Kentucky native Kyle Daniel talks about his upcoming self-titled EP.
Singer-songwriter Kyle Daniel is releasing his first solo EP, showing a talented musician following the inspiration of his idols Gregg Allman, Chris Stapleton, and Jason Isbell. After writing and playing in the background for some of the industry’s biggest names, Daniel sounds more than ready to step into the spotlight on this stellar self-titled five-track EP.
Hailing from Bowling Green, Kentucky, Daniel grew up performing. He won the Southern Kentucky Blues Society Blues Challenge and became a finalist at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis before gaining the coveted title of “Nashville’s Best Guitarist” at the 102.9 Buzz Rock Awards.
We recently caught up Daniel to talk about his new EP, his upcoming tour, and what he hopes the future holds.
Cowboys & Indians: You’ve been using music as an outlet for such a long time and now you’re finally releasing your debut EP. What do you hope your longtime fans will get out of it?
Kyle Daniel: I really just hope that they get a piece of me; that they get an inside look at my life and the way that I am, the way that I view certain things, and to know that I’m just like any other of their friends. I feel the same kind of stuff, like heartbreak, the need to be inspired by certain things, and uplifted at times. I hope that they really get a good, in-depth look at who I am as a person.
C&I: What are some of the memorable stories along the way of getting the EP from concept to actual release?
Daniel: You know, it was such a quick thing. The total process, from the day that we started recording until I had the finished masters in my hand, was 12 days.
We literally went in one day [and] cut six songs. The next day, I went in and cut some vocal overdubs and stuff like that, and then on the third day we mixed it, and then they did what they did, as far as the mixing-mastering. And, like I said, from the day we recorded till I had it in my hands was, like, 12 days. It was super-fast.
I think the first day in the studio was the most memorable day because we had Brent Cobb come in and he was there, almost right out the gate. I think that was the very first song that we did on the record — “Ain’t No Difference.” It was undeniably the smoothest session that I’ve ever been involved in.
I was lucky enough to have some of my really good buddies play on the record. Tucker Wilson, who plays with Justin Moore, played drums. Jay Cobb and Matt McDaniel both played with Brent Cobb — Jay played bass and Matt played keys. And then one of my really good buddies, Jason Graumlich, played guitar and slide. … I was super-fortunate to have these dudes come in. It was almost like a magical 10 hours of music in the studio. We weren’t running into any hangups; it was just pretty swift and that was that. We just went in and knocked it out.
C&I: You also co-wrote all five songs. What was that process like and where did you draw your inspiration from?
Daniel: I’m always pulling out my phone and going to the notepad. Living, day to day, it’s kind of one of those things. ... I’m kind of that guy that something will happen and I may be even in the middle of something and just be like, “Hang on,” and I’ll go to my phone and jot down a quick idea so I can revisit it at a later date.
I find that when you go into a co-write with somebody, you can’t really go in expecting that the songwriting gods are going to just hand you something, so it’s good to go in with numerous ideas or pieces of something, like a start to a song or something like that.
I’ve been writing really hard for about the past two years now, trying to just hone that craft, sharpen my tools, and I wanted to be involved and invested in these songs because I felt like it made it more honest and more genuine. That it wasn’t just me up there singing somebody else’s lyrics, trying to inflect the way that I felt maybe they would’ve done it. I know what the song’s about and what it means to me. So it really kind of helped the entire process, from the mood of the song to the way that I sing it, you know, the entire approach to things.
C&I: The songs really shed light on personal situations in your life. Is it difficult for you to be so vulnerable and put yourself out there with an audience?
Daniel: Absolutely. It’s one of the most vulnerable things in the world. You just kind of cut your heart open and go, “Hey, what do you think?” And you’re just asking people to judge you. It is super-vulnerable and I took quite a bit of time off from the frontman aspect of my career and I stood in the shadows doing the side-guy guitar-player thing for people like Casey James [and] Clare Dunn. When you come back out, that was even more of a reason for me to believe in what I was talking about and staying behind it, even if it was a little bit close to home. Sometimes that’s where people really connect to something. They go, “Man, I can’t believe he felt that,” or “I’ve felt that exact same way.” You want people to be able to relate to what you’re doing and you definitely want it to feel as honest as possible. So that’s what we did.
C&I: Is there one track that has been the most impactful for you or that you feel has been the most impactful for your fans?
Daniel: When you release something like this, you hear people say, “Man, I really connect to this song,” or “I know exactly — I had this ...” and then they’ll go into a story. A bass player buddy of mine, Paul Priest, that plays with Jericho Woods called me and there’s a song called “Halfway to Your Heart” on the record and he freaked out over it. It was like, “Man, I remember exactly feeling just like this about a girl in middle school.” He just painted this whole picture for me about his experience and his tie to the song.
