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" When I write, I tend to tap into this human wondering vibe that could come off negative, but it's really not. "

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" I'm obsessive when I get an idea in my head. "

" I proved myself with 'Smoke Ring.' It was me maturing. I made a good pop record. "

" My family was always playing music; I always enjoyed it. My cousin, who is a little older than me, he started playing music, so I wanted to, also. I asked my dad for a guitar, and he got me a banjo, so that was my introduction to playing. I played it like a guitar. I had a few lessons, learned out a few chords, and figured it out right away. "

" When I was a teenager, I was mostly getting tapes and CDs, and somebody hipped me to the fact that you can get things on vinyl that are not necessarily available on any other fomat. "

" I love polished pop music, but stuff like Neil Young's Crazy Horse vibe or Waylon Jennings, that stuff is raw and real. "

" The real reason I was lo-fi before was really just because that's what I could afford. "

" I find that I get nervous before I play. Even sound checks can give me anxiety and screw with my mind. But as long as I can play a little acoustic guitar backstage if I'm feeling nervous, so I don't have to walk in there cold turkey, I'll be fine. "

" Influence is all osmosis. "

" If I sit in the same square room and work on something too long, I feel like you just go mad. "

" Humor is important. Nothing against bands that are always a downer, but the reality is - it just becomes theater. "

" Anybody that's from somewhere that's made it in music outside of New York or L.A., if it's a unique enough place, they'll always say, 'Dude's from Minnesota!' Or wherever, you know? So that's how I got the Philly connection. "

" I had a really fun time working with the HARRYS guys and their whole crew. "

" It's gotta feel natural. I'm always into that, and after awhile, if I am working on a song too long and trying to make something out of it that it's not... it's best just to stop and move on. "

" I've developed this routine at home. I wait for the kids to go to bed; then my wife falls asleep. Then, it's dark and quiet enough for me to work on songs. "

" The last blue collar job I had, I was 29. Even 'Childish Prodigy,' I had a day job that whole time. Those early ones, they feel like psychedelic, blue collar records. Especially 'God Is Saying This to You,' there's such urgency in that album. "

" I really love that 'I Can Feel the Heart Beating as One' Yo La Tengo record a lot. "

" I want really badly to just be funny in a movie but be close to myself. "

" Finger-picking, in general, is a hypnotic thing. I feel like I'm more A.D.D. all the time, so the music has to be hypnotic. "

" I can be chill. That's a side of me that I like. But then, I can also be not so chill. I can get a little stressed out. "

" John Prine in particular... just the chord changes combined with the words. He definitely can make you cry a little bit. Just a little bit. "

" All of my surroundings influence my songwriting. It's autobiographical, although I leave enough space so it's relatable. "

" I think if you just travel in general, it allows you to step outside of yourself and whatever you're familiar with. "

" When I was 20, I moved up to Boston with my girlfriend, who's now my wife. She went to grad school, and I met a bunch of cool friends there. "

" I've got an amazing family. My wife is really smart. She's guided me the whole way. With children, you see them grow up, so it's like you're forever young. They are totally innocent and so unjaded. Watching them grow up makes you go through it again yourself. "

" I definitely have relapses of stress. Most human beings are like that. But I think, ultimately, music is a therapeutic situation. Once you start playing, it all just gets resolved. "

" I'm joking all the time with my friends, even when we're talking about serious things. "

" I'm definitely influenced by Animal Collective. I watched them early on. "

" Everybody goes up and down throughout their lives. "

" 'Smoke Ring' was a downer, then 'Wakin' was an upturn. "

" We'll play somewhere like London, playing to 2,000 people easy, and every time you play with more people, you think, 'You're a rock star,' and it makes you laugh. I guess I am, but I'm also, you know, not. "