Jesse Dayton's Gulf Coast Sessions EP Is A 'Raw Little Stripped-Down Record'

[Cover photo credit to Ray Redding]

Jesse Dayton, the Austin-based guitarist, singer, songwriter and filmmaker  has released his newest EP, Gulf Coast Sessions from Blue Élan Records, which is on pre-order for vinyl here at Tower.

The EP is a collection of original songs inspired by music from growing up in Beaumont, Texas.

A video for single “Lo-Fi Lover”, shot during quarantine, features Jesse playing all of the instruments on the song, as he did for the album.

Dayton has also announced that Gimme Country Radio is launching a 24-hour Jesse Dayton stand-alone station in the Gimme Country app. Fans can download the Gimme Country app for free and listen to full episodes of Jesse’s ‘Badass Country Show’ in addition to a curated playlist, 24-7. Recent guests on his weekly show have included: Joe Ely, Rhett Miller, Raul Malo from The Mavericks, Kathy Valentine (The GoGo’s), John Doe of X, Reverend Payton, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Scott Biram and more.
 
Excited about playing his favorites, Dayton says,

“We’ll be covering all kinds of outlaw music, from old school country to old school punk, to old school blues to new and upcoming things that you probably haven’t heard. I’ve been collecting records since I was a little kid so I’m sure I got a few tunes that you haven’t heard yet.”

He explains regarding his new EP:

“The Gulf Coast Sessions was inspired by that Interstate 10 area from Beaumont to New Orleans, where I was raised and where the old music was still going strong in the 70’s when I was a kid. East Texas African-American blues and gospel was everywhere, with lots of revival church music on the radio. I thought about all of these scenarios while we were making this raw little stripped-down record. It’s all Gulf Coast house party music with East Texas Blues, Red Hot Zydeco and New Orleans R&B.”
 
The Gulf Coast Sessions EP was recorded on the back porch of friend Clay Connell’s old house-turned-vintage-shop Roadhouse Rags in South Austin and the result is a "raw little stripped down record".
 
Dayton has also teased that he's recently finished the first draft for his forthcoming book, due for release in 2021.