During his set at the 2015 Taste of Country Music Festival, Chase Bryant noted that he's often asked if his music is more pop-country or more rock-country, but he would prefer that people "cut the damn hyphen out."

"We play country music," the 22-year-old added, to massive cheers from the assembled crowd.

Truth be told, Bryant's brand of country generally has a blues-y, soulful, rockabilly sound, which fits well with his polished, '50s-influenced fashion sense and pompadour-esque hairstyle. The country newbie has plenty of onstage swagger — and the talent to back it up.

Bryant's hour-long set included both original songs — "Wayfarer Weather" and "Change Your Name," for example — as well some covers (the Steve Miller Band's "The Joker" and the Doobie Brothers' "Takin' It to the Streets"), all of which allowed him to show off his truly stellar guitar skills. We'd expect nothing less from him though; after all, his grandfather played with Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings.

"Damn, it feels good to be up here," Bryant told the crowd. "Country music is alive and well!"

The relative newcomer took numerous opportunities throughout his set to jam with his band and play a few guitar solos ... and almost as many opportunities to compliment the ladies in the audience (including his mom, who attended the festival).

"I've never seen so many pretty girls in my life," Bryant said from stage at one point. Later on, he noted that "there's something about a girl that lights your world on fire."

Bryant closed his set with his debut single, "Take It on Back," which became a Top 10 hit.

“The one thing for me is that you don’t have to wear a cowboy hat to be country. You just have to tell the truth. I think that’s what makes country," Bryant says. "You do your best rendition of who you are, and country music accepts that.”

Get To Know Chase Bryant

10 Best Things About Day 1 of the 2015 ToC Festival

See Day 1 of ToC Fest 2015 in Less Than 60 Seconds

More From Mix 103.9