We interview Kyle Daniel about his love for the UK, his latest EP ‘What’s There to Say?’ and the progress of his full-length record.
Hello! How you doing?
Not too bad thanks, getting through one day at a time…
I know, that’s right, this is definitely a wild time that we’re in for sure.
I got to see your performance at the Spinefarm showcase in London. I’m pretty sure that’s going to be the last live performance any of us will see in a while, but it was a very special evening. What is it about the UK that keeps you coming back?
I know right! Man, it’s definitely put a hamper on entertainment and absolutely everything I guess that goes with that. For me, I would love to continue to build over there [in the UK] and continue to see this thing grow. You know, we’re fresh and the acceptance over there has just been out of this world. We’ve felt like we’re at home.
Is it really weird stripping it back. I know when you’re in America, you’ve got the whole band but when you’re in the UK it’s just you and your guitar, Seth. It must be a weird transition?
Right, I think there’s a little bit of uneasiness in the fact that it’s so different for me at least. In essence, I would much rather be full band live electric because that’s what I do. With the acoustic stuff, you have to watch the songs that you play, how you go about the whole thing. It’s just completely different, as opposed to what we do with the full band.
It’s interesting because you’d think there’s much more thought in the full band production, but actually, with acoustic shows, you have to read the room a lot more?
Absolutely right, and know what songs are even going to translate. Sometimes I’ve written songs… I may pick up an electric guitar and write the song, but then when you go to transcribe it to an acoustic performance, it doesn’t really make sense.
Going back to the beginning of your music, have you always grown up with music and what sorts of musicians did you look up to and inspire you?
I was a huge Allman Brothers fan, I still am. Without just being a carbon copy, I try to pay tribute to Duane Allman and Greg Allman as well, to let those certain moments shine but you also don’t want to overdo those things. There’s a fine line because if you go too far one way or the other, people start to go ‘oh, you sound like so and so.’ I think we all do, it’s the easiest way for people to digest what it is that you do, particularly if you’re new they try to connect it with something that they already know. I think that the Allman brothers were probably the first big influence on my playing.
As I’ve got older, I’ve dug a little deeper into songwriters like Jason Isbell and Tyler Childers and obviously Chris Stapleton and some of the big boys that are doing it. Initially, I think that the music portion of what I do comes from that Southern rock feel.
The past few years have been pretty big for you. Last year, you released your EP ‘What’s There to Say?‘ which was crammed with amazing tracks. What’s been the response to that EP?
It was a little bit different to the first record. The first record was so organic, we just went in there and I think we had tracked the whole EP in one day if I remember correctly. When I started doing this, I wasn’t really sure how people were going to take to it. When we started, I was glad we did it how we did it because there wasn’t a lot of overthinking, we just went in and cut the record and it was what it was. This last record took a little bit longer. When we went in, my goal was not to recreate the wheel, I wanted to go in and cut the record just like we cut the last one and really try to capture the ‘live couple of takes per song’ feel. I didn’t want to put us through the ringer to get these takes. Everybody who was in the room was incredible, in terms of their musicianship. I wasn’t necessarily worried about that. In terms of reception, I think this was the one that showed a little bit of growth and not an astounding amount that was completely different – I hadn’t made a departure from the sound – but it was a sophomore record to me. Obviously here we are gearing up for the new one and I’m really excited about it.
One of the tracks that really stands out from the last one was ‘God Bless America, Damn Rock and Roll,’ which was the first track you wrote with Seth, your guitarist.
Yeah, Seth and I, that was the first song. He brought that in and he had the basis for it, it wasn’t necessarily fully done. I believe the original lyric was ‘God Bless the Summer and Damn Rock and Roll,’ and I said, ‘dude, why would we not just say ‘God Bless America, Damn Rock and Roll?’ (laughs) He lit up like a Christmas tree and said ‘oh my god dude, that’s it.’ It was cool that that was the initial roots that Seth and I laid down for our relationship. It’s been a very good headstone for us to continue to grow upon.
Well I often compare it to dating, in terms of finding the right connections for the music and who you connect to…
Right, it’s just like any relationship, you connect to some and you don’t to the others. I’ve got really good friends of mine who are super talented musicians, but sometimes we’ll sit in a room together and just look at each other. (laughs) That’s not the ticket, you go and get a beer because this is not working. Sometimes that happens but I’m fortunate that I’ve found a couple of folks that I feel really strong about in terms of co-writers and I think we’re going to grow some really cool stuff.
Do you think because you’ve put out so much music independently that you’ve had the freedom to do that and find your right people?
Yeah I do feel fortunate because of that, but I also feel like there are plus sides that go with the major record deal, or just record deals in general – even publishing deals. Being in Nashville, it’s a songwriter town and a co-writer town more importantly and if you don’t have a publishing deal, a lot of the guys who are writing the hit songs that you hear on the radio, they don’t want to write with you because why would they? Why should they? So, if you don’t have a pub deal, you’re just one man on the totem pole trying to prove himself and make your way and that’s where I’ve been for the past little bit. It’s been nice to be able to work my way in to some rooms with writers I didn’t necessarily belong in, but then be able to walk out of there, both of us feeling good about it and wanting to do it again. It’s not a one-time kind of thing. It’s really cool, Nashville is a tricky town for sure.
I do think though that there’s a huge respect for writers in Nashville and the path they’ve taken to get there.
Right and there’s a definite struggle, the dudes that move to town, land a record deal and get a number one hit song within a year, they’re slim to none. The overnight success sort of stuff is not really what the general public thinks it is. You look at Chris Stapleton, I like to see when the good guys succeed.
When can we expect new music from you and what is that shaping up to look like?
Yeah, we’re actually looking to get in the studio in May. Obviously we’re in a really weird time and I can’t go out and play gigs and my dudes can’t work. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go on and press forward and cut this record, and really make something of this thing. We can spend the time and not rush, because this is going to be a full-length record. We have a very creative marketing plan behind this thing and the way that we’re going to release it and roll it out. I think this is going to be the one. We’ve got the songs – I’m always writing and I will continue to write until we go into the studio. There might be a song that I write the day before that goes on the record.
Final Few
Someone is making a biographical film of your life – what is the opening credit soundtrack? Ooh, probably ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’ (laughs) because I am from Kentucky and I think what a killer soundtrack to start out with.
You are trapped in a haunted house and a song is keeping you from going to sleep, what is the track? I would say Marilyn Manson…
A song you hate to love? (laughs) I would say anything by Boys to Men. I think it’s the stacked harmonies, I think we need to bring back the boybands.
Complete the sentence..
Music is… universal.
Country music is… Southern.
Kyle Daniel is… only a man.
