Last month you made your debut at Outside Lands. How did you feel that festival ranked in comparison to some of the other events you have played?

It was better than I hoped. I mean, it was typical San Francisco: clouds, foggy weather. I’ve been to a lot of different concerts and festivals in that field area in Golden Gate Park, like Hardly Strictly Bluegrass or Michael Franti’s Power to the Peaceful thing or just other concerts like Dave Matthews.
It was really cool, I mean it was very Bay Area-centric: they had a lot of local businesses, food vendors, wine tastings, oysters, clothing tents and local boutique clothing companies.
They had about four stages with bands playing all the time. It was really fun. It had sort of a laid back, Bonnaroo feel, but it also had a classy, San Francisco edge to it also. It was really nice. I hope I get asked to play again next year or the year after. Last year I heard they had a bunch of technical difficulties but this year it was all smooth.

What festivals did you grow up attending?

Strawberry Music Festival and the High Sierra Music Festival. Strawberry Music Festival is in California— it’s right outside Yosemite National Park. I’ve played High Sierra a bunch of times, but I’ve never been back to Strawberry Music as a performer. Well, actually in high school I worked there, setting the stage, and I know the owners of the festival are really, really picky about their music, but I figure if they haven’t asked me yet, they’re probably never gonna ask me.

You also recently took up blogging. Have you enjoyed that creative outlet?

I think about a week now I’ve been blogging. I just actually blogged, I did a painting today—I actually did two paintings, put up two paintings and I just take pictures of them on my phone and email to the blog. It’s not really a road journal when I’m at home so I just kinda make it the little stuff I do around the house.

Are you an avid painter?

I am when I’m home. I do some watercolor and acrylic painting, and I draw on every acoustic guitar I own. I usually don’t know what to paint, so I end up painting people. I feel like at least with people I can relay some sort of emotion or some sort of thought or feeling. But other stuff like landscapes or abstract things I’m not really ready to do yet—I don’t know how to convey a mood that way. I guess I’m better at just doing it through a facial expression or a gesture in a body. I’ve drawn sketches on pretty much all of my acoustic guitars too, like this one with an elephant on it. I have also been into poi-ing and fire-dancing.

Really?

Basically what happened was this girl came over to my house the other day, she said she knows how to do poi or fire-dancing and I said, “Oh, you know, I like that. So do you have your things with you?” She said she didn’t but I was trying to impress her so I made a fake set of them out of two tennis balls and string. So she started showing me how to do it and then she left. So now me and my housemates, we’re all trying to learn how to do it. I’ve pretty much cracked myself with the balls and in the face like ten times, and now you called, so here we are.

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