In our recent interview, Jon McLaughlin referred to Gabe Dixon as "a huge influence on me and he's somebody who I think everybody should know."

I took his recommendation and went looking. It didn't take me long to discover why McLaughlin would speak so highly of Dixon: like McLaughlin, he's just a good guy trying to make good music in the world.

After a decade fronting The Gabe Dixon Band (last heard in 2008), he's now trying to establish himself as a solo artist. His debut solo album, One Spark, was released in the fall and I caught up with Dixon in between stops on his subsequent tour w...