How did you start playing music and sharing your work?   

Singing has been a part of me since very early on. Of course, when I was six it was mostly video game tunes and whatever happened to be on the radio, but today I'm proud to say I'm actually a writer of music. Writing and performing started in high school when a few friends and I formed an a cappella group, wrote a couple songs, played a few gigs. Soon I started to realize that my love for writing and performing music was transforming into something more of a passion.   

I love your style. It's simple but really beautiful. I have to say, I've played some of your tracks on YouTube on repeat. 

Tell us a bit about your style.   Stylistically, I do stick to minimalist instrumentation so that, hopefully, the true essence of each song/bit of poetry shines. Intrinsic meanings of words have always been key to my writing, so I choose them very carefully. It usually takes me months to write and rewrite songs until I am only slightly comfortable with them. As I've developed as a singer/songwriter, I've also discovered the importance of utilizing any and every vocal nuance I have to breathe more life into my performances. I really want listeners to take something valuable from my music.   

How has the Web helped you grow the audience for your work or influence your perspective of what's possible with your work?   

Currently, I'm a member of a few different music-related sites: MySpace, YouTube, Ourstage, Broadjam, and most recently a friend's site called Indiecollision. All are helpful, but I think YouTube and Ourstage are truly indispensable tools when taking into account my progression as an artist. They have provided me with countless opportunities to potentially realize my dreams, and since I haven't given up yet, I think they are more than serving their purposes. I can't say how grateful I am for my audience's constant support.   

The YouTube thing came as a huge surprise to me. I never would have thought that people would even find that first video I posted and that I'd ever decide to post a second one. I think the appeal was not only that my buddy and I used a guitar and a violin to cover a Postal Service tune, but moreover how ridiculous we looked doing it. That video was actually meant to be a joke! Anyway, I'm glad people found it because otherwise I definitely wouldn't have posted as many songs as I have.   

What's the best thing and the most frustrating thing about being a young musician today?    

For me, the best thing about being a young musician today is that somehow, "being young" often equates to "being relevant." I think it's sad that it sometimes has to work that way, but it seems to be the nature of the industry. So, while I feel young and foresee many more years of music-making on my horizon, I also feel the pressure to make as much of those years as is humanly possible. I think the most frustrating thing, though, is probably how easily unmotivated and distracted I get amidst it all. I struggle through frequent spates of writer's block, and give up on creating music for extended periods of time. When this happens, I start to obsess over the notion that as long as I allow this behavior to occur, time is simultaneously speeding by and I'm getting older by the minute. Vicious cycle? Yes.   

And you recently packed up and moved from Chicago to LA. How is the LA scene different for you than Chicago?   

LA is great: people, weather, pretty much everything. Being close to my girlfriend was definitely the biggest selling point (smiles). As far as the music scene goes, I can't really say just yet. I've played out in Chicago for almost 10 years now and only a few months in LA, so I might need a bit more experience to give that question a go. So far, though, I've managed to play some great venues where people actually go to listen.   

Tell us about your new album. Who's involved, what are some of your favorite tracks, what was the process of recording like for you?   

Going into the studio to record was exciting, but often stressful due to self-imposed deadlines and such. The violinist and I constantly needed to make sure we were on top of our games. Either way, Mike Hagler (mixing/mastering engineer) made them sound better than I ever would have imagined. Tracks I'm particularly proud of are "Be," "Make-Believe," and "Love Anyway." And though The Pregnant Letter is the debut, I'd love to revisit some of the tracks someday to add a few other parts that I can't seem to get out of my head...   

It seems that you grew your audience on YouTube first by playing covers. What's it like to suddenly be introducing a full album of originals?   

I was really glad to see that overall, the YouTube reception of my originals was quite positive. Actually, I'd probably say that the majority of my album sales occurred via YouTube! Again, I'm so grateful for that.  

Two of my favorite young musicians are Soul do Mato and ortoPilot on YouTube. They're both stand-up gentlemen and stand-up musicians.