Howie Day: Australia 20th Anniversary Show with special guest Taylor Young Band (duo)
Howie Day
Howie Day’s emotionally resonant lyrics and inventive melodies have earned him both critical praise and a legion of devoted fans. He is known for his energetic, heartfelt shows, where he connects with audiences through the strength of his songwriting and his quirky sense of humor. Day’s warm tenor voice “soars into fluttering, high registers, but also grates with real, pleading grit,” as one critic put it. After sales of over a million records and two Top 10 hits, Day is back on the road in support of his new studio album, Lanterns.
A native of Bangor, Maine, Day began playing piano at age five and guitar at age 12. By 15, he was writing his own songs and performing across New England. Shortly after graduating high school, Day became a fixture at college coffeehouses across the U.S. He wrote, financed and released his first effort, Australia, which was named Best Debut Album at the 2001 Boston Music Awards. The Boston Globe called Day “gorgeously seasoned, far beyond his years” with “a brave, beautiful singing voice.” During his relentless touring schedule, Day began experimenting with effects pedals and loop sampling techniques as he performed, layering live percussion with vocal harmonies and guitar parts to become a veritable one-man band. He went on to sell over 30,000 copies of Australia as he navigated the independent music scene and continued to hone his craft.
Taylor Young Band (duo)
With his scruffy beard, pearl snap shirt and soulful blue eyes, Taylor Young certainly looks the part of a Texas born and bred singer-songwriter.
As a teenager, Young broke onto the Dallas music scene as the drummer for local psychedelic heroes Hi-Fi Drowning. His frenetic-yet-flawless playing style quickly earned gigs with the likes of Young Heart Attack and The Polyphonic Spree. Young then defied expectations and co-founded folk-country duo The O’s, honing his songwriting, guitar playing and frontman presence over four albums and hundreds of live shows.
More power pop than country, TYB is stacked with breezy harmonies and big hooks seasoned with just a pinch of Southern twang. Opener “Get Around” gets the point across right away, sounding like Alex Chilton fronting Teenage Fanclub. The genre-bending continues on the lead single, “Rattled,” which wraps a Tom Petty style ballad in a cozy shoegaze blanket.
A persuasively optimistic hopeless romantic, Young sings earnestly about almost blowing it (“Make You Wanna Stay”), post-breakup second thoughts (“Out of My Mind”), and cosmic eternal destiny (“Shine On Me”). He’s also an old-school storyteller, ripping through honky tonk stomps “Daze of the Week” and “Drinkin” with a wink and self-deprecating smile.
Ted Lasso with a telecaster, Young imbues the entire record with relentless positivity - even against all odds. Album standout “Wrong Place, Wrong Time” turns a string of bad luck into the jauntiest jangle pop this side of The Smiths. It’s this disarming sort of charm that turns strangers into friends, and helps friends feel sure everything will work out fine in the end.
