Can you name a favorite childhood read that’s carried over to Bushwick?

The first song I wrote from a book was inspired by “Where the Wild Things Are.” I also loved “The Phantom Tollbooth,” “The Mouse and the Motorcycle," “Commander Toad,” and “Winnie the Pooh.” One of my favorite memories is my Dad reading “Too Many Daves” by Dr. Seuss to us kids.

Were you a reader before you were a musician, or did the two evolve together?

I would have to say that I was a baseball player first. It’s still a great love of mine. 

Can you think of a particularly powerful passage from a book that’s stuck with you?

Now you have given me an easy question…“So it Goes” – Kurt Vonnegut. He uses it throughout his books to describe someone’s death. To me, it means… time to move on. Life will continue to roll. Keep the past in your memories and attack life. 

What book do you plan to move on to next?

Neil Gaiman’s “The Sandman.” I’ve never been a huge graphic novel fan, but I am very excited about this. Neil Gaiman has a very exciting imagination. 

What Val’s Reading This Week:  I’m deep into Jonathan Evison’s “The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving,” marveling over the powerful blend of humor and heartache that won the Bainbridge Island author a 2013 Pacific Northwest Book Award. Stay tuned….I’m talking with Evison for next week’s “Book City” column.