“Nostalgic, stylish and country to the core.”
– Sound & Soul
“Beyond These Walls establishes that Jesse Daniel should no longer be considered the future of country music. He should be considered the present.”
- Saving Country Music
“A real love letter to traditional country music from an expert storyteller.”
- Lyric Magazine
“The entire album is a master class in country music songwriting that manages to sound fresh while still respecting the roots of country music.”
- Whiskey Riff
“Swaying grooves and hot licks…”
– Rolling Stone
"There are twelve tracks here in total and to these ears there’s not a misstep among them"
- Lonesome Highway
“Each one of these dozen songs is a sample of not just what country should be, but the best of what it is right now: Simple, joyful, sometimes sad, but almost always content. And most of all, real.”
- Farce The Music
Jesse Daniel possesses the hard-won life experience that many sing about, but few have actually lived. Instead of wearing those trials like badges of honor, he has used them to forge the solid foundation from which he has built his career. After overcoming years of addiction and all that comes with it, he set out to make a life in music and hasn't looked back since. This unrivaled determination led to his debut in 2018, Jesse Daniel, which proved to be a major foot-in-the-door for him as an artist. After touring this record extensively, he released his second album, Rollin’ On, in 2020. If the first record was a foot in the door, Rollin’ On was a battering ram, making it near impossible to ignore his name in country music. It let the world know that Daniel was here to stay and received national (and international) praise from the likes of Rolling Stone, Sirius XM Outlaw Country DJ Shooter Jennings, American Songwriter and Saving Country Music among many others. It’s success in spite of a global pandemic only highlighted the impact it had.
Daniel used the forced downtime of 2020 to write and record his best work to date; a twelve-song album called Beyond These Walls, collaborating again with esteemed Grammy nominated producer, Tommy Detamore at Cherry Ridge Studios. A good portion of its songs were co-written by Jesse’s partner, bandmate and co-owner of their independent label Die True Records, Jodi Lyford, who is heard throughout singing harmony vocals. “I wanted this record to reflect where I’m at in life… a more mature album and version of my sound, but without sacrificing any of the things that make it “Jesse Daniel”. Every song on this record reflects a part of me.” says Daniel. The collection features members of George Strait’s “Ace In The Hole Band” (Ronnie Huckaby), Willie Nelson’s band (Kevin Smith), and even includes a duet, completely in Spanish, with Raul Malo of The Mavericks.
Many have praised Daniel as a showman or performer, but less often as the songwriter he truly is. The subject matter on this album shed light onto this side of him that had been there all along, but many have overlooked. “Clayton Was A Cowboy” honors the timeless tradition of storytelling in country music, capturing the simplicity, hardship and tragedy that oftentimes go hand in hand with living truly and completely free. “Gray” is a sad but true glimpse into what addiction can look like. Written from the perspective of a friend, it covers the helplessness one feels while watching someone they love throw their life away. Daniel said, “I’ve been to a lot of funerals in the past few years, most of them were for friends who died far too young. I wrote this song to tell the truth about what it's like, and to try and expose the glamorous image people give addiction for what it is.”
Jesse Daniel’s worker's anthem, “El Trabajador”, taps into his upbringing, working the flea markets with his mother and stepfather (a native of Northern Mexico), while “Soñando Contigo” covers unbearable grief and heartache in true Ranchera style. In the lyrics to the closing track, “I’ll Be Back Around”, is where the album gets its title. The only true bluegrass song on the album, it features masterful dobro played by Tommy Detamore, fiddle by Hank Singer and flatpicking guitar by John Carroll. While it is about doing time in prison, it transcends that narrative by being relatable to anyone who has been stuck somewhere against their will.
This album is a love letter to country music in its many forms. It will leave you with a sense of knowing Jesse Daniel better, both as an artist and person. He has grown immeasurably as a singer, songwriter, producer and bandleader since his humble beginnings in small town California and “Beyond These Walls” lays out just how far he has come and will continue to go.
