The true musician is to bring light into people’s hearts.
The voice gets to the soul of a person more than any other instrument. Because it’s the voice. It sings talks, it cries, it laughs, it squeals, it barks, it shouts it whispers, There is no other instrument that can do that. We’re born with it.
Here’s a little song I wrote. You might want to sing it note for note. Don’t worry, be happy.
I think play and joy and feeling good deserve more of our time. I don’t see why adults are supposed to grow out of those things. If I have a mission it’s to make everyone who comes to my concerts leave feeling a heightened sense of freedom to play, sing, and enjoy themselves.
In every life we have some trouble, but when you worry you make it double. Don’t worry. Be happy.
The audience is like my instrument. It’s not just me up there, it’s collaborative.
Whenever I’m onstage, I try my best not to think that I’m performing. It’s simply another part of my day.
To me, it’s our job as artists. You must bring joy.
I’m not a scholar or a psychologist, so I don’t really think about why. But I do think about what it means to sing to and with people, to offer music to them, and to ask them to spend time with me.
Music is still part of my spiritual life. Sometimes I sing my prayers. When I get audiences singing, I hope I’m helping them feel connected to something beyond themselves.
I don’t want anything to get in the way of me and my singing. I want my mind as clear as possible.
Improvisation is the courage to move from one note to the next.
I think we listen to music because we want to be changed. Music is not solely for our entertainment. Music has such tremendous power to bring joy. To me, that’s our job as artists. Not happiness, not a groove, whatever. You must bring joy. I think that’s the assignment. I have no doubt about it.
My father was a very disciplined singer who worked hard at his craft, and I was around that growing up.
I do a lot of performing, but don’t get a chance to go to the studio and write good music.
Part of our responsibility as parents, as adults, is to set examples for children. But we have to like children in order to be really happy fulfilled adults.
Then I came up with this crazy idea just to walk out on the stage with no band at all and just start singing whatever came to mind. I actually fought the idea for a while because it seemed almost too radical, but it became obvious what I was supposed to be doing.
Musicians are the architects of heaven.
My biggest musical influences are probably my parents.
I want to write a book of poetry, as well as children’s stories.