Californian Jesse Daniel's devotion to the country music of his home state continues with his 'about to be released' fourth album, appropriately titled, COUNTIN' THE MILES. Jesse has been on the Lonesome Highway radar since his self-titled debut album in 2018, and his foot has remained firmly on that Bakersfield-sounding pedal on his subsequent recordings. We caught up with Jesse before he headed back on the road, crisscrossing across the country to support the new album.
You are enjoying a short break before you get back on the road for another six months.
Yes, we've just done the whole Western side of the United States. We're now gearing up for the Midwest, the South, the East Coast, and then back out West. We're zigzagging across the country a bunch of times. The West Coast is our best area to play because that's where I'm from. It's been really good to see that growing, and it's only going to get better and better with this new record coming out.
You have some artists who are very close to our hearts supporting you on the tour.
Yes, Alex Williams is joining us on our Midwestern and Southern dates, Brit Taylor was with us on the last run, Tyler and The Train Robbers are going to be supporting us on some dates in their neck of the woods, and then we have Two Runner from California who are joining us for our east coast tour.
Before we discuss the new album, I'd like to ask about your live album from last year, MY KIND OF COUNTRY: LIVE AT CATALYST. That must have been a milestone, given that you used to work as a stagehand at that venue in Santa Cruz.
That was one of those lifetime moments for me. A lot of people have the goal to play The Opry or The Ryman, and they are goals of mine too, but to sell out the Catalyst and make a live record there was up there for me because, as you said, I used to work there and saw my first concert there as a young kid. It's been a place I've been involved with for so long, and being able to go back there and fill it up and make a record there was a dream come true.
Growing up, were you tuned into California country music, particularly the Bakersfield sound?
It was the kind of music I heard growing up in a small town near Santa Cruz. A lot of other types of music also influenced me. Punk rock was big among my generation, and my dad played in blues and classic rock bands and also played in some country bands. There was a time when I was young and into punk rock that I would look at country as 'my dad's music', but in high school, I started to really identify with country music in general; the songwriting was something I could relate to. I particularly loved the sound of Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, and all the Bakersfield stuff. When I realised that those guys, who were famous country singers, were from my home state and not far from where I grew up, that was a big deal to me. That gave me a lot of pride and encouraged me to make country music.
You've stuck consistently with that sound on all your albums.
That's important to me and makes me proud to represent my home state. Nashville, Texas, and Appalachia all have great music with amazing history. Great music is still coming out today, as well as in the past. They have plenty of representation and don't need an outsider like me trying to jump on their bandwagon.
Is the age demographic of your audiences changing as the numbers attending your shows increase year on year?
I've especially noticed younger audiences and new fans coming out during this year's tour. People are starting to catch on to this music in their early twenties, possibly newcomers to country music or at least newcomers to old-school country music. A lot of them tell me that they used to mainly listen to what was on the radio but more recently have been discovering artists like myself and others. It started slowly back in twenty fourteen and fifteen when guys like Sturgill Simpson, Chris Stapleton and Tyler Childers began to turn the wheels in that direction. The tide is really turning now, and I'm trying to contribute to that.
The first thing that struck me when I listened to your new record, COUNTIN' THE MILES, was the quality of the production. You took full control this time, having previously co-produced with Tommy Detamore and Henry Chadwick.
The production was a big deal for me on this record; I wanted it to reflect the Jesse Daniel sound and what people have come to expect from my music. I also wanted to return to the rawness and grit of my first record. I made two records with Tommy Detamore producing; he's incredible and taught me how to make a more complete-sounding record. With this fourth album, I wanted my true personality to come through, with a bit more rock and roll and punk edge while also having good production mixed with the Bakersfield realm of country music. I think that's exactly how it has turned out, with certain songs clean and polished and others with a bit more grit. I think it's also a cohesive record; one song blends into the next without any outliers.
Was working with producers like Tommy Detamore and Henry Chadwick rewarding?
It was. It was good working with them both because I co-produced with them, and there was give and take. They were both very cool to work with and would defer to me on a lot of the ideas; at the end of the day, it's my record, and they respected that. In other cases, I would defer to Tommy because he's been making great records, and I wanted my records to sound like one of his. It was nice to have ultimate control over the new record. There was one moment when we were tracking in the studio, and we all had our headphones on; I looked around, and I had George Strait's keyboard player directly across from me, my steel guitar player is across from me, my drummer is in the other room, Kevin Smith from Willie Nelson's band is on bass. We finished the song, and they all looked at me. I almost looked into the control room to ask, 'Was that good?' but I was the one who had to make that call. It reminded me quickly that this was all on my shoulders.
You also had Gene Elders, who is now sadly deceased, play on the album.
Gene and I got in touch through Ronnie Huckerby, who played on my last record. Gene just played fiddle on one song, Comin' Apart At The Seams. He called and told me he was sick and could not do the rest of the record. He was extremely apologetic and one of the nicest and most professional guys I have ever worked with. He actually put me in touch with Jason Roberts, who played fiddle on the rest of the record. I'm very sad about Gene, and working with him in that capacity was a huge honour.
In keeping with the Bakersfield tradition, Merle Haggard's son, Ben, shares the vocals on the track Tomorrow's Good Ol' Days. How did that contact come about?
Ben and I had been following each other on social media. I'd been a fan of his for a long time, back before his father passed away. I'm a huge Merle Haggard fan, and years before I started playing country music for a living, I would watch YouTube videos of Merle and video recordings of him and Ben performing together. I had been in touch with Ben in recent years, and when I wrote the song Tomorrow's Good Ol' Days, Jodi (Lyford), my songwriting partner, manager and fiancé, thought that Ben would be a great person to sing the song with. That clicked right away, and I texted the song to him. he loved it and came right back to me to say he'd love to sing on it. We made it, and it all seemed to come together in a way that was meant to be, and when I listen to the song now, I can't imagine what it would be like without him.
How important has Jodi been both in your personal life and professional career?
She does everything. It's really hard to convey all that she does and has done from day one. Jodi and I have built our business ourselves; Jodi has been there co-writing the songs with me on every record, going back to the first record when I could barely afford the gas to get to the studio, staying up late after work when we both had day jobs to record those records. She moved out to Texas with me; we built our touring business together. She handles all the day-to-day management, which has become a big job; we have daily things to deal with. She oversees all the bookings with our booking agent, oversees the design of all the merchandise and ships it. She also tours and sings in the band; she really does everything. Without her presence in my life as a partner and as a business partner, things would not be the way they are without her. We're getting to the point where I'd like to delegate some of those tasks and take some away from her. Getting to travel together is a blessing; other artists don't get to be with their wives or partners when they're out on the road. Despite all the hardships and obstacles we have had to overcome, we've been all over the world playing country music.
Four albums in six years is a prolific output, given the time you spend on the road. Was it part of a game plan to release a record every two years?
We've taken it year by year, and as far as albums go, there was no real blueprint. I aim to just keep making music and increase the quality of my songwriting. Now that we have gotten into the routine, I would like to make records more frequently; it keeps me on my toes creatively and is beneficial for my career. We are at a time right now when there is so much output and competition, and it's smart to keep recording. When you look at artists like Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, those guys were prolific putting out two records a year.
Will we get the opportunity to see you play over here in the near future?
We went to Europe last year and played Belgium, France, Spain, England, and Wales. We didn't have time to play Ireland and Scotland, but I want to play both of those next time. Nothing is confirmed, but we're hoping to be back in 2025.
Interview by Declan Culliton