Howie Day may only be 21-years old, and he may not "dress the part" with his wild, spikey hair and brash looks -- but this singer-songwriter has matured much beyond his age, and has some serious talent packed into an extremely compact road show.

Inspired by the emotionally raw songs of Richard Ashcroft, U2, and Jeff Buckley, Day proudly wears his broken heart on his sleeve.  His signature sound is marked by a hushed guitar and brooding, layered vocals. His first album was recorded  independently in 1999 at Q Division in Boston with producer Mike Denneen (Aimee Mann, Guster, Letters to Cleo). The recording took nearly a year, as Day often took odd hours in the studio to get cheaper rates. The album was soon independently released soon after and, Australia went on to earn Day a 2001 Boston Music Award for "Best Debut Album by a Singer-Songwriter" and a 2002 award for "Best Male Singer Songwriter." The album has sold almost 30,000 copies via Day's Web site and at the 300 shows he played last year at clubs and college campuses around the country. It was Day's spirited live performances that first caught the attention of Epic Records, which signed Day earlier this year.

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.  Day admits that "sneaking" in an original every now and then was the key to conquering his local scene.  In fact, several live covers are floating around in cyberspace, each with Day's unique take on the track.  Day's 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 teenager's budget, Day invented' a lo-fi system to record his early songs.  The same artistic ingenuity that helped Day turn his bedroom into a recording studio carries over into his unique live shows today.

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.

Day not only enjoys building his songs on stage in front of an audience, he prefers to write songs in front of them too. It's common for Day to play half written songs to packed houses and then try to finish the song standing in the spotlight.

All of these elements sum to create the performer, and it's a show that hits the road whenever possible.  Day is constantly taking his portable package to wherever will have him.  It's an interesting formula, and the details come out with perfect clarity in this exclusive StarPolish Ask the Artist video interview with Day, shortly before his signing with Epic Records in 2001.  Tune in now, and stick around for a performace of "Sorry So Sorry" after the interview!

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