Singer/songwriter Howie Day sees himself as a mixture of his influences. "The first band that caught my attention was the Beatles," Day said during a telephone interview from New York City. "I bought all their albums and learned all their songs.
"And they opened doors to Elton John, U2 — especially Bono— and the Verve's Richard Ashcroft. And I listened to a lot of Jeff Buckley. I'm comfortable saying that I took all these musicians and stole some of their styles that I liked."
Day is the opening guest on the Tori Amos tour, which will make a stop in the E Center Saturday. Day said he feels fortunate that Amos liked his CD enough to give him a call. "We are on the same record label now," Day said. "Tori moved from Atlantic to Epic this year. I guess one of our people gave Tori a CD and it intrigued her. She called and asked if I wanted to tour with her."
He started by playing bars and clubs in Maine, but Day said he is pleasantly surprised by Amos' audiences. "They let me do my own thing. They've been great to me. I was a little nervous, because I knew they were very devoted to her, and seeing her show, I can understand why. I'm just happy they give me a chance and do listen to my music."
Day's album "Australia" was independently released in 2000 and earned an award for Best Debut Album by a Singer/Songwriter at the 2001 Boston Music Awards. Later that year, Day signed to Epic, which re-released the CD earlier this year.
Although he's now on a major label, Day still does everything himself. "It's a challenge being my own company and boss. But I'm not complaining. And while I'm my own boss, I'm still a product that needs to be promoted. But there's nothing like getting up each night and playing to people.
"To me, it doesn't matter how many people are in the audience. I enjoy intimate shows with 50 or less people. I feel I can connect with each of them individually. The larger shows are great, too. They're a huge energy fest."
Who: Tori Amos and Howie Day
Where: E Center
When: Saturday, Dec. 7, 7:30 p.m.
How much: $32
Phone: 467-8499
Web: www.toriamos.com or www.howieday.com
E-mail: scott@desnews.com