If you don’t know what to think when you first meet Asher Poindexter, relax. On first look, his scruffy hair and colorful shirts make it seem he would have no trouble fitting in as a passionate hippie at hemp-fest 2009. On second glance, his beard might suggest something akin to a tough lumberjack.

Give him some time though and you’ll find out he’s the type of guy you’d always like to have around. He’s the friend who is equally excited to play video games as to have a talk on the purpose of life.

It’s the mix of easy-going and philosophical that makes Poindexter’s songs easy to relate to and fun.

At March’s talent show, Poindexter performed “The House That Jack Built.” He wrote the song initially with the aim of creating a song of the children’s story of the same name.

“[But] it didn’t really turn out that way,” Poindexter said. “It’s about alcoholism, which really isn’t a children’s story,”

Though he wouldn’t divulge the exact characters in the story, he says the song talks about the damages alcoholism can create, the secrecy of it and the way it can affect college students.

“There’s a rat living in here,

That rat ate the malt that built the foundation of this place,

And no one of us knows how or why.”

While the song identifies alcoholism, true to the children’s story, it’s a happy ending with the problem being overcome, according to Poindexter.

The process for writing can be random, he said.

“Some of it is luck. Some of my best songs, I’ll write in 20 minutes,” he said. “Others will take months.”

Poindexter said he’ll get inspired by different songs and sounds, then find himself sitting down to write.

“I’ll start playing and do something I’ll like,” he said. “I’ll put the two things together (lyrics and music) and change it around.”

When writing inside his apartment on campus, he’ll grab his note pad whenever inspiration strikes.

“I’m really bad about forgetting lyrics if I don’t write them down,” he said.

The intensity shown at the talent show might be the result of a powerful topic mixed with an up beat tempo.

Then again, it might just be that Poindexter hasn’t hit anyone in a while.

Growing up in the suburbs of Kansas City, Poindexter was home schooled. In high school though, he played football for two small Christian schools.

While at the small, strict practices of Christ Preparatory, he developed a love for everything football: the games, the practices, the endless drills.

“I liked the reckless abandon of football. You could just put your pads on and go crazy,” he said.

As a linebacker he had plenty of opportunities to hit surging lineman and sprinting running backs.

Today, he’s still hitting, but on a different note.