The biggest downside to pursuing a career as a musician is the truth that, in most cases, doing this right means being gone from home quite a bit. Some artists are out on the road 200-250 days every year, and I don’t know how you could do that and keep your relationships with family and friends in a good place.

That’s why I only tour around the Midwest for the most part. Whatever career I’m able to carve out of this industry, it has to be emotionally sustainable for my wife and I, and hopefully for some kids at some point too.

Right before I left for tour one fall, I wrote a song for my wife. Reminding her that even though I have to leave sometimes, I’m never going to leave, if you catch my drift. I made it simple and plain, and we recorded it the same way, just me and a guitar.

There’s a great music blog called Speakers in Code, and one of their writers decided to make this song, “A Simple Verse,” their Jam of the Day a couple days back. It did my heart good to read her words about the song, and it reminded me that plain-spoken honesty is a powerful and necessary thing that can make all the difference in the world:

“Some things in life, like love, are complicated, and some things in life, like love, are simple. Some days I just want a plain and honest song that says exactly what it means and what I’m feeling, and this Friday morning, that’s Zach Vinson and his guitar and his simple verse.”