Western Canadian singer, songwriter, guitar player whose new album was just released last month. He has performed more than 500 live shows, touring from small clubs, to beautiful churches and alternative spaces, to some of the biggest concert halls in the world. His videos have gotten a combined total of more than a half-million views on his official YouTube channel, and he currently has more than 22 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify. His story ranges from dropping out of seminary school to overcoming addiction and depression.
"I chose something that was personal to me. The image of the birds seeking shelter is symbolic and has meaning to me because that's the role that music plays for me in my personal life."
"If I were to give any advice (about choosing a band name), that would be to pick something personal that has resonance with you."
"In my 20s I did a lot of poetry reading or using poems to inspire imagery for lyrics, which I'm still doing these days. So, I find that poetry can bring me an emotive feeling that is surprising and then I can investigate that feeling to write down my lyrics."
"I had a feeling within - and also with speaking to mentors - that I needed to grow or change something about my writing and my voice."
"There's no cell service where we were and we were away from daily life. We were able to really kinda sync in and be with one another while making the record, which was a special memory for me. And when I think about the record, I think about the experience of making it and less so about the songs and what they mean. I think about the time recording and I trust it."
"The biggest theme (of the new album) for me would be letting go of the expectations I have on myself and just being appreciative."
"I wanted to become a minister. I always had a fascination with the scriptures and the stories and they'd become such a big part of my imagination in my mind as a kid."
"The metal band that I referenced earlier... maybe I was 22 or so... we got a record deal from a hardcore metal label in California."
"The work ethic and the amount that I played in the metal band, it is still kind of with me. That is when I knew I wanted to do it, that I was devoted to performing and taking myself seriously as an artist."
"With songwriting and being an artist, what's important for me is, ... who are you, is kinda the question. Like, who am I? Who are you? What's important to you? What do you struggle with? What's on your mind? It seems so obvious, but it's actually really difficult to express that in music."
"That's another good advice thing. Is the person interested in understanding who I am and are they a good influence at top quality? That's who I want to surround myself with."
"Let Me Roar"
"Nine to Midnight"