I think personally for me the one that resonates the most is, currently, “Ain’t No Difference,” the song that Brent and I did, because it really speaks to the time — and I know that we’re in such a chaotic world right now and people get so caught up in what’s happening on the news, we’re so connected with our cell phones and with each other and everybody’s got a voice and an opinion and sometimes we get this very egotistical mentality as people. We’ve grown into this ego society and it’s tough for us to be humble and realize that although somebody may have a different opinion about something, we’re all very similar and there’s really no difference in all of us. And I think that was the one thing I wanted to get a positive message with my music and that song.
C&I: Who are some songwriters and singers that have inspired your creative development and made you want to become an artist?
Daniel: Gregg Allman, rest in peace, was my hero. It just shattered me when he died. It was almost as though I’d lost a family member. I was fortunate enough, at an early age my dad introduced me to the Allman Brothers when I was in middle school. I’ll never forget it, the first time he played “Statesboro Blues.” You know, he did the whole, “Son, let me let you listen to some real music,” you know? I think I was listening to Green Day and stuff like that at the time, just typical middle school kid stuff and he played it. It just laid my hair back. Something about the way that the Duane Allman slide guitar sounded and the way that Gregg’s growling vocals and his words and the way that he shapes his melodies really just stunned me.
I got a chance to play with Jimmy Hall over the past couple years, who is a part of that peach family, with the Capricorn Records dudes. He played in a band called Wet Willie, who was the second band signed to Capricorn Records. The first band was the Allman Brothers. So it’s really cool to play with some of your heroes and be in that fold. I think from start to finish, I wanted to be Gregg Allman as soon as I heard him. I was like, “Oh, man.” Everything about him — the way he looked, the way he sounded — he was just cool.
C&I: You’ve won many local awards, including Nashville’s Best Guitarist at the 102.9 Buzz Rock Awards. How do you think those accomplishments have shaped your career?
Daniel: With a career in music everybody seems to think at some point in time that it happens overnight. It may, but it may take 17 years to happen overnight and that’s kind of how I feel about it. But it’s like every single thing that I’ve done up to this point — including tour management and merchandise management on major tours, when I was using my business degree — helped prepare me for right now. To be confident enough in my songs, in my abilities, and having my 30,000 hours put in and … the work that I’ve done — it was just part of the process. I think that the way that those roles have shaped me have been absolutely everything.
C&I: What can we expect in terms of touring?
Daniel: We’re really hopeful that some things come through here in the next little bit. ... There may be some cool opening slots on some tours happening. We’ll be touring the Southeast for sure, no matter what, and hopefully getting out West and all across the United States this year. We’re really going to start raring up, probably, this fall hardcore.
C&I: We were talking earlier about an album. Were there any tracks or songs that you wrote that didn’t end up on this EP that we can expect maybe later down the road on a full album?
Daniel: There is one song in specific that I’ve kept in my back pocket. I won’t release the name of the song just yet, but it could be a surprise song here before too long. It’s a really lighthearted song. The album is so different, I feel like, that when we recorded this one song, although it came out really good we were like, “Uh, it doesn’t really fit the vibe of the record. Let’s leave it off of the EP.” It may go on a full record, or it may just be a single.
C&I: What’s something fans might not know about you?
Daniel: I love to cook. I absolutely love to cook. I got a Big Green Egg about three years ago. It’s my creative outlet outside of being creative with writing and performing music. I love to smoke meat. It’s become a passion of mine in the past little bit — you know, ribs and brisket and doing Boston butt and stuff like that. So I’ve really gotten into that. When I’m home and I’m not on the road, that’s what I’m trying to get to — the grill — if I can.
C&I: You’re from Kentucky. What are some of your favorite places to visit when you go home?
Daniel: There is the greatest dive bar of all time in my hometown: Tidball’s. That’s usually the go-to joint. There’s been a lot of very talented music come out of Bowling Green and continuing to. When I get a chance, I love to go up to Mammoth Cave. I actually just went up there ziplining a couple weeks ago and it was awesome.
I like to go up to Louisville. If I’m there, I’m trying to find an excuse to go to the Brown Hotel and get a hot brown. It’s kind of cool, it’s different. A lot of eating, honestly. When I’m home, it’s like I’m going to the Great American Donut Shop in Bowling Green or Smokey Pig or something like that. A lot of it requires good food.
For more information on Kyle Daniel and his upcoming tour dates, visit his website.
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