Derek Day can be forgiven for having swagger – that’ll happen when Steve Vai tags you as the next big thing. But if Day has a big head too, you’d never know it.
“Two record contracts back in 2021, Steve graciously called me to give me some advice,” Day tells Guitar World. “He said, ‘At the end of the day, you gotta sit your ass on one horse’ – amongst other really cool phrases!”
With new album I Can’t Imagine and an appearance on the Satch/Vai track I Wanna Play My Guitar among his recent achievements, the 24-year-old has evidence the guitar is alive and well.
“Guitar music speaks and it can do virtually anything,” he asserts. “A lot of the synths you hear are actually juiced, geared-up guitars. It’s the instrument that sounds most like us. It’s timeless – 12 notes, six strings and one strum can emulate any of nature’s elements.”
What inspired you to pick up the guitar?
“I heard the original electric version of Layla by Derek and the Dominoes. Weird… I just realized my name’s in the band title! I thought I was hearing a violin at first, but then I didn’t know anything about instruments as I was about eight years old. I knew I’d found something sonically defining when I started writing my own songs.”
Your sound has a unique glam-meets-prog edge.
“I love that combo! I’m always trying to find something – anything – undone before. Sometimes the meat n’ potatoes of my style come out like that word: UNdone-UNdone-UNdone-UNdone-UNdone. That’s the prog.
“Then glam because swagger stays undefeated. Dirt is the cleanest. Slurring makes more sense. It comes from a childhood of rolling around in the mud and scraping my knees to the sounds of Off the Wall and Physical Graffiti.”
Your sound appeals to Gen Z and also to boomers. Have you considered your have cross-generational appeal?
“I don’t think any specific age group would particularly dig it – it’s just more for the weird. But I attribute all relatability in each bar of music to culture. I think I make a strong effort to bring out my Latino in the licks, my Polish in the arrangement, and my North-East L.A. in the delivery.
“I traveled quite a bit as a child. Maybe it’s not so much that both the young and old can dig it, but that a lot of storyline bases are being covered.”
Steve showed Los Angeles that I have a voice; and shortly after, showed the world
How did Steve Vai come to discover you?
“He saw a video of me busking some SRV on the streets of Santa Monica, and gave me a chance to open up on his 25th anniversary Passion and Warfare tour. Ever since then my career has been immaculate and fun. He brought my confidence levels up and showed Los Angeles that I have a voice; and shortly after, showed the world.
“In my opinion Vai is the greatest living guitarist for so many emotional reasons – even though he’s perfect, he seeks out the broken. I’m honored to have played a couple of songs with him on stage for charity, as well as sing backup vocals on I Wanna Play My Guitar with Glenn Hughes and Joe Satriani.
“In the studio he’s just as godly as you’d expect. He writes the vocal harmony parts on the spot, very quickly, on his Ibanez, and I sing ‘em. With all of his chops from different star systems, he makes a conscious effort to feel. He picked up where Hendrix left off.”
Is his influence audible in your playing?
“He’s extremely influential on my playing, since I was 10 years old, in fact. Steve is always searching. I haven’t had any guitar advice from him because he demonstrates the best: always search; it’s your musical journey – no-one else’s.
“When I toured with him, on my band’s last song of the last show, my guitar was slightly out of tune. I told my drummer, ‘I was a little out…’ Vai walked past and said, ‘Your low E was four cents flat.’ And he’d been upstairs in the green room for that song!”
Are you a gearhead?
“Gear is fun! What’s cool is, we all find the right pedals at the right time, it seems. It’s tailored to our current personal state of grime or sparkle. Fender guitars make me feel like I’m tellin’ the Lord’s truth, or like I’m eatin’ Mama’s homemade tortilla con huevos. But I don’t discriminate.
“Gibson feels like I’m about to close a billion-dollar business deal – no mistakes, smooth and savvy. PRS and Ibanez necks are delightful. I can get away with a lot of fakin’ on those.
“Lately, I’ve been digging into Cream guitars from Mexico. They have weight and a lot of personality. And I love cheap guitars, the ones with fake names and funny bodies. I often write my music on them.”
What are the challenges of being a young guitarist?
We always come back to guitar because we need to accept our own temperamental changes
“One challenge is finding your own voice and standing out. The scene is oversaturated with cats who can play Bach backwards, which is awesome. But that proves it’s an old instrument, man. God made Adam, then Eve, then a baritone Rickenbacker!
“I overcome this originality ordeal by thinking ‘memento mori’ when a guitar’s is my hand. If there’s something you can’t say out loud, she’ll do it for you. That sort of play makes something old feel forever new.”
Why does guitar music still matter?
“A guitar is a very temperamental body of mass. The wood breathes, the neck changes; it literally has good days and bad days. In a way, it has a perspective. We will always come back to guitar because we all need to touch grass and accept our own temperamental changes, and the occasional need for re-wiring.
“I’m hearing big ol’ solos in the new Chappell Roan single. There’s some beautiful legato in the next Dua Lipa album, and some sharp, tasty ‘chikkas’ at the start of Harry Styles’ new track.”
- I Can’t Imagine is out now.
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