Everyone's experience of fatherhood is different.

This year, we asked the artists and fathers on our label to share what Father's Day and fatherhood means to them. Here is Red Wanting Blue's Mark McCullough with some insight into his experience with fatherhood. This Father's Day take 20% off our entire store with the code DADSROCK. That’s right. Merch and music in our store, from Red Wanting Blue to Jesse Dayton and Gerry Beckley is on sale...right now. https://youtu.be/103bzoq8Emw

What influence did your father have on your music or your writing?

"Well, I remember my dad had an acoustic guitar lying around the house when I was really little, but I was only interested in it enough to pick it up and carry it around the house by the E string. Once he saw what I was doing, the guitar mysteriously vanished from sight for quite a while. Haha. I don’t recall much music playing in the house when I was growing up, but my dad is quite an accomplished water color artist. Perhaps some of that creativity was passed down which helped in my music pursuit. Who knows?"

Do you have a guilty pleasure “Dad Rock” band?

"Oh yeah... Wilco. I think Jeff Tweedy even self proclaimed them as 'Dad Rock.' Sky Blue Sky is one of my desert island records. It’s the perfect record in my opinion."

Is there a musician out there that serves as a father figure to you?

"I would say Geddy Lee, of Rush, would be the closest example of that for me. I looked up to him throughout my early years as a bassist both as a musician and a person. I found the way he handled his life and career to be deeply respectful and I’ve been trying my best to follow in those footsteps ever since. If you haven’t watched, Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage, do yourself a favor and check it out."

What does fatherhood mean to you?

"To me, it means always being there for him. Being the person he can turn to for anything."

How do you balance your work and career?

"Thankfully our tour life is much more organized as we have gotten older/smarter. Having a child back when we were traveling every weekend would never have made sense. Nowadays, we tour longer but in more condensed times of the year which seems to have been working nicely for all of us. And while it's never easy to be apart from my family, FaceTime has been a godsend that gives me a chance to see them every day while we are out on the road."

Will you pass down your instruments to your kid?

"Of Course! I have a Japanese version of an old Gibson Eb-3 bass that already has Magnus' name on it. It's a cool looking short-scale bass which will be easier for him to start on."

Is your kid interested in music? will you encourage him to play?

"Oh, he's totally into music. The studio is actually Magnus' favorite room in the house! He loves to strum the guitar, pluck the bass , and play the piano. He loves the sounds they all make."

Give us your best Dad joke?

"I'm sorry to say that I got none....yet. I'm a relatively new dad so you gotta give me a pass. Check back in a few years and I'm sure I'll have a huge list!" Sign up for our newsletter to get information from Blue Élan and Red Wanting Blue delivered to your inbox. Follow Red Wanting Blue on Instagram