I'm not a super blues player, but I was exposed to the Texas blues sound while I was growing up, and that definitely rubbed off on me.

We still get those kind of cats coming out to our shows. Once you're into it, you're into it for a lifetime.

Lessons didn't really work out for me, so I went to the old school, listening to records and learning what I wanted to learn.

Most bands don't make it past two albums and tours, if that. We pulled it off, and everybody's been happy and cool, but we got to the point where we knew it was time to take a break.

My father is definitely the inspiration behind working with new directors.

That's how I make work. Along the way, I take notes, I read about history and popular culture. Sometimes I act out things in the studio. I go back to my mother's hair salon so I can hear three voices going all at once. I pull inspiration from everything.

When I'm being interviewed, presumably it's because people want to know how I feel about something or what my motivation is, not because they want to hear what I sound like in English. I wouldn't be true to the task if I responded in my unrefined English.

I wish that the arts were better supported, and you can't say that enough times, but I also believe that whatever happens, artists will keep going.