You recently released a video for the song "Good Friends, Bad Habits" and in the scenes where you are with your wife and daughter you can really see the happiness that your daughter brings you. How has becoming a father affected you and your music? How have your priorities changed? I obviously have less time to sit and play the guitar or contemplate everyday social interactions, so the writing process has been slowed down quite a bit. At the same time I'm really inspired to write cool music and stay relevant in some way so when she's a little older she'll think I'm cool and be able to travel with me and experience all the cool shit that goes along with playing music for a living. How does your daughter react to your music? Pretty much the same way she reacts to any stimulus - a smile, some drool, flailing arms, maybe a couple leg kicks. Is there anything that your parents taught you or instilled in you that has carried over to how you are with your daughter? I guess everything, right? They sort of made me who I am, so the way I act with Mila is either the result of or reaction to how I was raised. So chances are Mila will be a good eater (thanks, mom) and a good drinker (thanks, dad). How has your brother Tim fit in the role as uncle? He's awesome. He's sort of interested in her the same way she's interested in things, like it's completely foreign and crazy. I can see synapses forming in both of their minds when they're together. Kids are expensive these days, are you doing anything else besides music to make ends meet? Um... Trying to not spend money unnecessarily. You know, download movies or albums instead of buying them, walking with the stroller instead of driving if possible, re-tiling the bathroom floor myself (with the help of my father-in-law) instead of paying someone else to do it. But as far as making money, just the songs. Was New Leaves recorded at your home studio or in a professional studio? How long of a process was New Leaves to complete? Yeah, it was recorded at about four different studios over the course of about two and a half years. I was in no way "working" on the album that entire time, but the process from start to finish, including all the breaks, took that long.
You once stated that your long term goal was to write an entire record that you like, how close have you come with New Leaves? Which one of your musical projects have been most rewarding to you? I think I get closer to that goal with each album, but unless I re-record Oasis' What's The Story Morning Glory album I probably won't ever truly succeed. I suppose Owen is the most rewarding because it's my own thing and only exists to the extent I want it to. "Good Friends, Bad Habits" was released on the split you did with Bob Nanna, why did you decide to rework it for New Leaves? I always considered the split version to be a demo of sorts, knowing that I'd want to put drums and drones and girl voices on it eventually. Did you come up with the concept for the "Good Friends, Bad Habits" video? Was it difficult to lipsynch your song with all the movement around you? Do you plan on doing any other videos for the songs off of New Leaves? Yeah, I had the rough "photo booth" idea and then Joe Wigdahl built the set and organized the whole thing. Lip-synching was easy. Having multiple friends sitting on my lap all day proved to be more strenuous than I had thought it would be. As for other videos, hopefully! But nothing planned at the moment. You've referenced Hemingway and other literary figures in your lyrics, are you an avid reader? What are some of your favorite books that you would suggest others to read? I'm sort of the opposite of an avid reader. I used to read a lot more when I would tour in vans with full bands, as everyone would have plenty of free time and a few books to share. But now I find myself filling the precious free time I get with more mindless activities. I can recommend a couple awesome new video games if you'd like... You stated before your full band record release show, that you were "more excited about these shows than I've been about any shows in the past five years." What was so exciting about them? What made you want to perform as a full band with Bob Nanna and your cousin Nate and is it something that you'd consider doing again? I guess I was excited to see how the songs would sound with many of the parts being played, because
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