Daniel Lee Showcases ‘Roots’ at Nashville Performance

Daniel Lee delivered an impressive set at an industry-only private performance at Nashville's S.I.R. last week.

The Georgia native released his full-length debut album, 'Roots,' on July 22 via Average Joes Entertainment. He showcased primarily songs from that album, kicking off with the opening riff from AC/DC's 'Thunderstruck' before launching into a set that included 'Hell Yeah,' 'Head Over Heels,' 'Redneck Routine,' 'Rebel,' 'Slow Down Town' and 'Backwood Tobacco,' among others.

Lee and his band performed very tightly as a unit, cranking out a high-energy brand of rockin' country that is an amalgam of all of his influences.

"It's not rock, it's not country -- it's Southern," he told The Boot after the show. "It's Southern music. People asked me for so long, 'Well, is it country? It don't sound too country, it sounds kinda rock ... it don't sound too rock, it sounds kinda country.' Man, it's just me, and I'm Southern. It's just Southern music.

"It's kinda like Lynyrd Skynyrd," he continued. "You got your country fans listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd, and you've got country fans listening to Colt Ford, which is rap. I love it. There is no one genre anymore. I love how it's all blurred together. It makes an artist feel that they can actually step somewhere without stepping on somebody's toes. That's what I love about it."

The live arrangements of the songs from 'Roots' rely on simple intersecting parts that create a much bigger-sounding whole, all topped off by Lee's vocal delivery. His ability to sing in the upper range and employ long, sustained notes differentiates him from most other comparable artists.

"We kinda amplify all the songs to ten whenever we play 'em live, because we want them to feel it," he said. "These ain't just songs that we want to sing to you. We want these songs to resonate with you, and whenever you leave, you're singin' 'em."

Lee is one of the latest additions to the roster at Average Joes, a label that employs an alternative, grass roots approach to marketing its artists. By focusing on a business model that mostly bypasses commercial radio and emphasizes touring, supported primarily by very active social media engagement and other direct marketing efforts, Average Joes has scored substantial success with the Lacs, LoCash Cowboys and Colt Ford, among others.

It's an approach that Lee feels is a perfect fit.

"They really let me be the artist and the songwriter that I am," he observes, "and that's what more important than anything. It's kind of a 'make yourself' thing; you work for what it is that you do. I don't have a problem with that. I've been doing it anyway," he adds with a laugh.

Lee and his band plan to support the release with more touring coming up. Keep up with concert dates and more at his official web site, or follow him on Facebook and Twitter.