Phillyist Interviews... Howie Day

Photo courtesy Howie Day's website

Six years. That's how long fans have waited for Howie Day to release an album. Thankfully, his fans have stuck by him and their loyalty was rewarded with the September release of Sound The Alarm. The classic Howie Day sound is melded with lush harmonies and a tinge of sadness. Phillyist caught up with Howie before he headed out on tour. Here's what he's been up to in the last six years:

When you were touring for your last album, Stop All The World Now, you stayed on for eight years straight. What did taking six years off after that do for you?
Well, I did 293 shows in one year and honestly, it exhausted me. I needed to take some time off, refresh, and just get away from everything. I stayed in Sedona for about a month, Aspen for another month, I just lived life and soaked up everything it had to offer. It was awesome.

When the new album came out, you asked fans what their favorite songs were. Phillyist is really enjoying "No Longer What You Require," among others. What did fans say were their favorite tracks?
iTunes really gave fans an opportunity to take in the album, write reviews and experience what the album was about. A lot of people have liked "No Longer What You Require," as well as "Be There" and "Longest Night." Those seem to be the fan favorites. Funny, but I can pinpoint a very specific place and time for each track. I recorded 27 tracks for the album and really was pushed to put more on the final cut but this was really what I felt should be on it.

So we can expect a B-side album to come out?
(laughs) I don't know...we'll see.

Talk about your loop sampling. Can we expect to hear it on this tour?
Oh, definitely. I got into the loop sampling thing when I was a 16-year-old kid with an acoustic and a mic. I didn't have a sound guy but I wanted some effects, I wanted to be spontaneous. It's hard to do that with a sound guy. I started with doing this ethereal looping and it didn't really work. I went to this music store in Birmingham, bought a loop sampler and just started trying it for real. Those 200+ shows were an evolution of that because I just played anywhere. I wasn't too good for any venue.

What's your advice for the guitarists that are following in your footsteps?
You have to be willing to struggle. It sounds kind of dorky but if you really wanna do it—and you have to really want to do it—then you have to make that conscious decision to put everything you have into it. You have to make a promise to yourself and have an incredible amount of perseverance. You also can't be too good for anything. Learn to talk to your audience and sing because if there's any talent there, people will notice. Be in the right place at the right time, and that comes with being in as many places as you can be. The more you place, the more venues and just random places you play, the better your chances are for success.

We are all well aware of the crap-tastical acoustics and general atmosphere that is the Electric Factory but here's hoping that maybe, just maybe, it'll be an enjoyable evening. Catch our preview of Trevor Hall later today and come to the show. It's pretty early for a concert so you'll get out at a reasonable time for a weeknight.

Colbie Caillat, with Howie Day and Trevor Hall
Wed., 10/14/09
6:30 p.m.
Electric Factory (421 North 7th St.)
Tickets: $25