Shane Payton grew up in a town of about 700. He wasn’t exposed to much, but the Caneyville freshman found a way to see the world from his window.

“Music is something we all understand,” Payton said. “That’s why it’s so powerful.”

Payton sat on a stool in his bedroom, surrounded by hometown friends, his keyboard and his acoustic guitars. Posters of Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan and Bob Marley adorned the walls.

“These guys inspire me,” he said. “Their music was good because of how freely they lived.”

Along with them and Steve Earle, Payton is inspired by his mother who “sings like an angel” and his father, a truck driver who likes to have fun.

“Dad never cares what others think of him, he just lives and travels – I love that.”

After graduating from high school in 2006, Payton dove into adulthood. He worked in Tennessee then moved back home in 2007 and cleaned cattle trailers.

“Even though I was shoveling s—, I loved being by myself,” he said as he laughed. “I had time to think and started writing songs.”

Later, Payton worked in a plant. When he discovered his psoriasis and the chemicals began to aggravate his skin, he realized he had grown up too soon.

“I was tired of living like that and if it wasn’t for good friends, there were times I wouldn’t have eaten,” he said. “I wanted to go to college. I was ready to make the effort.”

Payton chose Western because he likes “the underdog.” An English major, he gleamed as he talked about his 4.0 GPA.

“I had a 1.8 in high school. It pushes me to work harder,” he said.

Payton plans to teach English and publish novels, but his musical ambitions are minimal.

“I don’t have to be famous as long as I tell my story,” he said.

Smoke drifted in his bedroom as he strummed Susan, his first guitar. He sang in a warm tone, closing his eyes as he got louder. His friend Seth Stewart, played too, singing the harmony in the original chorus of “Time Sure Flies When You’re High” and a Jeff Buckley cover of “Hallelujah.”

Payton sits outside some mornings and writes about everything from loving his father to the recovery of his older brother, who is paralyzed on his left side from a car accident.

A long way from teaching himself to play at 14 by learning chords from his grandmother and tuning by ear, Payton auditioned for American Idol in Louisville.

“I didn’t want to go, but if I didn’t I felt like I’d let my friends down who always encourage me,” he said.

Though he didn’t make the show, Payton continues to play at friends’ apartments.

“I interact and ask people to play and sing with me. We do that here every night!”

In the living room, Guitar Hero and Xbox controls are sprawled across the floor. Missing sofa cushions and empty soda cans show that he likes to party with a crowd.

“I love to meet people,” he said. “I just got here, but I know hundreds of people.”

Payton’s gracious nature and inviting, country accent reflect his outlook on music: it’s real.

“I can listen to any kind of music and tell when it’s real,” he said. “It takes me to a place nothing else can.”