What place in the world feels most like home to you, and how has it shaped your music?

Hmmm.. Probably Savannah GA. I wasn’t in one place much as a kid but the place I went back to most consistently was Savannah.

I think it was one of first places I felt enough stillness to actually write. It’s a beautiful quiet spot with a lot of soul.

Can you recall the first moment you realized music may be an important part of your life?

I honestly think music is the first thing I ever fell in love with. Its just always mattered.

When I was super little my older brother burned a bunch of random sad tracks on a cd and I took this massive “portable player” around like it was my job. I loved music in such a deep way, that even though I  didn’t know what the people in those songs were singing about I still felt really connected to the heart of it. Then the first day I picked up an instrument changed me forever. It felt like learning words for the first time. Music never took a backseat as far as its meaning to me.

Who in your life has believed in your music the most, and how has their support shaped your path?

This iconic Blues guitarist  named Bob Margolin. I met him when I was around 11 or 12.

Harmonica was randomly my first instrument. (Being homeschooled likely had something to do with that goofy choice)

That being so said I really got into playing the blues and this guy heard about me but never heard me play and took a chance and called me up with him and his band main stage at a blues festival. And dude…. Like a some sort of movie we all started absolutely vibing. Straight up rocked out. Their energy on stage made me better and sparked something in me that made me want to keep getting better and take the craft serious.

It was the first time I realized music was its own language we didn’t talk didn’t practice… but we all caught the same feeling.

That guy later invested a ton into developing me as an artist and musician by inviting me to a bunch of his gigs to jam and even sent me to workshops every year to learn from some incredible musicians.

What was teenage Aiden like? Tell us something crazy.

Oh lord…. I was a quirky little homeschooler that discovered girls way too late.

I was a pretty busy guy I had a charity running for a while that was focused around empowering others to give back using what they love. That was over a decade of journeys.

I was very heavily involved in the public speaking scene because of that and it led to this cringy but pure Ted talk I did when I was 13

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=szoLdZg1USw

That took me all over the place and led to some wild experiences. I’m just now realizing how crazy my teens were just from being an adult and seeing what I thought was very normal day in the life wasn’t that common or shared by other people when they were my age. Which does have its challenges because you don’t have a lot of shared life experience among your piers.

but I also kinda love that I can look back and remember being a part of some pretty special and charismatic things.

Your name carries significance—how does it reflect the story you’re sharing through your music?

My name is a made up caucasian

name that my parents picked.

But in a weird way I feel like my music reflects that because I do unironically play the banjo sometimes and like the sound.

But I on real note I learned that my name means “Fire Starter” and that does really resonate with me for some reason.

I’ll have to ask a random horoscope chick why at some point.

Is there a piece of your music—or even a single lyric—that feels like it captures your essence? What is it, and why?

Sometimes I feel pretty undefined as an artist just because I write about my life and my life changes a lot. So I’ve never really settled into a specific vibe or sound just because I’ve felt very settled as a person until recently.

I tell the truth in my music a lot.

Me writing is an extension of me processing through my feelings which is probably true for most people. It’s easier to pick up a guitar than go to therapy and a hell of a lot cheaper.

It’s hard for me to write upbeat songs.

When I’m feeling good about life I’m out doing something or with loved ones so there isn’t an opportunity to whip out an instrument and rant in my journal. As a result of that I write a lot of things that come from a place of me trying to make peace with something heavy in my heart.

I started writing one the other day that I think captures me well simply because it’s just the honest to god truth of what is going on in my head.

And I think that’s why my music sparks genuine conversations with people.

I’m always amazed at how people approach me with their deep truths after a gig.

I’m honestly so touched that being lyrically vulnerable makes people feel safe to be real with you back. There is a lot to be said about laying your heart out there.

If you could sit down with your younger self, before they ever picked up an instrument or sang a note, what would you tell them?

Love yourself better

Things come and go and that’s okay

Trust God

And buy real estate in 2008

What’s a surprising influence or genre that has shaped your sound—something fans might not expect?

I would love to present myself like a distinguished man of culture, but you can probably tell the music I listen to from how I dress unfortunately. That being said one genre that has lived in my head rent free for the longest is old school gospel and blues music. I grew up on church bangers and Muddy Waters.