Howie Day’s first CD, “Australia,” was a record of modest beginnings.
Like many debut musicians, Day saw the CD as something he would release himself, sell at his shows and perhaps use as a high-quality demo he could shop to record labels in hopes of getting a contract.
Day recorded “Australia” with producer Mike Deneen over the course of a year, booking a few days at Q Division studio in Boston every few months after he saved up enough money to pay for studio time.
The humble little CD accomplished a lot for Day, who was just 19 when he recorded “Australia.” In 2001 it won a Boston Music Award for best debut album by a singer-songwriter. It sold an impressive 30,000 copies through Day’s Web site – a figure that helped attract the attention of Epic Records.
Epic signed Day and in 2002 re-released “Australia” without so much as remixing the CD.
Circumstances for Day were quite different when he began work on his recently released second CD, “Stop All The World Now.”
“It was daunting a little bit,” he said. “… There was a little more pressure this time to it. Obviously there have been a lot of changes to my career with signing to a label and now we have a budget and a lot more hands kind of in our (project).
“… I got strings on it and everything that I couldn’t have before. So I was kind of like a kid in a candy store in a way.”
Day’s current live shows reflect the sonic shift his music took with “Stop All The World Now.”
A native of Bangor, Maine, Day began performing eight years ago at age 15, initially playing resort communities around his home state before hiring a booking agent who expanded his circuit to include Boston, New York and other northeastern cities.
Along the way, Day developed an unusual approach to solo performing. Using a sampler, loops and an array of effects pedals, Day on the spot could create additional instrumental tracks, rhythms and other sounds to augment his solo guitar performances.
This created the illusion that Day was performing with live backing.
For his current shows, though, Day is using a live band.
“I think having the band adds a huge dynamic to the songs,” he said.
Day admitted it took some effort to make the transition to playing live with a band.
“I feel like if you make a mistake playing a solo gig, then you can kind of pretend you meant to do it,” he said. “In a band it becomes a lot more obvious and you feel like you’re up there pounding on each other. It took a little bit of adjustment, for sure.”
Howie Day
With O.A.R./Guster/Matt Nathanson: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Marymoor Amphitheatre, Redmond; $30, 206-628-0888.
Howie Day
With O.A.R./Guster/Matt Nathanson: 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Marymoor Amphitheatre, Redmond; $30, 206-628-0888.
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