Jesse Daniel

My self-titled debut album turns 8 today! It was a homespun effort in many ways; Jodi on backups, my dad playing lead solos on “Soft Spot” and “Hell Bent”, and me on drums + all the other lead and rhythm guitar. My dear late friend Bruce Wandmayer played steel and sax on it (rip). Jodi and I both worked full time jobs during the day, then would head to the studio at night to record. We crowdfunded the whole thing and even did raffles at our shows to raise money for it. This album marks the beginning of making music my full time pursuit and source of livelihood. No label, no PR team, no nothin’!! Just Jodi and I, screen printing shirts in our living room and mailing copies to radio stations in hopes of airplay. We were figuring it out and using our DIY work ethic to do it every step of the way. Making the transition to working as a musician full time, I experienced lots of financial struggle. I still owed thousands in legal fees from my past and was barely scraping by - something I’d been used to for a very long time. I’d sell (and trade) these vinyl records for firewood to heat our home, food to eat and gas my truck. I started playing everywhere and anywhere I could to make ends meet as a musician, often taking odd jobs from generous friends who threw me random construction or ranch work when I really needed it. This record encapsulates a time where all I had was a dream and to look at where it has taken me is truly amazing. I want to thank my friend Henry Chadwick for engineering and co-producing this record with me, all my friends who played on it and who believed in it. Thanks to Jodi for believing in my path and never doubting me for a second. Thanks to my hometown supporters and to KPIG Radio for always playing these songs. Many thanks to Luke at Vinyl Cup for sending me this picture and to Tyler Childers for being the man.

In case you missed it, my song “That’s My Kind Of Country” was featured in the latest episode of CBS’s hit show Fire Country. Check it out on Season 4, Episode 15!