I'm extremely proud to be able to do both also, and I'm sure that my influences can be heard in my writing. It's great to play and sing something I wrote, and playing the originals with my band is even more rewarding. Of course it's also a great feeling to nail a classic signature from James Burton, or some of the new licks by Brad Paisley. I have too many influences to mention them all, and I've learned great riffs, and licks from every one of them. Learn 20 licks from covers, and using different techniques can totally change them. I do suggest learning it the original way first, before you start adding a twist to it.

The more covers you can do, the more licks you learn. I think my creativity comes from the knowledge of other styles of music, and of course the techniques, concepts, and ideas I get from performing cover tunes.