ya’ know what? What I do really doesn’t matter. It’s all about Christ in me.'”
“In theory I kind of have two full-time jobs right now. One is just being an entrepreneur and running (the gym) with (my wife), and one is still traveling and touring and doing music ministry. I’m going to play close to 100 concerts this year, and so that’s still a full-time thing. It’s still something I want to do well and do with excellence, but there’s only 24 hours in a day and there’s only seven days in a week. And so, just all these things happening and, by the way, throw a baby into the mix.”
“There’s so many gifted people in the church, I love giving them a chance to do (the music) and just being able to enjoy that from the other side of the stage.”
“It’s so easy to let serving God replace knowing God and that’s a tough thing if you’re ever actively involved in a church because it just feels like, almost, it can turn into a duty. And so, it’s not impossible to have the right mindset and just say, ‘Ya’ know what? This is my worship of God, this is my time to do it even though I’m also responsible for playing this well or singing this well.’ I think it can and should be done, it’s just, ya’ gotta find that balance.”
“I was really happy to be able to put out this new EP… somewhat quickly… and just keep new content coming. We knew it was only going to be half-length, it’s only six songs, so, I didn’t want to make people wait a full two years just for six songs, that’s for sure.”
“I heard a quote one time that said, ‘If your first release doesn’t come back to haunt you, then you waited too long to release it.’ And there’s some truth to that because at a certain point, whether you feel like the songs are perfect or not, you just need to get ‘em out there and just let ‘em be used. It’s definitely that balance of not rushing it, not putting ‘em out there before they’re ready but also not holding on so tightly.”
“…Just realizing at a certain point, ‘Man, the only time I’ve had what you would really call a hit was when I wasn’t trying for it, I was just being authentic or trying to write a song.' And so, at a certain point you realize, trying to recapture that, trying to write because you’re aiming for some kind of radio success, for me, it never really worked.”
“It’s better to be known for one song than not known at all (laugh).”
“To be bitter towards one song because you have to play it all the time or because it’s the only one that’s had that kind of success, I think is silly.”
“My wife is not musical at all, which is actually very helpful because 95% of the people you’re playing your songs for are not musical, not to some great extent at least. And so she is a little more indicative of who I’m actually trying to impact with my songs. And so, I can tell a lot from her reaction.”
"Enough in You"
"Breathe"