When you make a solo record, it's you. It's your name. It has to be the right songs for how you feel.

I originally recorded [the latter] for the solo record, and I wasn't really confident with the way it turned out and I thought that the Kiley — as we refer to our band — would service it a lot better.

I never envisioned myself as a solo artist; I was always part of a band.

That is the true joy of being a solo artist. I can do whatever I want. I can go wherever I want. I can show up with my guitar and my song, and it can sound a hundred different ways. That's the freedom of being on your own. The flipside is: That's you on the cover. If it sucks, it's your fault.

Songs are really interesting in that way. Sometimes, they grow with you. Sometimes, you outgrow them.

I've always tried to get around writing love songs, I guess because I've always had a hard time saying, 'I love you.'