A&E
Preview: Zella Day to headline CAB Fall Concert
By Max Newman ’16
October 8, 2015
Over the past few years, the mid-semester concerts of the Campus Activities Board (CAB) have featured artists like JoJo, Grouplove and RAC to name a few. While these concerts were fun, they were not particularly memorable. CAB’s Fall 2015 Concert featuring singer/songwriter Zella Day this Friday, Oct. 9, however, will be different. Fresh off her first major tour in support of her full-length debut album KICKER (June 2015), Day is set to deliver one of the most impressive and authentic performance Hamilton has ever seen.
Day released KICKER on her self-imprinted Pinetop Records, in partnership with Hollywood Records. She coined her label as a tribute to her hometown of Pinetop, AZ, which, in addition to her family background, has greatly influenced her artistic identity.
“The place I grew up in was a quiet little town perfect for a young girl finding herself in music,” Day explained in an interview with The Spectator. “There [were] no external pressures other than to completely be myself.” Day had no trouble finding a stage, as the only place in town for live music was her family-owned coffee shop, Mor Mor Coffee.
Even in her early days, this musical freedom kept her constantly defining and redefining her music. “The only thing I was realizing was that music made me feel good and I wanted more of it,” Day explained.
Day received her first major break in 2012 after releasing a cover of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army.” Upon signing with Hollywood Records shortly after, she was able to hone in on her original work.
Though she draws similarities to the likes of Lorde and Lana Del Rey, Day’s small town influences and Bohemian upbringing have given her sound a unique, desert-like feel. On her album: “The music’s spiritual resonance is clearly influenced by the Northern Arizona mountains that sheltered my creative energy from any outside implications of city mentality,” she said. “The creatures I encountered while exploring the depths of my mind and the small town full of secrets all hold great importance to the characterization of this record.”
Day also expresses her influences through fashion. “I try to create a vision for those who attend my show,” Day said. “I want to look the way that I sound, bringing in influences of the 60s hippie mamas, Southwest Native Americans and psychedelic rockstars.” These musical influences are apparent in Day’s spacey, often acoustic anthems.
Further, each song on the album is full of raw, genuine emotion. While major hits like “Hypnotic” and “Compass” are captivating, more stripped down tracks like “Jameson” and “Shadow Preachers” will have Hamilton students in awe of her natural singing talent.
For those who have been listening to Day’s work over the past few weeks, be prepared for an entirely new experience. After concluding her first national tour in support of KICKER, Day has learned more about her music than possibly ever before. “I’ve realized so much about my sound since playing live that I’ve completely redefined what the sound is. The show has a lot of elements to it that lean more rock than traditional pop. After seeing my show the record will sound different.” While Day has listed a myriad of other definitions for her music, she currently calls it “organic rock.”
Zella Day is in the early stages of her professional career, but her debut album is highly impressive for a young, small-town girl from Arizona. Like CAB’s Walk The Moon concert in the spring of 2013, you cannot miss this opportunity. As we’ve seen this band’s climb in the charts recently, Day is on track to do the same in the next few years.
The concert is this Friday night in the Annex. Doors at 8pm, Holy Ghost! at 8:45pm, Zella Day at 9:45pm. If you have not already purchased your ticket, more will be sold at the door for $10, first come first serve.