Jesse Daniel’s Countin’ the Miles delivers country grit (the title track) and groove (“Tomorrow’s Good Ol’ Days”) in equal measure. We recently spoke with the California native about moving to the Central Texas and the seamless new collection.
“These songs songs were written over the past two or three years specifically for this record,” Daniel says. “I mostly write solo. I only co-write with my fiancee and songwriting partner Jodi – and we co-wrote a handful for this record.”
Alt-Country Specialty Chart: Tell the story behind writing the title track.
Jesse Daniel: “Countin’ the Miles.” is about my commitment to being a songwriter and a lifer as a musician in a traveling band. I felt the need to name the record that. It’s a pretty apt name for the collection. I decided a long, long time ago to be a lifer.
“Countin’ the Miles” definitely sounds like a real life story.
Yes. I definitely write from my own experience or fictional songs that I’ve written about other people’s experiences. For example, “Ol’ Montana” is a murder ballad, but I haven’t killed anybody. The song is about a guy I met who had known a guy in prison who killed his wife’s lover and was doing life.
Explain why you write nonfiction versus fiction.
That’s the only way I’ve ever been able to write. I used to make up stories when I was young, but I find it more authentic to myself and easier to write about personal experience. I’ve lived a lot of life for being thirty-one years old so I have lots of wells to draws from.
Tell the story behind writing ‘Tomorrow’s Good Ol’ Days.’
That song was inspired by Merle Haggard. I’m a huge Merle fan. “Tomorrow’s Good Ol’ Days” is an ambiguous look at not only where our country is but where the world is heading. Will we look back in the future on now as being the good old days? Will things get better or worse in the future? It’s an open ended question. Jodi suggested I reach out to our buddy (Merle’s son) Ben Haggard to see if he could lend his talents to the song. Those Haggard vocals really drove it home and tied the bow on the song.
So, you already were friends with Ben before this?
Ben’s cool, man. I’ve only hung out with him a couple times, but we’ve been following each other’s music for a couple years. I went up to the Haggard compound in Redding, California where Merle lived all those years and raised his family and got to look at Merle’s old guitars and be in the studio where he cut a lot of his later music. Incredible. Ben’s a really humble, kind guy and a talented singer and songwriter.
You recently moved here to Central Texas, right?
Yeah, I moved to San Marcos in 2019. We were looking to go to a place rich in music and the decision was between Austin and Nashville. Both places have a lot to offer, but I really enjoyed the process of making my album (Rollin’ On) with Tommy Detamore in the San Antonio area in 2019. We got to explore the area then and that sealed the deal to move out here. It’s been great.
Why San Marcos instead of right here in Austin?
Jodi and I grew up in really small towns. We didn’t want to live in the city and wanted fresh water. We’re really into the outdoors and the San Marcos river is really nice. Also, San Marcos is less expensive than Austin. San Marcos is a happy medium. Close to the airport and centrally located. I’ve noticed Austin and even here in San Marcos the traffic has gotten really congested. So many new people live here, but we love being close to Austin.
– Brian T. Atkinson
CHART CLIMBER
Artist: Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore
Hometown: Downey, California and Lubbock, Texas
Album: Texicali
Release Date: March 27, 2024
Record Label: Yep Roc Records
Artist Website: davealvin.net; jimmiedalegilmore.com
On touring behind their debut album Downey to Lubbock: “A love of experimentation turns out to be one of the many traits that create a bond between Dave and me. That experiment took us all over the country.” – Jimmie Dale Gilmore
- Brian T. Atkinson
Copyright © 2019 The Official Site for Alt. Country
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.