Today we’d like to introduce you to Zach Day.
Hi Zach, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I got suspended from Mississippi State University my freshman year and instead of moving home with my parents, I moved into a cabin at our hunting camp. This cabin had no electricity or running water and was only heated with a wood-burning stove which was also used for cooking. I took my guitar and the first songs I learned how to play were two and three-chord songs by Hank Williams Senior and within a couple of months, I started writing my own songs. I didn’t get into music until I was almost 20 years old so I was a late bloomer in that aspect. I invested a lot of time into practicing and writing and soon started playing shows locally in Mississippi where I am originally from. After finally graduating college in 2014 I moved to Austin for a short time and sort of got my feet under me, in a music sense, before returning to MS to try it as a full-time musician. I played all over MS and would make trips back to Texas to play a few times a year. In March of 2021, I moved back to Austin and now live and perform here 4-6 days a week as a solo act and with my band “Zach Day and The Texas Horse Pirates”.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Nothing is ever a smooth road, haha! The struggle in MS was that there isn’t very many venues to play at. Throughout the whole state, I would roughly say there’s around 300 venues while here in Austin there’s probably 3000 without driving more than an hour out of town. Because Of that I had to do other things to make ends meet. For instance, farming, building fences for cattle, sellling firewood, working offshore on a drilling rig, small carpentry and mechanic work, selling scrap iron and the list goes on. I always knew the grass was greener here in Texas as far as music opportunities go but I didn’t want to leave home.
I’m finally a full-time musician without any side hustles but the struggle here in Austin is the high cost of living. It’s always hard to get ahead for one reason or another as a musician but I’m finally feeling like I can breathe easier with the number of gigs I’ve been booking. In MS I probably never exceeded 100 shows in a year but I’m on track to do over 200 this year in TX.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a self-taught singer-songwriter, guitar player, entrepreneur, wanna be marketing expert, booking agent, producer, merchandise designer and all the other things it takes to be an independent artist. I would really like to just be a singer-songwriter and guitar player though which is what I’m most proud of. I think my songwriting is probably what makes me stand out as a musician because I have a strong mix of Mississippi blues and country influences. That also influences my guitar playing. When I play the slide on my acoustic guitar, it always turns heads in a crowd, those songs get requested the most.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I was very fortunate that most of my family has always been huge supporters of me being a musician. My parents never questioned me about whether it was a waste of time and if anything they encouraged me to waste more time with the music! I also have an incredible group of friends that actually convinced me to play a show for all of them for the very first time and without that who knows if I would have ever gotten on stage.
I have had a mentor here in TX that has helped me get gigs at places like Luckenbach for years now and has taught me several do’s and dont’s about the industry. His name is Jimmy Lee Jones. At one time he was regularly sharing the stage with the likes of Willy Nelson, Merle Haggard, David Allen Coe, Ray Wylie Hubbard and so on. He’s been a great friend and a promoter of me when most others weren’t and at no benefit to himself; that I will never forget.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.zachdaymusic.net
- Instagram: @zachdayofficial
- Facebook: Facebook/music.zachday
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCE194s_xqsNlriaMVDT0dIg
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/3LQGmBpuRVf1j2veuGw9bo?si=GR9fwXj2QZOuAU_xnU-1PA
