There's something about the West Coast. The air is lighter. The vibe is chill.

Sometimes you can gauge the excitement of the rest of the band. If I'm bringing a song in and they're excited, then I'll hold on to that one. But there are times where it's like, 'Eh, I don't really like that one,' and we have to send that one on.

Everyone wants the same thing in this band, so we definitely respect each other. I mean, all of us have had hit songs, so it's a band full of people who really know what they're talking about, so you have to respect that even when you think something you have might be great, and they go, 'Man, it's not as great as you think it is.'

We don't ever want to be this political band. We're just a bunch of dudes.

That's the challenge as a songwriter is that there's only so many things people want to hear about, and relationships is just one of those things.

It's fun to dress up and look good. And it's fun to try on clothes and wear a different jacket every night. It also helps you on stage to feel like you belong there.