Feinstein’s/54 Below, Broadway’s Supper Club, presents Spencer Day on June 30th, 2016.
Day’s new show LOVEFOOL will take on love gone right, love gone wrong, and, of course, love that’s fit for song. This versatile and unique show features classic standards, original compositions, and interesting takes on new standards by the Cardigans, Michael Jackson, and more. LOVEFOOL is sure to get even the most cynical romantics in the mood.
If there is a just and fair God in this world (and I believe there is), then something’s gotta be done about the fact that crooners like Spencer Day and Jake Simpson are not as well known as Mike Bubbles, as everyone knows…BUBBLES IS A MAJOR POSER!!! If nothing else, the team of Day and Simpson showed that in this day of canned voices, you are still able get music that can combine Rat Pack hip and 6 Pack muscle, mixing sounds of the past, present and future is shaken, not stirred into an intoxicating cocktail of song.
Spencer Day is not only one of the most talented singer-songwriters around — with five albums of original, finely crafted, bluesy-jazzy songs — the gay performer is offering fans a chance to help him create his new album, Angel City.
In the video for his Indiegogo campaign to raise funds for the album, Day makes his appealing appeal from the shower, because — well, why not? As of this writing, the project was (ahem) 69 percent funded. What’s unusual about the campaign are the perks that he’s offering to high-end donors, including house or benefit concerts, personally recorded videos, and backstage VIP tickets to his shows.
His upcoming live shows include December 9-10 at Feinstein’s in San Francisco, December 14-20 at the Palm Cabaret in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and January 12-16 at the Colony Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla.
In an exclusive interview, Day explains that the songs in Angel City were inspired by the three years he spent living in Hollywood. “The songs are about any place that people hold up as a grail that will hold their salvation,” he says. “But no city can live up to the expectations that we heap on it to make our dreams come true.”
Feinstein’s at the Nikko, San Francisco, CA, June 5, 2015
Reviewed by Steve Murray for Cabaret Scenes
Spencer Day, one of the finest lyricists of his generation, brought his most accomplished show to the first of two sold-out evenings in his spiritual if not physical hometown of San Francisco. I’ve been covering Day since his career began and, at the tender young age of 36, he’s reaching a peak that he can reasonably sustain for decades to come. Yes, he’s that talented, unique and now absolutely confident in his abilities. He has the keen knack of writing complete musical vignettes about people, places and events. Mixing influences from Gershwin, Bernstein, Porter and the contemporary songwriters like Wainwright, Joel and Simon, Day has come up with a highly idiosyncratic style that puts him at the forefront of modern musicians.
He opened with his noir love story “Mystery of You” (Day/Evan Rogers/Carl Sturken). The non-original material of his powerful set: a sweet cover of “The Look of Love” (Burt Bacharach and Hal David), an homage to George Gershwin with “Do It Again” (lyrics: Buddy DeSylva), with lovely cello by Yair Evnine, Oscar Hammerstein and Jerome Kern’s “Nobody Else But Me”/“Just in Time” (Adolph Green, Betty Comden, Jule Styne) and “Nightclub, a sung poem by Billy Collins.
Day and collaborator Cliff Goldmacher’s humorous take on temptation and desire is developed cleverly in “Taken,” where the caution is “no one’s taken with you until you’re taken, too.” Writing about places and environments, Day sang his witty “Lost in Los Angeles,” about the craziness of his former hometown, and his new song, “The Ghost of Chateau Marmont,” a haunting ode to broken dreams and lost lives. Relationships are covered as well in his Peggy Lee-styled “Till You Come to Me” (Day/Goldmacher)—which the Smooth Jazz Top 20 Countdown ranked the number one cut for 2010—and “You Don’t Know That You’re Lonely” (Day/Barry Dean/Luke Laird/John Randall), about the denial phase post-breakup.
