1. I eat the same thing for breakfast each morning - 2 pieces of toast w/ butter and honey, glass of OJ, and a cup of coffee with hazelnut creamer.
2. Ricky Skaggs played his famous mandolin on my recent EP, The Way I See Her.
3. Broke a city swim meet record when I was eight years old
4. I love to combine words. If I hit my leg on something it would be a shinjury. To me, this is the highest form of humor.
5. I used to be Alan Jackson's tour mascot. Might be the only one to have ever done this.
After growing up in the magnificent city that is Fort Wayne, IN, I followed my love for songwriting down to Nashville, TN. I got a degree in audio engineering with a minor in entrepreneurship from Belmont University (to allow myself to produce my own demos).
Once graduated, I found myself in need of a job. That's when I discovered a love I never knew I had: being a mascot. I went on the road for four months with Alan Jackson and Brooks & Dunn as AJ's larger-than-life, Muppet lookalike. I also shot t-shirts out of a cannon that looked like a giant acoustic guitar (the shirts came out the end of the neck). If you ever wondered whose sweaty hand you actually shook at the concert, that was mine.
For ten months after that, I wore the green apron and steamed milk for Starbucks. Though I miss the free coffee, I've had incredible opportunities to be surrounded by and working with some amazing and inspiring people.
All throughout those experiences, I had been writing songs. During class, on the long bus rides, on ten minute breaks. All of that has paid off and it is a wonderful privilege to work each day doing what I love.
I'm honored to work with some incredible people, specifically to be mentored by writer Gordon Kennedy.
I live in East Nashville with my wonderful wife, Brittany, and our dog, Tilly.
