Was there a specific point in your musical training when you started to realize the viola could be applied outside of the classical context?

I always loved listening to my pop and rock records instead of my classical assignments. I remember writing my first little ditties on the piano when I was around seven or eight. My mom would scold me when I was supposed to be playing scales and yell, "Stop playing that stuff that sounds like Barry Manilow!" As I got older, around fifteen or so, I realized I enjoyed writing songs and singing them more than preparing for my classical performances. I was lucky to have supportive instructors who pushed me more towards my interests.

There wouldn’t seem to be a ton of musical role models for a viola-playing indie folk-rocker. At the risk of being trite, who are some of your biggest influences?

I've loved pop music as long as I can remember. When I began writing music in junior high and high school, I was listening to Weezer, Modest Mouse and Built to Spill. I have recently discovered I enjoy listening to Black Sabbath, The Notorious B.I.G. and the Shangri-Las.

In a lot of your performances, you employ the viola as a sort of combination string/percussion instrument. How did you develop that technique?

I think its rhythmic personality just happened naturally as I would try and sing around it night after night on tour. The rhythm grounds my voice.

YouTube features clips of you playing some rather unexpected covers, from Radiohead to The Cure to Ace of Base. Are there any songs you’ve been wanting to cover but haven’t quite been able to arrange yet?

I have been thinking about trying to cover a TLC song called "Kick Your Game." It's been difficult because the song is based around their identity as a pop group and being pop divas, so it could be a little awkward for me. I just really love the production and the hooks. I think it would be fun.

Right now, I am working on a few covers for a wedding this weekend. The bride has asked for "I’ll Be Your Mirror" by the Velvet Underground, "Lovesong" by The Cure and "Escapade" by Janet Jackson. I think it's so great that she has a laidback attitude about the ceremony. I am definitely having a good time arranging these songs for her and the groom.

Having been active in two of the Midwest’s most vibrant indie music towns, how would you say the Chicago scene compares to the Twin Cities?

They're both great for newer artists. Minneapolis has more of a central community, whereas Chicago has little bubbling pockets of artists emerging all over the place.

How did your working with Steve Albini come about? How intimidating is it to step into the studio with a living legend?

Some of my friends had worked with him in the past. Based on their experiences, I knew I wanted to work with him because it was a good fit for what I wanted to achieve on my album Rockwell. We had two days to complete the project, so we just jumped right into it and it felt very natural and efficient to work together.

Your style would seem to lend itself to smaller gigs and more intimate settings. How do you adapt to playing a bigger venue?

Being on tour for the last few years has been a lesson in working around the venue and not letting it control the way I play my set. I was once very intimidated by the challenge of not playing house shows or strictly acoustic venues. I slowly grew into understanding how to fill a venue as best as I could with my sound.