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" I read about two reviews early on when my first record came out, and it just freaked me out, good and bad, so I've never really kept up with that side of it. "

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" The first album was literally the first 12 songs I've ever written. "

" I was always into poetry and writing. So the urgency of spoken word is something that really has always appealed to me. "

" I don't spend afternoons practicing my guitar to get better. I do read, though, to get inspiration for my lyrics. "

" When I barely got into college, the one thing I could do was write, so I became an English major. "

" I think you can hear all my hip hop influences in 'Just Kids.' "

" I had the lyric 'Chip Don't Go' and a few words, and my wife came in and said that it sounded like a good song. I thought I'd finish writing it up and posting it to YouTube. I didn't realize it was going to take off like it did. "

" For my father, he didn't know what 'Grey's Anatomy' was. He didn't know who John Mayer was. But when I showed up on the 'Law & Order' TNT promo spot, he thought, 'Wow, my son has made it.' "

" Somehow, my music really suits doctors making out in the syringe room. "

" The criticism people could have of my music maybe is that it's somewhat schizophrenic at times. And if you don't like that, it could bother you. "

" I'm actually named Matthew William Kearney: my middle name is named after my grandfather. "

" New Yorkers are historically tough crowds. "

" I thought my second record was good, but it didn't have that smash hit we did on the first one that somehow found its way onto tons of formats of radio stations. "

" I love to play the songs that got me to where I am. I like to take a little bit from all of my records and mix it up. "

" When I started forming my own taste, there was a period in high school when I listened to only rap and hip-hop, like A Tribe Called Quest. "

" From my experience, I've been honest about who I am and what I believe and the motivation behind my music. But I've played it in arenas that are for all people. I've pretty much stuck to that model my whole career. "

" I started as a writer. I didn't play music until late in life. "

" There are people I love in Nashville and would not want to go a day without talking to, but I want to see the world. "

" There's this song called 'Brad Chester,' which is like the depths of my family. It comes from a very personal place. "

" I was an English major in college, so I really liked spoken word and poetry; it was what I did before I wrote music. "

" I didn't know music would end up being my job, but I loved it so much I wanted to do it every day. "

" When I was in college, I wanted to study film. My first passion was to be a cinematographer. So maybe there's something innate in my music where it partners well with images. "

" Even on tour, where I perform songs from 'City Of Black And White,' I still do songs from 'Nothing Left To Lose.' I never turned my back on that material. On some albums, you change - that's all. The trick is to follow your heart and do what feels right. "

Black And White

" When 'Young Love' came out, I was really excited, and it has been really special. "

" My dad was a scratch golfer growing up. When I'm on the road, I always bring my clubs with me. "

" When I set out to write, I want to write something that will rip your heart out and connect with you. Great songs connect beyond genre and style. "

" I do know great books help shape who I am and how I look at life. "

" When we tour, there's always this unique quality to every town you visit... Touring, you get a sense of a collective identity for different cities. That's one of the things I love about my job. "

" More than any other instrument, the relationship between an acoustic guitar and a microphone is super-important. The kind of mics that you use and your placement of the mics to the guitar can radically alter your sound. "

" When I first started writing music, it was to express that. I was trying to find God and trying to find meaning in my life. That's what my music was about. It wasn't to entertain. "

" The first year I moved to Nashville, I started playing these songwriter nights with people like Nickel Creek, Duncan Sheik, and even Ryan Adams... That was the first place I really started playing music, and I had to really step up my game. Really quick. Or get kicked off the stage. "