Street-weary however ecstatic after a profitable album and tour with Samantha Fish (VG, March ’23), Jesse Dayton is driving a wave with The Arduous Approach Blues. Equal elements Texas swagger and humidity, he digs deep with a potent mixture of dry humor, unadulterated twang, and the ghost of Hyperlink Wray.

What was the key sauce for Dying Want Blues, your album with Samantha Fish?
One million issues may have gone improper, however they didn’t, for some purpose. We ended up co-writing all of the songs and it gave the impression of nothing else on the market. In blues, there’s numerous paint-by-numbers stuff. It was our alternative to do one thing completely different, and other people dug it.

We stay in a really noisy world, so for me and Samantha to rise above and have one thing of successful was surprising. Additionally, there’s no act on the market the place there’s a man and a woman singing their guts out and shredding. That visible was like, “Oh wow! What’s this?” It made lots of people cease and say, “That is completely different!” I’m a 57-year-old in a single day success (laughs). We bought a bunch of cool journal covers, however Classic Guitar was the best.

How did The Arduous Approach Blues come about?
Through the pandemic, I began fascinated with East Texas blues – Blind Lemon Jefferson and that entire factor. I grew up on the Texas/Louisiana border, and I used to be like, “That is my method into this style…” It was one thing I may construct an idea round, and the songs are extra story oriented.

I listened to numerous Townes Van Zandt and Bob Dylan, pondering, “How may I deliver this heavy Texas-blues sound however prepare them in order that they’re story songs?” However there’s additionally a British affect; once I take heed to “Arduous Approach Blues,” it sounds to me like a Pete Townshend solo report, or Dave Edmunds. Or Nick Lowe. Plus, I actually needed to play numerous guitar (laughs). The report is all guitar!

“Huntsville Jail Rodeo” takes the listener on a experience.
All of it occurred to me and my uncle. My dad and mom would take me to that within the late Nineteen Seventies. Individuals had been getting killed. It was traumatic! Even on “The Arduous Approach,” it’s about banging your head in opposition to the wall and anticipating completely different outcomes. The entire report is about getting out of my very own method. Lastly getting sufficiently old to have some readability and see. “Oh, I see what I have to do right here.” Lyrically, I’m very happy with this report.

Your guitar is a drive of nature.
I performed a prototype made by an organization known as Blast Cult. There are solely two like mine, and I’ve the primary. The second was owned by the late Nick Curran, a killer participant from Austin who was in The Fabulous Thunderbirds. I used it on this Rob Zombie Halloween film as a result of Rob needed an evil guitar. Everybody thinks it’s a Gretsch, or they are saying, “What’s with the ‘Trini Lopez on crack’ guitar (laughs)?” It has that massive, full hollowbody sound with TV Jones pickups and I can get super-warm clear stuff or low-down soiled swamp s**t. Its Bigsby forces me to method the bar another way – I exploit it nearly like a pedal-steel. It’s type of cool in the event you’re taking part in rock and roll as a result of nobody is anticipating it. They’re anticipating dive-bombs. I really like Van Halen, however that’s not my world.

Do you tour with it?
Continuous, and I can’t imagine how nicely it stays in tune. I exploit it to deliberately get suggestions. I place my amps so if I transfer my physique a bit of, I can get suggestions. It’s all maintain, and I can management it. I get every kind of Duane Eddy and Hyperlink Wray-sounding stuff. I’m actually into Hyperlink. I bought to open on one in all his final excursions. I attempted to return to that sound with the tube Echoplex plugged immediately right into a small Fender amp.

Are you utilizing small amps onstage?
I favor utilizing smaller amps, however I’ve to make use of larger amps as a result of we’ve been taking part in larger locations. I attempted utilizing my blackface Tremendous Reverbs, however they had been too woofy, so I purchased a few Princetons.

What’s subsequent?
Do you bear in mind the Showdown! album with Albert Collins, Robert Cray, and Johnny Copeland? Me, Ian Moore, and Johnny Moeller, the guitar participant from the Thunderbirds, went into the studio and minimize some s**t, and it’s on hearth! It’s essentially the most Texas-sounding s** I ever performed in my life!

This text initially appeared in VG’s July 2024 difficulty. All copyrights are by the creator and Classic Guitar journal. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.