“We have a tour bus and driver now. We don’t have to worry about who is going to drive after the show and how far to drive. We got here at seven this morning and it is great to wake up in the city you are playing in because you have time to explore and get a feel for it. Before, we were scrambling to make it by soundcheck and hopefully get a meal. Now we poke around and experience the history.

“If we were in a van, we would have rolled in at load-in and then it is nonstop. Today, I stopped by the post office and went for a jog through downtown and to the water.”

“We got beaded up at a Mardi Gras parade and Jon got a killer hat. We thrive off of having fun and immersing ourselves where we are. We get to meet people all over the country.”

“Tomorrow we are going into the woods and camping at a lake on the Georgia/South Carolina border.”

“I know how that is going to look, but we need it. This is our seventh show in a row and haven’t had a day off. We are going to sit around the campfire and grill burgers, drink beer and re-charge our batteries. We have all been better about doing what we need to do to keep our spirits high.”

“This band started out with the two of us writing songs in a garage in Los Angeles. And now we are with Republic, the biggest label in the world, and we have a tour bus and a crew and a manager and a booking agent and a publicist. In some ways it makes it easier but it also makes our heads spin. We can take out other musicians and grow the sound we hear in our heads, the way we have envisioned it for so long. But now a lot of people depend on our music for their jobs. I take that responsibility very seriously. Before, if we made a bad decision it just messed up two people.”

“Our crew is a well-oiled machine, and I am proud of our team and us and what we have built together. We can keep doing this and trudging ahead. There were plenty of times we felt stuck in the mud and spinning our wheels, but I have tried to maintain a graciousness and thankfulness for what we have. We are going to have over 500 people tonight in Mobile and we haven’t been here in years. We are so thankful. Getting a little spark going makes a difference. It starts with a few people in each market and the support of a radio station like 92Zew and grows with roots and branches.”