Songwriter-pianist Spencer Day has just released The Mystery of You (following Introducing Spencer Day and Vagabond) and is coming to Seattle’s Jazz Alley on April 9 and 10, 2013, for an album release party. Listen to the title track online.
1. Where did you grow up, and how did you end up where you are now?
I think I’ve ended up where I am today due to a series of fortuitous chance meetings, lucky breaks and a few wacky misadventures. I was born in Utah, finished high school in rural Arizona, formed and schooled by life in California, and then polished off in New York, which is now where I reside. However, I bounce back to California fairly often. It really feels like having the best of both worlds.
2. Which performance, song, play, movie, painting, or other work of art had the biggest influence on you and why?
There have been so many but I’ll name a few of my favorites. When I was 16, “Rhapsody In Blue” by George Gershwin changed my life. Then Miles Davis, “Kind Of Blue” at 17 and Jeff Buckley, Chet Baker, and Joni Mitchell at 18. I’ve always been a big fan of Picasso and a lot of early 20th century Modernist, Cubist, and Art Deco painters really inspired my musical aesthetic.
3. What skill, talent, or attribute do you most wish you had and why?
Wow, this is a great question. Well, there really are so many things I would love to do in another life. I generally really wish I was a better athlete and specifically I am amazed by amazing dancers. Anything from modern to tap. Being able to move like Gene Kelly would be pretty awesome.
4. What do you do to make a living? Describe a normal day.
I’ve been lucky that for the last 10 years I’ve been making a living writing songs and performing them. I don’t know how many completely normal days I have but generally I’m up by 9:30 a.m. (not bad for a musician) and usually having coffee (though I switched to decaf recently), then I meditate and afterwards I try to play something on the piano. It doesn’t really matter what, I just try to start the days doing something creative. I try to save work calls for a little bit later as I seem to find it harder to be creative if I think too much about the business stuff first.
5. Describe your singing style. What made you decide to pursue this sound?
This is always the hardest question for me to answer at parties. I suppose I would probably describe myself as a modern torch singer. No matter what style of music I am singing, that is usually the way I deliver a song. I really hope to bring my love of smoky noir and the classic jazz aesthetic and juxtapose it with my contemporary pop-singer/songwriter side. I guess only time will tell whether I succeed!
