I`ve been on the road I think probably three years.

It surprises a few people, we have a full string orchestral intro on the album. I think this album is what a sequel should be. It goes to a new place.

Willie Nelson, out there 200 days a year, calls his band family. And it is.

I don`t stare at a sheet of paper and try to think of a good word to use. I try to see where the story should go.

As a guitar player, it`s harder for me to impress somebody than it is to write a song that they like.

I love any and all situations where you celebrate creativity.

It just gets easier in that you become more you in the process.

I feel it`s our obligation to keep some of the soul in this music. Having a career in this industry is a privilege. It`s not a given, ever.

You look out there and there`s people that, their day is changed because of your contribution to it.

I really worked to try and be creative enough on the guitar parts so those who aren`t real educated would know that there was some difficulty in doing it.

I imagine there`s a market for total depression. I grew up on George Jones and that really dark stuff.

I`m aware of the fact that a lot of talented people out there will never get this chance.

If there`s a song where there`s a possibility of guitar stuff that would be fun to listen to, go for it. Don`t worry about what anybody thinks.

It comes down to building your own world out here on the road. It`s who you surround yourself with. My band and crew are really positive guys.

I`ve heard my share of Van Halen. I never liked rock.

Anytime you do something from the heart, people just know it.

They really look forward to meeting you, or seeing you. And thank God for that, because that`s really the thing that keeps you alive.

With my guys and with the way that we live out there, we work out a lot and try to eat right, but we try to basically keep it our own rhythm and our own world.

The nice thing about the world that I`ve been able to inhabit for the last couple of years is that I`m given a lot of freedom. Not all artists really get that.

Some artists would rather go in there and let some other things dictate the kind of record they do, but I`ve got such a great team.

I`m sure there are a few things in my CD collection that might surprise people. I like classical music, the blues, and I`m a big fan of alternative rock.

I go to eat dinner with my folks when I`m home. I think that`s the trick.

I think the way you keep from succumbing to that temptation of Nashville to follow the mainstream is, you have to look inside yourself.

I like to look at the songs like they`re little movies.

Alison Krauss is definitely my favorite singer that`s ever lived. I`ve never heard anyone like her.

I can`t even imagine what Hank Garland would have become had he not been in that accident. You`re talking about 40 years of lost innovation that could have come only from him.

The days get boring. The thing I like least would be the traveling. It`s never fun to check baggage three or four times in a couple days.

When they say you`re the best, I always remember that the majority of the audience probably thinks someone else should have gotten the award.

Even in your darkest moments, you`ll think of something that`ll crack you up.

Guitar playing isn`t really for everybody.

There are many things I can improve on. I`m challenged every day, and I still want to work hard and earn what I`ve been afforded.

In the past, I tried to be more of a typical session guitarist. I wasn`t so concerned with impressing anybody.

I changed my mindset and figured, Why not try to be really entertaining instrumentally?

If I get an idea for a song, I have a melody for it. I`m a musician first. I`m not limited by the fretboard.

If you`re really on top, you probably didn`t do that great, `cause you have to water it down a bit for it to get that mass appeal.

Even on the most serious ballads, I`ll throw in a tongue-in-cheek remark.