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Probably the craziest busking moment I can think of is when I was walking through the Old City in Knoxville after leaving a fairly successful day of busking and heard a drunken shout from the balcony of the loft apartment above.

"Hey, guitar man! Play a song!"

So that's what I did. Until finally I had worn out every single song I knew how to play and had attracted a sizable chunk of the party above's guests out to the balcony. Probably about 30 people in all.

When I finally finished, the original instigator of the performance demanded that everyone "tip the guitar man". What happened next is something I'll never forget.

A rain of various objects fell down into the streets, and several people ran down the stairs to tip me with hugs. All in all, I got 60 dollars in Exxon gas cards, 37 dollars in cash, 2 hats, a pair of panties (haha!), and several baggies of unmentionable things. But the best thing I got that day was the undivided attention of several appreciative listeners.

Well, my most embarrassing moment as a musician now is anytime someone mentions, or God forbid plays the tape, of my Sophomore year performance as the vocalist of a terrible hardcore band.

I X'd my eyes with eyeliner, mastered my "don't give a shit" sneer, and growled a terrible rendition of "Bad Religion" by Godsmack to a crowd of my moshing friends. It felt awesome at the time, but honestly it was TERRIBLE and I can't believe I ever did something like that.

My first guitar is still the guitar I play today. It's a Washburn Lyon, an entry level budget guitar. It's nothing fancy, but it's been with me a long time and I can't seem to replace it. From my first awkward G chord (I'll never be able to play this damn thing!) to the songs I play today (I still can't play this damn thing!), my guitars been with me through thick and thin. It still bears a paint job (that I did with puffy craft paint, of all things!) I decided was a good idea during a Bonnaroo trip, and even if it's cheesy it's a reminder of one of the best times I had during my adolescence.

A friend of mine from when I attended UT took to calling my guitar "Sinbeast". I don't often refer to it as that, but that's it's name, nevertheless.