**Thanks to Lupe for coming up with the topics/questions!**



Hobbies?
I guess I have been pretty fortunate since I have turned what was a hobby into a living.  Music pretty much consumes me.  If I’m not writing, performing or listening I am probably trying to learn more about its history.  I’m kind of a geek at the end of the day.
Oh, I also like Curious George.



What kind of movies do I like?  
That is kind of tough since there are so many great films out there.  I guess a lot of it depends on the mood I’m in at the time.  The last great film my wife and I saw was “Crash.”  This was a fantastic film about the state of racial issues in our culture.  It really shed some light on the subject.  My favorite film of all time is “Field of Dreams.”   I have to admit that I can’t watch it with any one around me since I tend to turn into a little crybaby at the end.  The part where his father comes out of the cornfield gets me every time.  




Have I ever used a vocal coach?
You bet.  I have been very fortunate to work with Ron Anderson.  Being a Rock and Roll singer is very hard on the vocal chords.  There is no way I could go out there and sing night after night without the insight I have gained through working with him.  He teaches Bel Canto, which has been used for years by opera singers.  I believe it originated in Italy during the late sixteenth century.  If it weren’t for this technique I would probably have blown my voice out by now and would be selling shoes at “Payless.”  (I hope I didn’t just offend anyone who might be a shoe salesman.)



If I could do a duet with any female artist who would I choose?
I would have to choose the greatest Gospel singer of all time Mahalia Jackson.  If you listen to a lot of the stuff that I incorporate in songs like “Burn It Down” you will come to realize that I just stole it from her.  When I hear the power an emotion in her voice it blows my mind.




What do I hope to teach the next generation of Rock singers?
Well I guess all I am doing is just “passing it down” so to speak.  It’s not like my approach is some ground breaking vocal style.  I have just tried to incorporate all of the elements of the artists that have moved me along the way and did my best to make it my own.  We are all thieves to some degree at the end of the day.  It all came from somewhere.  I always wanted to know where it came from and absorb as much of it as possible.   So I guess my answer would be to take what inspires you and make it your own.


Warm ups and warm downs?
I have a series of exercises that I got from Ron on my IPOD.  I usually spend 75 to 90 minutes before the show trying to get my voice to open up.    After the show I warm down for about 10 minutes.   I am always skeptical that my voice is going to make it through another show.  That’s why if you see me during the day I don’t talk a lot.  Talking takes a lot more out of the voice than you would think.  So if you see me on a day when I am quiet please don’t think that I’m a jerk, I just don’t want to suck that night.


How did it feel to play to play to a big crowd the first time with AB?
Incredible, the same way it feels every night.  There is nothing like it.  I consider myself to be one of the most fortunate people alive.  I get to stand up on a stage night after night and express myself.  I get to reach out to people, perfect strangers for the most part, and at the end of a set feel that a connection has been made.   We are all in a room together for an hour and a half and get to leave all the weight of the outside world behind.  
I do experience some anxiety at times.  I think that is part of why I sing so long before a show because when I am on task like that I tend to stay focused and not let my mind wander into the abyss of “what if” scenarios that can really throw your game off.    


Favorite food?
That is easy.  SUSHI.  My wife and I love this place in L.A. called Sushi Nozawa that my friend turned us onto.  It’s a little taste of heaven.  It’s funny though because the chef is kind of abusive at times.  They call him the “Sushi Nazi.”   Legend has is that he kicked someone out of his restaurant for ordering a California Roll.  
….. Oh yeah I also like Bananas a lot, just ask the band.


Favorite color?
Blue.  I would go off on some tangent about this like I have on all of your other questions but I’m sure by now you are all weary of my rambling.