Backed by John Story and Goldmacher on guitars and Evnine on the cello, Day’s powerful baritone soared on his spiritual “Somewhere on the Other Side” and his clear vocals riding over the plaintive bowing of the cello melody was sublime. His masterwork, “The Movie of Your Life,” puts it all together in one sweeping opus that combines all his musical influences, from the Great American Songbook writers to The Beatles, while remaining uniquely all Day. His encore of the beautiful “I’m Coming Home” (Day/Goldmacher) expresses his gratitude at finally being at peace with himself. He followed that with a bit of delicious wickedness with the comic “Mary Lincoln’s Last Night Out,” in which Mary implores Abe to take her to the theater (“what’s the worst that could happen?”). The two songs couldn’t be more different and illustrate Day’s wide range of interests and possibilities.
Day is writing today’s classics, if there were such a designation in the present moment; time will be the judge of that. But, for now, Day is one of the most exciting performers on the stage today.
Singer-songwriter and pianist Spencer Day, who made his Indy debut at theCabaret at the Columbia Club Friday for the first of a two night engagement, is simply not an entertainer who can be easily categorized. Day, who is comfortable performing any genre of music, be it classic jazz, blues, rock or folk music, demonstrated his versatility while accompanied by guitarist and vocalist John Storie.
Day’s show which was titled “Lovefool,” consisted of selections from the American Songbook, contemporary songs and some of his original tunes, followed a theme, suggested by the show’s title. Singing songs primarily about love, Day sought to reexamine the nature of an emotion that is the most common inspiration for songwriters and explore how even love songs about heartbreak can help us feel catharsis and turn something painful into something healing.
Throughout his show, Day shared details such as his Mormon upbringing, his coming into self-awareness as a result of a traumatic breakup and other personal revelations that spoke to his authenticity and willingness to express himself through his original music. For this writer, it was Day’s own very thoughtful songs that revealed both his talent as a songwriter and an individual who is not afraid to be vulnerable and express his innermost feelings. It’s no wonder his 5 albums have been met with critical acclaim.
Soul Stories is everything Blake Aaron is and more. The 10 compositions in the award-winning guitarist’s new release reveal exciting insights into his soulful musical journeys taken with several of his musical buddies who helped Blake realize his ideas. The first-call session player salutes one of his major influences – Wes Montgomery – with “Wes Side Story” and also re-tells the stories behind Carlos Santana’s “Europa” and Daryl Hall’s and John Oates’ “Sara Smile” via his virtuosic guitar playing.
Blake Aaron wrote or co-wrote all but two of the songs and performs with such renowned artists as saxophonist Najee, and jazz vocalist Spencer Day. Blake Aaron had the privilege of playing and recording with the late drummer Ricky Lawson who passed in 2013 following a brain aneurism. His toe-tapping, head nodding boogaloo-tinged “Wes Side Story,” and his hard luck story told on “You’re The One For Me,” features Lawson’s exceptional playing on the last two drum tracks Blake Aaron and Lawson performed together.
The new Spencer Day Christmas single “Christmas With You” is featured today on the iTunes ‘Holiday’ page under New and Noteworthy.
If you are one of the top five supporters during the upcoming Spencer Day Stageit.com webcast this Saturday you could win one of the following amazing prizes:
1. Signed copy of music chart, signed copies of entire Spencer Day CD catalog, limited edition embroidered Spencer Day logo hat and shirt, and a 15 minute Skype interview with Spencer.
2. Signed copy of StageIt set list, signed copies of Vagabond and Mystery of You posters, signed copies of 2 CDs of your choice, and limited edition embroidered Spencer Day logo hat and shirt.
3. Limited edition embroidered Spencer Day Logo hat and shirt, signed copy of Introducing Spencer Day.
4. Limited edition embroidered Spencer Day Logo hat AND shirt.
5. Limited edition embroidered Spencer Day Logo hat OR shirt.
Head over to Stageit NOW to reserve your spot in the show… pay whatever you want to attend (minimum cost is ONLY 10 cents!!)
Now through January 1st men and women Daybreak t-shirts are on sale for $12.99! Head over to the Spencer Day store to purchase your shirt today!
