Thanks so much! 2025’s been a killer ride so far—in the best way. I’m healthy, working a ton and stoked to get over your way. My kids are doing great, and I’m just trying to stay present, grateful, and connected to what really matters: creating, laughing, and making people feel something.
Thank you! The idea for California Calling came from years of storytelling onstage and off. I realized that my life growing up in the California punk scene, being in bands, starting a label, raising a family wasn’t just a story about me. It was a story a lot of people could relate to: chasing something you believe in, falling down, getting back up, and still believing anything is possible. I wanted to create something that felt like a mix tape that I use to make, funny, raw, emotional, and loud.
Absolutely. Any time you share real stuff especially the hard moments like family struggles, or self-doubt there’s fear. But I knew if I was going to do this show right, I had to go there. Comedy’s always been a place where I process everything. And the deeper I went emotionally, the more audiences connected. So yeah, it was scary but it’s also been one of the most rewarding things I’ve done.
I treated it like a band going on tour again. I played it in every venue that would have me—backyards, bookstores, small black box theaters, even skate shops. Each show was like a rehearsal with a crowd. I took notes, tweaked the pacing, swapped stories in and out. It was like finding the right set list you don’t stop until it sounds just right. And it’s still evolving with every performance.
It’s packed! I’m taking California Calling to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival this summer, which is a dream. Before that, I’m doing warm-up shows. After Edinburgh, I’ll be hitting more spots throughout the States and hopefully heading to the UK and Europe in the fall. This thing has legs, and I’m riding them wherever they go.
Yes! That’s something we’re actively working on. The goal is to capture a version of the show in front of a live audience, raw and real. I want people who can’t make it in person to still feel the energy and emotion of the room. We’re talking to a few production folks and looking at the best way to do it right.
Totally. I’ve actually started sketching out what that might look like. A book would give me the chance to dive even deeper into the stories expand on moments I couldn’t fit into the live show. I’d love to mix photos, journal entries, lyrics, and narrative into something that reads like a punk rock memoir.
Oh man, there’s so much that didn’t make it in. You only get about an hour, and I’ve lived, like, ten lives. There are entire chapters I had to leave out—more about starting SideOneDummy, crazy tour stories, parenthood, losing people I loved. But that’s the beauty of live shows—you can always do another one. Maybe the next chapter’s already on the horizon.
Henry Rollins has always been a huge inspiration—just his discipline, honesty, and work ethic. Steve Martin, for blending heart and comedy. Springsteen, for storytelling. And honestly, every punk band that ever loaded their gear into a van and said, “Let’s go.” My parents too, my Mom and Dad have had a huge impact on my comedy.
I hope they leave feeling seen, heard, and fired up. Whether they grew up punk or not, I want people to laugh, maybe tear up a little, and walk out remembering that it’s never too late to chase a dream, forgive someone, or start over. That’s the real message: anything’s possible.
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