I had known of today's interviewee for some time as he's half of the Grammy-winning country music group Sugarland. However, this summer I had the pleasure of actually meeting and getting to know him as he was in town to play Lollapalooza and the CMA Songwriters Series (playing solo as his musical partner Jennifer Nettles takes some time off for new motherhood), as we had lunch with our mutual friend Whitney Pastorek. I had so much fun talking to him (including asking him whether or not he gets his beans for free; his great grandfather founded the company that makes Bush's Best beans) that I took a shot and asked whether he'd like to play along and answer a few more questions for the blog and lo and behold, he did, further establishing himself as my favorite country music star that I ever met. You can currently catch him on tour (including a show tonight in Augusta, Ga) and check out his music and his additional projects here at his site, or follow him here on Twitter.

When starting your company Songs of the Architect, what were some do's and don't's you wanted to apply to running a music publishing collective that you had learned from your time in the industry?
I like to emphasize quality over quantity, which means writing fewer songs that communicate their message more clearly. I also wanted everyone on the SOTA team to feel free to engage in any creative activity that includes music -- not just songs on the radio, but songs in film, TV, video games... places where music becomes the soundtrack to our lives. I was also interested in the relationship between creating and recording that creation, and hoping to contain them at the same time, rather than separately. It's typical that a song is written in a room and recorded many months later. I was interested in capturing the inspiration of the writing in the recording, as it was happening, so we decided to use our studio to be in the song business instead of just being in the studio business, if that makes sense.

With each success you've experienced as a musician, do you more feel a pressure to do bigger and bigger projects and meet bigger goals, or do you feel a freedom, then, to noodle around and experiment with smaller, more personal projects?
All of my successes have started as personal projects, so I never wave us off something, no matter how small. You never know -- it could be huge one day. I am grateful that the success has allowed me access to resources and people that were inaccessible before.

You seem, as any savvy musician should be, very tuned into the realities of how technology changes the way people access their favorite bands. What is one cutting-edge development in purchasing music/attending concerts/interacting with musicians that you're excited about, and what's one that makes you sad (inexplicably or otherwise)?
I think the greatest advancement that technology has offered the music business is the distribution model. Consumers are for the most part blind to the entity that's selling them music -- an independent artist on iTunes looks the same as a major label artist on iTunes. That's changed the face of the music business. At the same time, I am saddened by the confusion created by this distribution model, and that the creators of the music keep getting paid less and less, even while their music expands into more and more homes, cars, phones, and ears.

On another note, I am encouraged that a song I make today can literally float out of my guitar and into my computer and then expand to reach thousands of fans via social media to a degree I've never experienced before in my life. The speed at which I can share, and the speed at which music can affect people, is so fast now. A big part of the reason I make music is that I believe in the power of a song to change your life, or maybe just your day. The truth is it used to break my heart that I had songs that no one would ever hear, that these songs might not ever get to go where they could help anyone, for months, or years. The satisfaction that they can now reach people in a day is incredible.

I have a million questions about the process of writing songs for other performers, but I'll keep it to just one(-ish): what were one or two examples of artists who really surprised you with how they approached a song you wrote for them (either in a good or bad way)? What did they do with them?
I can't point out a particular artist, but good try, Claire. I will say this: the most interesting part of writing, knowing that another voice is going to sing your words and melodies, is knowing that another voice is going to INTERPRET those words and melodies in their own way. There's no substitute for Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah." There's also no comparison, when you hear Jeff Buckley's version. Neither is right or wrong. But both are true.

How is entertaining kids different from entertaining adults?
Kids never tune out. They pay attention to everything.

What, if any, traditions (what you eat, what you think, what you put on) do you have before you do a concert?
I can't eat too close to the show for fear of burping while singing. (TMI?) Nowadays, I warm up more than I did in my twenties. I think it makes my voice sound better. I've worn the same pair of rock boots on stage for almost 5 years now. They have holes in them and you can see my socks, so now I wear black socks on stage, too. And when I got my only tattoo, I made sure to put it where I could see it when I'm playing.

What are your favorite songs or artists to exercise to?
I almost always listen to the Police. They don't really have any slow songs.

When was the last time you had stage fright?
March of this year, when I was the first performer at the first large-scale country festival in England. I was about to walk on stage at the O2 Arena with a new band behind me, and new songs. The stage fright passed after the first few breaths, but that was a long walk.

How many hats do you own and which is the silliest?
I'd say I own about 60 hats. The silliest is my Sherlock Holmes hat. Because I'm the guy who wears hats, all anybody ever gives me is hats. It's like the old joke about being an accordion player -- if people see your accordion in the back seat of your car, they break the window and throw their accordion in there, too. I am, however, proud to say I heard in 2013 that the most popular men's accessory on earth is the hat. So I'm on trend.

What are some band names that you came close to using (or wished you could) but didn't?
I think of these all the time, but just like jokes, once I hear a new one, the old one disappears from my head. That said, my current favorite fake band name is Unicorn Fistfight. They'd probably play bubblegum power pop. And it would make a great t-shirt.

How does it feel to be the 357th person interviewed for Zulkey.com?
Better than being the 356th. Somehow I feel like I'm winning here.