How did living in Wimberley, Texas, impact your musical development?

I think it was a combination of things. It was good for me not to live in the heart of Austin growing up, but still have the close proximity to it. Wimberley has a great artist community. That’s where I went to my first Friday night bluegrass jam and got involved in all that kind of stuff. I think to have the real rootsy, rustic side of a town like Wimberley but also have the proximity to a city like Austin was the perfect fit. I was very lucky to have awesome parents who would always take me into Austin to see live music. They would opt out of the babysitter and take me with them to live shows. That was my life at an early age, always going into Austin to see live music and I just fell in love with it. And having that experience as a little girl made me think if these people are doing it, maybe I could. I think having parents who encouraged me, made it seem like a tangible life to try to be a musician. I’m very thankful that I was able grow up there. I miss it still but I’m thankful when I get to go back.

What was it like the first time you performed on Austin City Limits stage?

Playing on Austin City Limits was something I dreamed of doing at some point in my life so to have it happen twice already is pretty special. There have been a lot of those moments. It’s all kind of surreal and moments of disbelief but at the same time it’s all happened naturally and one thing has led to another just from working hard and trying to do, what I do. I’m just so thankful it’s happened the way it has, especially this early on in my life.

I think it says a lot about Terry Lickona, he doesn’t have to include someone like me who is just starting out. He’s a special guy for believing in a younger crop of musicians. I’m thankful for people like him and of my musician heroes, who were always generous with their time and wanted to teach me.

Who were some of those musical heroes that were so generous with their time?

Tim O’Brien, Jerry Douglas, Chris Thile – just to name a few. The list is endless. All the guys and gals that have lent their time to my records. All of them are musical heroes. Now it’s cool for to even consider some of them my friends and it says a lot about this acoustic music community.

You play the octave mandolin, how is it different as opposed to a regular mandolin?

I’ve been really drawn to the octave because it’s kind of this ideal instrument. It’s an octave lower than the mandolin. You play it the same way as a mandolin but it’s deeper and more full sounding. For me, it’s the perfect instrument because it’s like playing the mandolin, but in terms of supporting my vocals and supporting a song, it has a bigger feel kind of like a guitar. It brings more to the table sonically in terms of supporting vocals. Fletcher Brock is the guy who built mine. It’s called a Brock.

What kind of banjo and guitar did you play?

The banjo that I have is built by a guy named Bernard Mollberg, who is the first guy to teach me to play banjo at the Friday night bluegrass jam that I mentioned in Wimberley. When he was teaching me early on, he let me borrow one of his banjos that he built when he was 16 or 17. So I kind of played around on that one for a while and then when I got really excited about the banjo, I went back to Bernard and said, “Hey, this banjo is awesome. You wouldn’t be interested in building again?” And sure enough he was and he built the banjo that I play now. It’s actually a six-string banjo, but not tuned like a guitar. It’s tuned like a banjo with an added low string at the bottom that makes it more resonant and droney. It makes a deep beautiful sound even deeper. And I play a Collings guitar and a Collings mandolin.

Your summer touring schedule, includes Bonnaroo. What are thoughts on that event?

I’m stoked. I’m so excited. I played there a couple other times but it never ceases to get any less exciting than the time before. It’s a blast and the lineup is always so exciting to see. This year, will be a little different because I’ll be a part of the Bluegrass Situation, which is put on by Ed Helms, who puts on the stage. He’s an actor but he plays the banjo too and has a band called The Lonesome Trio. They kind of sponsor a stage as far as I know and put together the acts on that stage and it’s curated by them. It’s not strictly bluegrass artists – it’s bluegrass, Americana and everything else in between. It’s going to be one of the major highlights of the summer.

You’ll turn 23 in May. What’s the next stop on your musical journey?

It will be interesting to see. This is the first year since I’ve been in school that I’ll be able to focus solely on touring as much as possible. Before it was just squeezing it in on weekends and summer breaks and things like that. The main focus is to get on the road as much as possible this year, especially since the record still feels so fresh. It’s only been out for six months. I probably wouldn’t start thinking about a new record until the end of this year. I’m really happy I did the school thing but it’s really nice to focus on this part of my life and get out there on the road.

How do you avoid complacency when you’ve accomplished so much at such a young age? What will you do to keep motivated and keep developing as a musician?

I’m very lucky that a lot of the musicians that I’ve looked up to since I was a little are all the kinds of people that keep reinventing themselves and keep putting themselves in new musical situations. It’s exciting as a musician to always have the option of doing something new and different. That’s motivation in itself. I think it’s a never-ending journey.

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