Q: Unlike most musicians, you have the ability to play with other musicians in a traditional band-type setting, but you also can do it all yourself. Which of those two experiences do you find to be more satisfying?

A: I've done both since I was a kid, really. When I was 14 I started a band with my brother. I've been used to the band experience, and about five years ago, I'd say, I started touring by myself, more out of necessity. It's so much easier to bring around less equipment, and I could get a show in Hawaii or wherever and play there by myself. I think both experiences are special in their own right. I don't think either one is more satisfying than the other. Sometimes I can get a little bored of one. It can get boring playing by myself for too long. I crave having a band behind me. But really they are both completely unique experiences. And actually I like mixing up the shows a bit, so that I have a bit of both those experiences within one set. Sometimes when I play with a band we'll revert back to playing over beats or maybe an acoustic song by myself or with my brother on the cajon and myself on guitar, or something like that. Performing solo -- there is a really cathartic thing going on there. I look up to stand-up comedians a lot, because they just go up there naked in front of a crowd. I feel that way when I'm just by myself. I can really open up and say all these personal things that I want to say. With a band, there's a different kind of experience, a communal experience, where you're sharing this music that you've made together. They're both beautiful things in my life.