Continuing to blaze a trail: Jesse Dayton turns a musical corner with 'Hard Way Blues'

Jun. 5—Jesse Dayton is finally home after a short run on tour in Australia.

"I'm just kind of trying to get over jet lag," he says. "It's a tough one to get back from."

The critically-acclaimed musician is getting ready to hit the road in support of his new album, "The Hard Way Blues," which was released on May 31.

Dayton's tour is scheduled to make a stop at Tumbleroot Brewery & Distillery on Saturday, June 8, in Santa Fe.

Dayton says he recorded the album with Shooter Jennings.

"I met Shooter when I was playing guitar for his dad, Waylon," he says. "I was like 23 or 24 and Shooter was about 15 or 16. We stayed friends. Flash forward 15 years later, Shooter is a Grammy Award-winning record producer. I called him and told him I had songs."

The album was completed before Dayton and Samantha Fish recorded "Death Wish Blues" together.

Dayton and Fish recorded the album with Jon Spencer after he finished "The Hard Way Blues."

The duo went on tour, and Dayton's record label gave him the opportunity to tour with Fish.

"It's been crazy," he says of his life in music. "Samantha and I did the record and toured it, and then it got nominated for a Grammy."

Dayton blazed his path as a chart-topping songwriter, guitar virtuoso, author, frontman, sideman, producer and relentless road warrior.

From his early days with the Road Kings, where he fearlessly melded Texas rockabilly and country with the raw energy of punk rock, Dayton has been a trailblazer. His innovative style not only earned him acclaim but also paved the way for collaborations with legends like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson.

Over the years, Dayton's collaborations have spanned a diverse array of artists including icons like Willie Nelson and Glenn Campbell, rock rebels such as Guns 'N Roses' Duff McKagan and Glenn Danzig, and visionary horror filmmakers like Rob Zombie.

With the new album and working with Jennings, he wanted to build on his signature outlaw sound.

"I wanted to make something that reflected where I'm at right now; so, we turned a musical corner and embraced a big sound with a lot of ripping, bluesy guitar leads," he says. "Sometimes, it sounds like Freddie King. Sometimes, it sounds like Jimmy Page. This record was completely liberating for me because it goes back to so many of my longtime influences. I don't care about genres, trends or buzz words — I just care about being truthful to my own vision, and that's what 'The Hard Way Blues' allowed me to do."