Alan Mercer: When I first heard your latest album, “Beyond These Walls” I thought it sounded like you had the very best musicians and then when I saw the credits, I said, no wonder it sounds so good. You have all these big-name musicians playing. How did you score all these A-List players for your new album?
Jesse Daniel: First of all, thanks for saying that. I grew up in a little town in California and I was hanging around the house one day listening to music. At that time, I was looking for someone to produce a record we wanted to make. We already had the songs written and the whole concept of what we wanted it to sound like. So, I was listening to the music with the idea of finding someone’s production that I liked. I’d been listening to music over a few weeks and finding songs that I just loved. For instance, I fell in love with the production on a Jim Lauderdale record and some Doug Sahm that I just loved. I had all these instances that came up and every time I searched for the producer; Tommy Detamore’s name would come up. So, I did some research and I found out who he was and where his studio was.
AM: That is awesome.
JD: We got our thoughts together and I sent him an email. I sent him my demos and told him I would love to make a record with him. He liked the songs and thought it would be great. Fast forward to making the record with Tommy and he was getting things lined up with the players he had, and he let me know who he had in mind. Then he told me to google their names because these people have some pretty cool credits and when I did do that I was blown away. It all worked out and I’m glad it did because Tommy has become a dear friend of ours in the process.
AM: You are on a career upswing now. Do you feel it all speeding up?
JD: Definitely, yes, especially since “Rollin’ On” came out. I notice a big uptick in every way that people measure success today with all the streaming numbers way up, but also in real terms as far as people at my shows. We toured the West coast in 2021 for the first time since covid hit and I didn’t know what to expect, but it really surprised me when we got out there. Even the shows that I didn’t expect a huge turnout had sold out or nearly sold out. I had big crowds singing the words from the “Rolln’ On” record and the new record. That as the biggest sign that I got to see the success firsthand.
AM: Do you feel prepared for this success?
JD: I feel prepared. We’re just continuing to grow and do everything we can to be more professional every day. We’ve got some really cool ideas for later this year and the next year. We’ve gotten used to planning years in advance now. It’s such a weird thing to do.
AM: Do you have songs written for another album?
JD: I do have a good amount of songs written for another record and we’d love to make another record soon. We’re really hoping to get into the studio and make something else happen.
AM: How long did it take to record “Beyond These Walls?”
JD: I wrote or co-wrote the songs over the Spring and Summer of 2020. Then in the Winter we went in to make the record. So, the whole covid year gave me time to write this record.
AM: Did you enjoy the break of not touring?
JD: Eventually I did enjoy it. It took a while to get into a routine of not traveling. I got to be outside a lot and do a lot of the things that I enjoy. I had time to do a lot of writing. It was a hard pill to swallow at first, with all the touring we had been doing and suddenly it was no more.
AM: Was it frightening at first?
JD: Definitely, we didn’t know the severity of what was going on or what it would mean for the music industry. I’m grateful to be getting back to playing live.
AM: When did you move to San Marcos?
JD: I moved there in October of 2019.
AM: Is Texas much different from California?
JD: A lot of places in Texas remind me of small towns in California. A lot of folks don’t realize that. Obviously the big metroplex cities are different but Dallas is similar to Los Angeles.
AM: What do you like about Texas?
JD: I like the culture of music in Texas. I’ve seen 5-year-old kids on the dance floor with their grandpas at the dancehalls we’ve played at. I don’t think that really exists in California.
AM: I really like your song, ‘Living In The Great Divide’ on your ‘Beyond These Walls’ album. How did that song come about?
JD: We wrote that when everyone was home and out of work. It was easy to get sucked into your phone or the news cycle. We were getting bombarded with all this information. That song is as far as I’ve ever gone or as far as I’ll ever go at writing a political song. It’s a nonpartisan song. I want people to be able to come together. We need to put ourselves in somebody else’s shoes for a minute. If you do that, nine times out of ten, even if you disagree on politics or religion, you can still find common ground. That’s what that song is about.
