I was born and raised in the small town of Monkton, Maryland, population 4,856. Monkton was a great place for a kid to grow up. The area is known for its horse farms, sprawling countryside, and old, stately homes set back from the country roads. It’s beautiful.

Some weekends, my family would go to my grandparents’ place, which was literally, over the river and through the woods. Pop-Pop kept an old acoustic guitar in the corner, and I’d get excited whenever he’d pick it up and strum on it. I can still…