http://www.howieday.com/

He's really a 67 year old trapped in the body of a 22-year-old. Day says his music is "somewhat moody." Really? Somewhat? He is 22 and writes about things that make you think of your worst break-up ever and how all you wanted was to be in one of those movie scenes where the broken-hearted goes to the bar and drinks into oblivion and spills to the guy next to him how he should have treated her better and now he'll be all alone, drinking alone, the rest of his life. And then he throws in the lovesick bit, too. Hey... he's only writing what he feels... man, you gotta feel sorry for him!

Day hails from the metropolis of Bangor, Maine. He started out booking himself at local bars and clubs on the weekends and didn't get such great feedback with his own material, so he started throwing in some Beatles and Elton John covers, and ears began to perk.

Day's inspiration is found in the "wear your heart on your sleeve" works of Richard Ashcroft, U2, and Jeff Buckley. It has worked well for him, considering he began writing at 15, and really, what "young adult" can you respect crooning about relationships and broken hearts? But Howie Day seems to have an insight that most of us still won't grasp at 50. He's good.

With a very atypical teenage drive and desire to create, Howie Day developed his own version of the multi-track recorder allowing him to turn his room into his own little recording studio.

To hear Howie Day's music, you'd think he's got quite a band of instruments behind him. Think again, Buck-o. Showing off his Sammy Davis side, Day uses two quick feet with an array of delay pedals to create his own orchestra... slapping his guitar for a backbeat, picking a melody on a couple of strings, scratching the other strings for added percussion, and after those sounds bounce around for a bit, he adds his guitar and vocals to bring it all together. Some nights, he will throw out a song or two that aren't finished and finish the song using a "pure form of inspiration." I'm sure Betty Crocker would have a fit putting that recipe together, but the finished product is like none other.

Day has never really let a silly thing like a record deal get in the way of his touring schedule. He may not have had the backing of a major label, but he's toured with the likes of The Wallflowers and David Gray, among others, as well as setting out on a full-time solo tour by the age of 18.

Day's debut album, Australia, was first released in 2000. Day says the hardest thing about recording the album was paying for it. He would record pieces at a time and then tour until he could afford more studio time. The album was eventually re-released in 2002 when Day was picked up by Epic Records earlier this year.

-Jennifer McCloskey
09.08.2003