By DMITRY RASHNITSOV

Tom Goss (Photo courtesy of Mr. Goss)

He gave up his life as a catholic priest in training, but musician Tom Goss doesn’t regret it for a minute. The Kenosha, Wisconsin native currently lives in Washington DC but regularly tours the country promoting his guitar/folk rock brand of light-hearted, positive music. Goss is making his first appearance in Fort Lauderdale as part of the ArtsUnited Performing Arts Series. He and Indie musician Jeremiah Clark will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday May 25 in the New River Room at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, 201 Southwest 5th Ave.

Fort Lauderdale. Tickets are $15 for general admission and available by calling 954- 462-0222 or online at www.browardcenter.com. Goss spoke to the Florida Agenda about his songs, his personal life and his almost life as a catholic priest.

Florida Agenda: What can audiences expect from your show?

Tom Goss: You can expect an intimate night of music and storytelling. Very stripped down and emotional. I will talk about the songs and the reason and emotion behind them.

Tell me about your song and music video “You Don’t Question Love”.

It’s part of a bigger project, ThePoliticsOfLove.com. I had written a handful of songs about the marriage equality debate and they were really dark. I like to have positive songs, so I didn’t want to release them. The song You Don’t Question Love came to me while I was doing laundry. It took less than five minutes to write. We took wedding footage from everyone’s ceremonies worldwide and put it together to make a beautiful project.

You also wrote a song about the repeal of DADT called Who We Are, was that a powerful experience?

Yes, we got so many letters and stories from service members. I feel good to be a small part of the fight to repeal DADT.

Tell me a little about your personal life?

My fiancée’s name is Mike and we have been together for four and a half years. He works in public relations and goes on tour with me when he can, but sometimes I will go months without seeing him and I miss him very much.

What was it like to be in a catholic seminary training to be a priest?

I lasted for about a year and a half. The seminary was a very unhealthy place. The living situation was very unhealthy and destructive. It was a hard experience for me and definitely not a good experience. A lot of people join seminary because they want to hide their orientation. For me it wasn’t about sexuality.

What do you plan on doing while you are in Fort Lauderdale?

I am excited to be down there. I usually only get one day in each city, but I get to stay for two days in Fort Lauderdale. I’m definitely going to rock out and then probably go to the beach. I lost my swim trunks in Park City, so I’ll have to pick up a new pair.

What advice can you give to a young gay musician who one day wants to live your life?

Write the music that speaks to you because hopefully it speaks to other people. Be true to that, be honest and be ready to work your ass off. The only reason I have this job is because people listen to my music.

For more information about Goss, visit: www.tomgossmusic.net. For more information about the Fort Lauderdale concert, visit: www.artsunitedonline.org /PerformingArtSeries