I am very energized with the new band because I am able show a more complete picture of who I am as a musician. There are funk songs, rock 'n' roll songs, heart-breaking ballads, and even a reggae tune.

I always say that I got my bachelor's degree at Loyola and I got my masters and doctorate from George Porter Jr.

https://youtu.be/il7ppTiKe9c

The challenging part of performing some of the songs on stage is covering the amazing female background vocals. Erica Falls, Jelly Joseph, Susan Cowsill and Vicki Peterson sing beautifully on the record, but on the road we're just four ugly dudes.

It really doesn't matter if you are sitting in a rehearsal room with two people working on some new music or you are playing in from of 30,000 or 40,000 people at a festival. There's no difference in the musical conversation. It's not like “We're going to practice, so...

To me, music is joy and happiness, which can also be found in the saddest of emotions. I was at a friend's funeral. He was loved by many, and an inspirational person and musician. The brass band was playing the slowest, saddest dirge, which would be the first part of...