 Howie Day may only be 21-years old, but he has an old soul. On his debut, Australia, Days bittersweet songs evoke the spirit of a lifetimes worth of lovesick nights spent dwelling on regret and drinking alone.
Howie Day was inspired by the emotionally raw songs of Richard Ashcroft, U2, and Jeff Buckley, Day proudly wears his broken heart on his sleeve. Sorry So Sorry, She Says and Disco help set the albums dark tone. But its the first single, Ghost, that captures the albums spirit with hushed guitar and brooding vocals.
Independently released in 2000, Day has come a long way from booking himself at local bars and clubs on the weekends in Maine. Howie eventually won over the bar crowd playing half-covers and half-originals, I played some Beatles and Elton John songs and that seemed to get everyone on my side, then snuck in a few of my original songs when no one was expecting it. Days version of the Beatles Help can be heard on the certified gold I Am Sam soundtrack.
Driven by an intense desire to create, but limited by a teenagers budget, Day invented a lo-fi system to record his early songs. Armed only with an acoustic guitar, Day uses two quick feet to trigger an array of delay pedals he uses to create and control an invisible orchestra. He slaps his guitar for a backbeat, picks the melody out on a couple of strings, scratches the low-strings with his pick for extra percussion and singing background vocals. The sounds bounce around until Day pulls them all together with his guitar and soaring voice.
Howie Day not only enjoys building his songs on stage in front of an audience, he prefers to write songs in front of them too. On tour for Australia, Day has been trying out possible material Madrigal, Sweet and After You - for his next album. Playing new songs gives Day a break from the challenge of keeping fresh the three-year old songs on his first album. Thats a long time to play any song, he says. Im proud of this record, but Ive come a long way as a songwriter and performer since I recorded it. The new songs are more personal and intense than before. Im looking forward to showing the people what I can do now.
|
