In the Chair is a regular feature on Eventalaide, highlighting artists from across Australia and occasionally overseas. Everyone gets the same questions. It is just meant to be a bit of fun so please treat it as such.
Questions by Geoff Jenke
A musician since a young age, Michael Day crafted his enveloping musical style after years spent listening to leaders of the indie genre, including the likes of Josh Pyke, Angus & Julia Stone, and The Lumineers. A reflective person by nature, Day translated this introspective focus into his music once again when he formed his current band in 2019. Backed by musical comrades Rhyan Lyndon-James, Ben Humphreys, and Dave Rajendram, Day’s sound is as folky as it is melancholic and ambient, with the sum of all these parts being illustrated in vibrant detail on latest single, Psych or The Priest.
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Name: Michael Day
In less than 50 words
describe your music and yourself.
Michael Day is still not taller than His father, with whatever growth hormones
he had going into his beard. He creates a moody blend of Indie Folk, Rock and
Roots music with his band and on his days off spirals about not having a ‘real
job’. He is most at home on the acoustic guitar, however, is more most at home
hanging out with his Wifey and Golden retriever puppy.
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What was the first
record you bought with your own money and where from?
Good
Charlotte: The Young and The Hopeless. I bought it from Sanity, and would
listen to it on a Walkman on long drives and would write out all the lyrics. I
would often get the lyrics wrong.
80’s or 90’s Music:
I think I have to say 90s because I grew up on punk rock. Green Day and Good
Charlotte were staples when I was about 9 haha. The Anthem, what a
banger.
What music are you
currently listening to?
Ed Prosek, Angus and Julia Stone, Gregory Alan Isakov, Jacob Wylde, Riley
Pearce, Jordy Maxwell, Kat Wilson, Joan and the Giants, Ramondouu, Ghost Care,
The Lumineers, Hayden Calnin, Garrett Kato, The Paper Kites, Lucas Jones.
The Best live
artist/band you’ve seen:
Cat Empire at the Fremantle arts center. They went off and were all freak
musicians! My brain exploded.
Your “In the mood for
love” song:
Obviously, James Blunt ‘You’re beautiful’, ideally with the music video
projected on a wall behind interpretive dancers wearing chiffon and waving
ribbons.
Your favourite Saturday
night party record?
Definitely depends on the party, but some Earth Wind and Fire ‘Let’s Groove’
gets me in a good mood.
Your favourite Sunday
morning chill out record?
One of Jacob Wylde’s 3 Records. His latest ‘Alive, Alive’, or ‘Love in Reverse’
or ‘Water in my Brain’ are some seriously good chilled Sunday morning
vibes.
Which song do you wish
you had written?
Chateau by Angus and Julia Stone
Roger Daltry once said
“Rock N Roll has no future”. Do you agree with him?
If Rock ‘n’ Roll is thinking about the future, is it really Rock ‘n’
Roll?
Vinyl, CD or Streaming?
I wish I could say Vinyl, but I do not have a record player 🙁 So currently
streaming, it’s just so practical and sometimes I’m a big practical guy.
If you could record or
play live with any artist (dead or alive), who would it be?
Currently, I have a dream of getting Julia Stone to feature on a song of ours,
one day. So that’s something. Maybe John Mayer, I would love to play alongside
Him or have Him feature on a song. Otherwise, Gregory Alan Isakov, would be
great to record with or play live with Him! I’d love to learn in depth/up close
how He creates music and thinks about it. Would love to record alongside His
engineer who helps Him find ‘God Noises’.
What is the most useless
talent you have?
I can speak in this really squeaky high voice. Not many people know this.
Your finest recorded
moment?
One time, towards the end of High School, I had some friends over and it was
the first time I had coffee. I went a little hyper. I was baa’ing like a sheep,
and just generally being an annoying person (also a useless talent of mine) and
my friend made a video titled ‘The time Mike got drunk on coffee’. It
resurfaces every now and then and I do not like people seeing that one.
Who is your musical hero
and what one question would you ask them?
Probably Newton Faulkner, I’d ask Him how does He even? And then I’d ask can
you please teach me.
Dying, peacefully on
your deathbed, what song would you like to hear?
Any movement from ‘The Oh Hello’s Family Christmas Album’ would be splendid.
Maybe ‘Mvmt:II “Begin and Never Cease”
Stuck on a desert island
for a year and can only take three albums. What would they be?
Jacob
Wylde – Water in my Brain
The Cat Empire – The Cat Empire
Gregory Alan Isakov – The Weatherman
Favourite all time
movie:
Emperor’s New groove (Judge me, all you like but you’re wrong)
If you drove an ice
cream van, what music would you play?
Maybe Master of Puppets just cause Stranger Things is a vibe. Or maybe just
something really creepy from a horror movie. It’d fit the vibe but I probably
wouldn’t sell any ice cream… If that was the case maybe The Schnitzel Song from
Hoodwinked. Yeah, let’s face it, I should never own an ice cream van. I have no
idea.
Best show you have ever
played in your career:
We played Blues at Bridgetown and performed in the Town Hall, and it just felt
good to me, so probably then.
Any backstage incident
that makes you laugh?
One time I was planning to get changed into some nice clothes but was quite
overwhelmed, so I couldn’t, and then just ended up wearing trackies, socks and
thongs on stage like a true hero. Is crying the same as laughing?
Neil Young or Paul
McCartney?
Paul McCartney.
Who is the nicest person
in Rock n Roll at the moment?
Kat Wilson is definitely up there. She’s a lovely human with absolutely mad
skills. She would give anyone the time of day and shows genuine kindness. But
also, there’s a lot of lovely people in the industry at the moment, from my
experience. Beau from Ghost Care is also a lovely man!
What do you hope the
next 12 months hold for you?
I’m hoping that we release a bunch more music and play some music festivals.
That’d be ideal.
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Bathed in the soulful sounds that define the alt-folk genre he excels within, Perth Hills-born singer/songwriter Michael Day has entered into stunning new territory with the release of his latest single, Psych or The Priest. Tender in its delivery, and helped along by subtle trumpet and harmonica (and the production talents of Debaser Studio’s Andy Lawson), Psych or The Priest sees Day drawing influence from the likes of Gregory Alan Isakov as he ruminates on the topic of anxiety and depression that often impacts his life.
“The song started as a reflection on the emotions I had around the time, specifically the feeling of drowning,” Day explains. “As I sat on a train, thinking about the past number of years, thinking “What just happened?”, I felt like I was watching life as a montage and had no control over any of it, which left me feeling somewhat sad and useless, and maybe for the first time, I felt the feeling of hopelessness.”
It was these feelings of hopelessness and destabilisation that soon found themselves coalescing into the inspiration for Psych or The Priest.
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