When Dave Barnes first showed up on the music scene 12 years ago, he was the guy hitting the college circuit with limitless energy and an equally unrestrained expectation for the future. There were songs to be penned, tours to be booked and a whole world of experiences to be seized. Since then, the singer-songwriter has written and released seven albums, played hundreds of cities each year, received Grammy and CMA nominations for Blake Shelton’s cut of his song “God Gave Me You,” become a father and formed deeper relationships in the industry than his 23-year-old self could have dared hope. Having recorded his 2012 Razor & Tie Records release, Stories to Tell, in LA with renowned producer John Fields, Barnes is stepping closer to home for his new independently released project, co-producing with multi-Grammy nominated Ed Cash in Nashville and giving his thoughts time to simmer and take shape. Though he’s refreshingly candid about the realities of the road, when Barnes sits back to survey his career so far, the emotion that rises to the surface is one of immense gratitude, expressed on his favorite track and the first single from the new record, a song called “Good.” The piano-led ballad finds Barnes in his sweet spot, taking in the blessings of his everyday life – the sunrise, his wife laughing in the kitchen, little footsteps on the stairs and even the wrong turns and heartaches that have allowed him to recognize the gifts for what they are. In some ways, life has undeniably changed for Dave Barnes since those early years running the college circuit. He’s matured, grown up even. He’s not 23 anymore, but anyone who knows him will tell you this: 12 years into this thing, he’s still full of limitless energy and an unrestrained expectation about the future. “As much as it’s terrifying,” he concedes, “it’s kind of the land of promise, because who knows what’s gonna happen?”