Citing the likes of Jeff Buckley, Radiohead, and Dave Matthews among his influences, Howie Day used their music as a basis for his own original direction. Howie, like Patty Griffin, was a product of Bangor, Maine, who made a splash in Boston's coffeehouse scene. He released his first album, "Australia," in 2000. A lot has happened since then. Howie's music went in a rock direction, and he got the attention of industry heavyweight Chris Blackwell and was signed to the major Epic label. He got a gold record for his album "Stop the World Now," and he's been romantically linked to Britney Spears. What hasn't changed is that he writes songs imbued with a wide-eyed sense of boundless emotion, and clothes them in gorgeous arrangements that include innovative looping techniques.