 Courtesy of the Artist
Growing up in California, Jesse Daniel experienced hard times when his parents split up. Daniel and his brother would help their mother scavenge metal at the local landfill, which she would weld and sell at the flea market, to put food on the table. His father, a musician and songwriter, instilled the importance of music in Daniel, who soon found refuge in punk rock. A gifted drummer, Daniel played in numerous punk bands and ultimately found himself increasing his drug and alcohol consumption. “I was so lost…I became a garbage can. Any drug I could get, I’d take, until I found heroin. After that it was a wrap, that’s all I wanted to do," he said. Music quickly took the back burner as he started getting arrested and missing shows, to the point where he sold his drums just not to get sick. He traded everything for nothing and spent the next several years in a series of stints in rehab, jail, and homelessness.
Some years later, while in a rehabilitation facility in Oakland, California, he heard someone playing a Hank Williams tune. “I had just enough in me to sit in a chair and listen to this guy I didn’t know play.” Daniel said. “I told him I wanted to play like him and he said, ‘Why don’t you?’” It was time to make a change. This was the final event of many that planted the seed and he began to write songs out of sheer necessity. After getting back on his feet, Daniel bought a Fender guitar at a pawnshop for $50 and began writing songs. He assembled a band and began playing bars and clubs, quickly gaining notoriety for his energetic music and rowdy showmanship. With the blood, sweat and tears of past and present, Daniel cut and co-produced his debut self-titled album, which takes you on a journey through his life. Ahead of the album's May 26th release, Daniel took the time to answer his Essential 8 and talked musical mentors, songwriting, Billy Joe Shaver, and more. Did you have a musical mentor? If so, who was it and how did they influence you? Over the years I’ve had a lot of people mentor me and influence me, some really great ones who I’m still friends with today, but the biggest influence of my was always my Dad. My earliest memories were of wanting to play in a rock & roll band like him. He influenced me in a lot of ways, by always facilitating and encouraging my musical abilities, as well as just leading by example. He never pushed music on me, I fell in love with it and I think it made him happy that we could share that. The first time I really remember wanting to play country music was seeing him playing telecaster in a honky tonk group from our hometown. I’d say a big part of my appreciation for music in general came from his influence, so when he agreed to play some lead guitar on the album, I was honored. Things have really come full circle. 
When/where do you do your best writing?
I used to feel like I could only write when I was going through some kind of emotional or physical hardship. There was a lot of that going on in the past for me, so I was used to it. After a while though, my outlook on life improved and I think so did my songwriting. Now days, I write best after being in away from my comfort zone. New landscapes always get the creativity flowing, so when I get home I usually break out the pen and paper. Do you write about personal experience, the experience of others, observations, made-up stories, or a combination? I’d say its a combination of all those things. A lot of my songs are from personal experience, while a good amount of them are about fictional characters or themes. I’ve been learning the importance of balancing the two. What’s the best advice you have ever gotten from another musician? The best advice I’ve gotten would have to be “Stay humble.” A lot of people have told me this and I’ve seen what it looks like when people get a big head. I never want to be that guy. What do you love most about being on the road? Life is simpler. Don’t get me wrong, touring has its own set of complications, but in general it allows me to just focus on the road in front of me. I get stir crazy in one place too long, so traveling is the ultimate sense of freedom. Seeing new places every day, forging new friendships and getting to play with other musicians I admire are huge reasons why I love being on the road. On May 26th I’ll be releasing my first full length album and we leave on a US tour a few days later, it’ll be great to take that record on the road. Who would you love to collaborate with? Well, there has been talk of a collaboration with Jake Houston, sometime in the foreseeable future. If you haven’t heard his music, it’s highly advised. He’s one of my very best friends and a damn great songwriter. I also have written some songs with Jodi Lyford, and we’ve talked about getting an EP together of out material. She’s also a great songwriter. Lastly, I’d love to do something with Wyatt Hesemeyer of Miss Lonely Hearts. He and Jodi both sang backups on the record and he’s just all around a great singer, songwriter and encyclopedia of country music. Which song of yours gets the best crowd reaction? If I had to choose one, I’d say “Gracie Henrietta”. Folks love that one, it’s got that old school rock & roll feel, so people let loose and sing along. Crowd surfing has happened to this song. Have you met any of your heroes? If so, how did it go? I’ve been fortunate enough to share the stage with Wayne Hancock and Phil & Dave Alvin to name a few. Those guys are heroes of mine and also real nice dudes. The one who takes the cake though, was Billy Joe Shaver. My gal and I went to see him near San Antonio, at a relatively small venue, where he sang to a modest crowd. He put on the best live show I’ve ever seen and I was sitting right up front, just kind of amazed. After the show we went outside where he was talking with some folks, thanking them. We introduced ourselves and he greeted us like old friends. It was one of those rare times where you meet your hero and they actually are as genuine a person as you hoped they’d be. He wrote his phone number on the back of an old business card and told me to call him about opening for him some time. Coolest guy I ever met. Billy Joe, if you’re reading this, let’s get something cookin’! Website/Facebook/Twitter/Insta
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