I love the tone of old, non-amplified, real acoustic fiddles, and Wood Violins are the closest thing I have found to that sound. They play beautifully!

I think people in the public eye have a problem - they can have security issues.

You know, I think it's something I want to teach my children, to ask questions and not be afraid to disagree with people in power. Always question, scrutinize everything they do, because they are leading the country, and it's important to me. That is patriotic.

I just was raised always to question and be as informed as I can be.

I used to be a big 'Star Search' fan. I think it's great people who have a music dream have a place to showcase their talent.

Any time the Chicks want to play, that takes precedence, because we can make a lot of money.

Nobody has one band anymore. They've got two and three and four!

In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R person and they were getting songs from publishers, listening to hours and hours of cassette tapes.

It's not like we were setting out to make a political statement - we're just a band with opinions.

We have to make a living and you can't do that playing bluegrass.

SXSW is all about the music and the collaboration.

Especially after the Chicks' success, it's hard to think of starting over.

We've played music all our lives.

The Court Yard Hounds aren't a threat to the Dixie Chicks.

We love performing, we love touring.

I would never go on 'Dancing With the Stars,' because I'm not the greatest dancer in the world. But when I watch 'The Apprentice' sometimes I'm like, 'I could do that task.' The only reason I would not do that is that I could never call people for money and on that show you have to be willing to call people for money.

I didn't realize how polarized an industry like music can be.

We grew up in the South, but in a very liberal household - both our parents are from the Northeast.

I was just oblivious to the fact that the country scene was socially backward and politically opposite of everything I am.

So many young kids are fickle when it comes to music. There comes a time when you're not cool again.

We're just trying to make good music.

You get your time in the limelight but you don't know how long it's going to last. It's great, but you have to put up with a lot.

We do appreciate that we have a very conservative audience and we do try to walk the fine line of that and not offend anybody.

Fifteen-year-old LeAnn Rimes singing about commitment? You want to go, 'Yeah, right.'

You can't just keep bottling the same thing over and over again and think the audience isn't going to catch on.

While we were promoting 'Wide Open Spaces,' we set aside time to write. We went on several writing retreats where nobody could get hold of us. It was the only way we could take a step back and reflect and write and be living a semi-normal life for a while.

We were the ones that from the beginning said that 'Wide Open Spaces' was a hit. 'This is a hit, people are going to relate to it.'

We used to be called the Dixie Chickens. Then we played at a barbecue place, and they had a sign saying, 'Featured Tonight: The Dixie Chickens,' and everybody started ordering it for dinner! So we shortened it.

We want to embrace the younger crowds and get them to embrace instruments.

We are a little out of the box.

We don't mind if people think we've come from nowhere. Because once they've become fans, they'll delve deeper in and will be surprised to find we've been around awhile and that we've had a lot of experience doing this.

We came out of bluegrass, so we could play.

We've never minded working hard.

When you get a record deal, you got to be pretty headstrong, know your direction.

I grew up going to bluegrass festivals, and there were performers who got on stage and didn't say much. They would stand there, stone-faced, picking. I could appreciate that, but it taught me that a little showmanship and some personality adds so much to a performance.

I want our fans to get their money's worth. If they are going to spend $40 to come to a show, it has to be good, from beginning to end. I like razzle-dazzle; we all do.

We didn't like the idea of Dixie Chick action figures. I mean that's just the kiss of death for a group. How could a hip teenager enjoy the Dixie Chicks while their little sister is playing with a Martie doll in the other room?

I think for a while, a lot of artists were doing great things that... were broadening the audience so that country was cool.

Don't put celebrities up on this pedestal. We are human beings.

We are bound to make mistakes.

I don't really enjoy singing lead.

I was concerned about being 40 and for my 40th birthday my wish was to go see Cher, and I got to meet her.

I don't mind talking about the Dixie Chicks, because I feel like it's still alive and kicking.

Ever since I was a little girl music was my escape and it was something that I did and was a huge part of me; aside from what my grades were in school. It was something that was truly mine.

Emmylou Harris is just the biggest influence of mine musically, her and Dolly Parton.

I think you first have to feel 100% comfortable with the person that you are with. I have written in sessions where I am just meeting the person for the first time and it is extremely difficult.

We all know there are some major problems in the music industry. Every new act signs a bad deal.

We don't feel part of the country scene any longer, it can't be our home any more... So we now consider ourselves part of the big Rock 'n' Roll family.

Lilith Fair was a great experience for us the first time we played it. We were... not a new band, but a new band as far as mainstream kind of airplay or success.

I'd love my kids to get into music, but I want them to understand the commitment involved. I don't want them to look on 'American Idol' as the way to become famous.