I'm definitely musician and storyteller. But I always like to take an active role in things I care about socially and environmentally.

When we cut off access to certain parts of our cities to people on bikes or in wheelchairs, we're not only doing economic damage, we're also doing culture damage. New York is the culture capital of the world because people are running into each other on the street all the time. They are forced to engage in creativity and problem-solving.

The idea of making art for art's sake makes no sense for me. Each area of my life, all the roles I play, influences the others.

I'm interested in questions my son asks me, like, Why do animals fight? Why do you have to leave us to go on the road? Everything he asks gets me thinking.

I'm a husband and a dad. Two thirds of my day is spent being that character. It's a huge part of my identity and why I pursue things I do.

But that would put me on a path that would make me totally divergent from who I am. I don't have to go through the heartache many other people go through, of figuring out what makes them wealthy. I know what brings me joy.

Art is consumed in so many different ways. You could say people don't stop to appreciate art. On the other hand, people can consume art more quickly.

I have a lot of intention behind what I put out there. The reason all this stuff I do works together, the environmental and social, collaborating with ballet companies to score a show, the bike tour - all of that stuff comes together through community building with music.

I'm in a position I never imagined I'd be in as a musician. Bob Dylan built an audience through recording and live shows. The opportunities for an artist today are totally different.

Cities like Portland, Seattle, and Long Beach, which have made these investments in their infrastructure, are seeing not only health advantages, but also a lot more exchange in the community, which leads to better policy-making and stronger communities.

It's funny, people often ask me, Why do you do bike tours where it takes three times the effort and you make one-third of the money? My answer is that I'm trying to do it ethically. What does that mean, exactly? That conflict is a big part of my art.

I felt like I was cheating myself of those communities and cheating the audience because I wasn't able to know them. That's what the bikes did, without me having to put any arbitrary philosophy on what it was supposed to be. It enabled human connection.