If You Always Want To Look Relevant,

Over The Years, Music Put A Weapon In My Hand And Words In My Mouth It Backed Me Up And Shielded Me, It Shook Me And Scared Me And Showed Me The Way; Music Opened Me Up To Living And Being And Feeling.

I've Always Been A Fan First And Foremost - Obsessing Over Bands And Seeking Out Bands, And Spending Hours And Hours Listening. When I Played Music, The Scope Of My Fandom Became More Myopic; I Was Focusing On The Bands We Were Touring With, Or The Bands On The Label. And You're Always Positing Yourself In Relation To Other Bands. Since I Haven't Been Playing, I Feel A Little Less Cynical. I'm Able To Seek Out Music And Approach It Strictly As A Fan.

There Was This Kind Of Wackiness That Was Really Embraced And Put On A Pedestal. It Was Before The Millennium. We Were Envisioning A Future That Was Mostly Idealistic. I Think That Came Crashing Down A Little Bit In 9/11, Or A Lot. There Is Something About Portland That Does Seem To Still Exist In This Total Idealistic World And Total Idealistic Mind Frame, And I Think That's What Dream Of The '90s Is Talking About.

It Was Writing About Music For Npr - Connecting With Music Fans And Experiencing A Sense Of Community - That Made Me Want To Write Songs Again. I Began To Feel I Was In My Head Too Much About Music, Too Analytical.

I Like To Take Things Incrementally, And Strive For Something That Feels More Attainable.