By Michael Barbieri****Spencer Day is a multi-faceted gem of a performer. When I went to see his show at The Green Room 42, I was expecting an evening of jazz. What I discovered was a charming singer-songwriter, whose influences include jazz, musical theater, American standards, cabaret and classic rock.
Continuing his monthly residency at The Green Room 42, Day presented an assortment of original songs, including some from his newest recording, Angel City, a moody and sometimes playfully cynical meditation on the city of Los Angeles. He also peppered the set with songs made famous by Bruce Springsteen, Buddy Holly, The Cardigans, and even a couple of standards by Jerome Kern and Jule Styne, all of which kept the evening fresh and varied.
Day, the self-proclaimed Fomo Momo Homo (Former Mormon Homosexual) hit the stage looking like the hippest boy next door you’ve ever met, with a casual, affable demeanor. His opener, “Here I Go,” was a bouncy ode to love against all odds. He then sat at the piano and gave us a medley of “Moon Over Manhattan,” a deceptively swingy song about longing for love in the big city, paired with his hit, “Till You Come To Me.” With a mysterious feel and evocative lyrics like “it’s hotter than the water from a boiler in the basement of hell,” the latter song painted a vivid picture of a sweltering New York night and a spurned lover waiting for his flame to return.
After mentioning his love for the 1950’s—minus the sexism, racism and homophobia, Day treated us to a sexy, jazzy, slowed-down version of Buddy Holly’s “Oh Boy” that featured a sultry walking bass line. Day also surprised us with his vocal range when he dipped down into his lower register for a few solid bass notes!
A few of his west-coast-flavored songs followed. We heard “The California Yes,” which, as Day put it, “is a probable maybe at best,” followed by the tongue-in-cheek “Too Old to Sleep My Way to the Top,” which he claimed was probably not very politically correct nowadays. “72 and Sunny,” a wistful piece about covering one’s dark feelings with a mask of bright cheerfulness, showcased his songwriting skills, with moving, intelligent lyrics like “So I put on a smile, ‘cause I can lie with incredible style… I’m gonna fake it till I make it, and everyone’s gonna believe it.” Perhaps the most gorgeous moment in the show came with the haunting “Ghost of the Chateau Marmont.” This stunning, melancholy portrait of the dark side of Tinseltown was inspired, of course, by the storied Chateau Marmont Hotel in L.A., where, among other infamous events, John Belushi died of an overdose in 1982. The hotel was a place, as Day sang, “where successes and fakes go to make their mistakes, far away from the cruel public eye.” He wove a tragic tale of “red velvet ropes, pink champagne, lines of coke,” and a place where “behind every thrill, lies a terrible chill of a dream that refuses to die.” His heartbreaking vocal was made even more poignant by the soft waltz tempo and guitarist John Storie’s spot-on mimicry of a mandolin, which brought a spooky, old-world feel to the number.
A co-dependency medley brought some knowing laughs. Featuring snippets of songs like “With Or Without You,” “Crazy,” “How Do I Live Without You?” and “You’re Nobody Till Somebody Loves You,” the medley was funny, although a tad too long. Day’s cover of The Cardigans’ “Lovefool” gave the song a fresh jazzy bounce, and his own “You Don’t Know You’re Lonely,” was wonderfully reminiscent of Roy Orbison. And finally, this segment devoted to obsessive love was capped by his tribute to internet stalking, “Book of Faces.” And while the patter that led into the song was humorous, his scenario of checking up on a former lover via Facebook and “spying on my new replacement,” was inherently sad, revealing guilt and regret, as he sang “now, everywhere I go, I’ll be seeing kisses on vacation, sweet infatuation.”
As we came to the last few songs of the evening, Day spoke of his mentor in Palm Springs, California, who’d introduced him to Debbie Reynolds, Ann Miller and Betty Hutton, among others. He remarked that this new life he was experiencing was beyond anything he could’ve imagined as a young Mormon boy growing up in Utah and Arizona. His next selection, “Movie of Your Life,” was a warm, sentimental song about looking back and contemplating one’s past. Stylistically, the song seemed to reflect many of Day’s musical influences, as I heard a little jazz, a bit of Broadway and even touches of country and soft rock. Inspired by his then newfound life, it seemed fitting that he dedicated the song to his mentor.
Whether accompanying himself at the piano, or singing center stage, backed by his wonderful musicians—John Storie on guitar, Matt Aronoff on bass and Aaron Seeber on drums—Day knows how to command a room and captivate an audience. And yes, while he’s been compared to Harry Connick Jr., I also heard traces of Peter Allen, Elvis, and one of my favorites, Paul Williams. But all influences aside, by the end of the show, it seemed quite clear that Spencer Day, this boyishly handsome, modern-day crooner, was uniquely Spencer Day!
Spencer Day appears at The Green Room 42 on Friday, August 17th and Friday, September 21st, with shows at 7pm. For more information go to www.thegreenroom42.com or www.spencerday.com
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