Recording - August 2013 - 55

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just hangout. Weekends I listen to music. But
I listen to music in my studio all the time
before I start writing a song just for inspiration. That’s OK. Don’t be scared to like get
inspired by other people. Dylan did it all the
time, and he was shameless about—and he
wasn’t ripping people off—but getting ideas
from people like Hendrix. Hendrix talked all
the time about getting inspired by Dylan with
his lyrics. So it’s all good. Get inspired!
So many of your songs make the listener feel
optimistic. How much do you think that your love
for your family filters into your music? Almost
everything you do is optimistic. So you went
from this antiwar guy to being optimistic. You
make people feel good when they listen to you.
Oh, I fell in love with my wife. I think when I
was doing that revolutionary deal, I was kind of
going through a darker, depressing time probably. When I met Lauren, it’s been all happiness.

well and accomplished so much in so little time,
and it matters to you to be thankful. And you mentioned in the notes to send a thank-you note to
somebody you just finished co-writing with, or to
your publisher. It’s just mind-blowing. Most people
don’t do that at any age, and I think a lot of people
who are successful don’t realize that success does
come from a team of people. How did you realize
this, and when did it become important?
I’m not sure when I exactly realized it. It was
definitely in the last five years that I really
realized that and I’ve really capitalized on
that. Out of the three things I mentioned,
work ethic and your team thankfulness is that
important. It’s just as important as actually
writing the songs, because if you are
constantly appreciative of someone comment-

ing on your song—even if it’s a comment
that’s a critique, you know, that it can be better here and there—say, “Thank you so much
for taking the time to listen to my song.” And
thank your team for getting placements for
you: “Thank you so much for doing that for
me. It means a lot.” And for meetings:
“Thank you for coming over to my house and
writing. I would love to do it with you again.
You’re great.”
Don’t miss Part 3 of this interview in next
month’s TAXI Insider!
[Note: We were going to include notes from Tim
in this part of the interview, but will include
them in Part 3 instead.]

How long have you guys been together?
We’ve been together like five years or four years.
Tell everybody how young you are.
I’m 27, turning 28 in 20 days.
You talk about how all songwriters are maniacal, but you appear to be so laid back. Do you
struggle with staying on task, or has that been a
learned habit that’s gotten easier over time?
I absolutely love making music. Once I’m in
the zone, I am pretty manic to work with.
When you see me working, I’m all over the
map. I’m playing drums, I’m doing bass, I’m
doing strings on the keyboard, and then
piano—just all over the map. I think some
artists when I’m co-writing with people,
they’re just sitting going, “Whoa, what’s
going on?” I’m a little freaked out. So once
I’m moving, I really go for it and really get
completely immersed in the music.
Does a song ever go from the root idea to finished product in a single workday?
Oh yeah. I think those are the best songs.
Like “Under Control” in the Chase Bank commercial. I co-wrote that with Ben Lee in one
day, and recorded it completely in one day.
That’s always fun. I always love that because I
know that it’s a good song because it’s happening really fast.
That one is going to pay for Bowie to go to college. Maybe all your kids. [laughter]
You talk about thankfulness, and it really
touched me when I was at your house that you had
that in your notes. To be your age to have done so
55

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Recording - August 2013

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