AM: You are just stating facts in the lyrics and it’s sad.
JD: Definitely, I thought it was something worth writing about. There’s a Merle Haggard song I heard the other day called ‘Somewhere In Between’ and he wrote that song in times of upheaval. He talks about how there is a lot of animosity towards people on whatever side of the political spectrum you are. I have friends all over the map with that. That’s why I wrote that song.
AM: Did you set out to write a story telling song with ‘Clayton Was A Cowboy?’
JD: Yes, I think so. I love those types of songs. On the “Rollin’ On” record, “Champion” was the story telling tune. I was the proudest of that song for a character story telling song. Jodi and I actually wrote “Clayton Was A Cowboy” together and I’m definitely proud of that one. I like guys like Tom Russell and Robert Earl Keen who write story songs with lots of details.
AM: Jesse, I know you had a more difficult upbringing with your share of challenges. A lot of people never escape the circle of hard times. Why do you think you were able to rise above that?
JD: I have a theory, but I don’t really know. I had two parents that loved me a lot and I think for all the family problems and drama that we ended up having, that so many people have, the problems that come with divorce and broken families. In the end when I had hit rock bottom over and over and over again and had been through every rehab program and been to jail and living on the street, I was finally ready to give it a chance. I think the big reason for that was having my family still and at that point I wasn’t really talking to them much. That’s what people do to protect themselves when they need to, but I had their love and support. Then, I met Jodi and she was a big inspiration for me. Before, I had never felt any sense of purpose or direction in life. I had a lot of ideas and ambitions, but no direction on where to put that energy. So, I finally got that clarity from realizing that I wanted to take music seriously. I want to write songs and make records in my life. Meeting Jodi and starting to pursue that is really the beginning for me.
AM: Did you find a belief in a higher power or something other than yourself?
JD: Yeah, definitely. I’d say it’s more of an agnostic type of faith, not necessarily Christian. Both my parents believe in God, and they are Christian in their own way. I pray all the time and I put out affirmations, but it’s never very specific. It’s more of a connection you feel and a gratitude feeling.
AM: And it’s all inside you.
JD: Exactly.
AM: One of the things that makes me love “Beyond These Walls” so much is the two songs you sing in Spanish. I really love you and Raul Malo singing “El Trabajador.” Where did they come from?
JD: Growing up in California, I had a lot of Spanish influences. That’s another similarity to Texas. There are a lot of Mexican people, culture and food in California that I grew up around. My Mom was married to my stepdad, and he was from Mexico, so he had that music around. It was his language and his influence. We would work the Santa Cruz flea markets quite a bit and they would always have Norteño music playing and have tons of Mexican people, that we got to know pretty well. When I started taking Country music seriously as a career, I always saw the similarities with Mexican music, especially with Norteño and Tejano stuff, with American Country music. They have a lot of the same subject matter and themes like heartbreak, loss, love, all that stuff. It really is just Mexican Country music, so I wanted to include some of that on there.
AM: I encourage you to continue including more songs like that. Do you speak Spanish, or did you just learn the lyrics?
JD: I speak a little bit, but not all that well. I’ve worked with a lot of guys from Mexico, so I would pick up stuff and learn from them. I had to do a lot of studying to make “El Trabajador” make any sense. Raul actually ended up helping me on a couple lines with the conjugation, but I know enough to get by in a basic conversation. I’d like to get fluent eventually.
AM: What do you think you would be doing now if you hadn’t decided to get into Country music?
JD: Not to sound dramatic, but I don’t think I’d be here. This has been my saving grace. Playing music, in a big part, has saved my life. It got me out of that negative way that I was in for a long time. It has offered me a hand up from that and given me something to put my energy into and to focus on. I almost joined the Navy. I have brothers in the military. I was almost an electrician, but I never ended up doing any of these things so when I started playing music seriously, I realized this is what I want to do in my life and I’m glad I did.
