Amiyah Golden
Words by Amiyah Golden
Howdy.
No… no.
Not the idiom.
The multi-talented artist Howdy (AKA Landon Gay.)
If you’re not familiar with this singer/songwriter, allow me to acquaint you with this Jacksonville native (and if you’re already a fan make sure you stick along too.)
As a lad, Gay’s days spent listening to country tunes on the radio were the dawn of his musical curiosities, which led to him picking up the guitar and singing alongside familiar chords. This gradual ease into intrinsic recital shifted from a mere pastime to an endeavor into the musical landscape.
“When I was in high school my interest in guitar, country, folk and singer-songwriter music shifted from a hobby to a focal point in the development of my identity,” shared Gay. “Playing guitar and singing songs shifted to creating my own music and developing my own sound. Music became a place where I could search myself to figure out who I was.”
Fast forward to today where the search has unearthed a voice that is confident yet charismatic and “makes you listen in close.”
Gay tends to strip back down to the firm foundation as “there’s not a better sound than two acoustic guitars playing with each other.” A pivotal instrument in his own melodic storytelling.
His ability to navigate through such diverse genres as country, indie, folk and “beach” gives him an edge, as listeners are always on their toes with anticipation. This prowess was influenced by Danny Goddard, Gay’s mentor and good friend.
“When I was in college, Goddard lent me a hard drive called ‘The Well’ he had compiled over most of his life. That hard drive contained an encyclopedia worth of big band, country blues, bluegrass, folk, folk rock, and country from the 40s to through the early 2000s,” Gay said.
The bestowing of this musical archive was pivotal to Gay’s molding.
“Some of those groups that really stuck with me included Graham Parsons, Neil Young, Jim Croce, Glen Campbell, Bread and I’m sure plenty others that I’m forgetting,” he says. “Jim Croce is my North Star though. Everything about the spirit of his music and performance is what I’m after these days.”
His list of inspirations doesn’t stop there as he also credits artists such as Alan Jackson, Billy Currington, Keith Urban, the Avett Brothers, Shakey Graves and Mapache.
(By the way, if any members of Mapache are reading this, I need you to answer Landon’s DMs, so we can be blessed with a killer collaboration.)
Alongside the influence of other passionate musicians, Gay’s own introspection and marvel are imprinted throughout his songwriting.
“I think there’s something incredible about the way that a songwriter can make you feel like they’re singing about your life and not theirs. That sort of universal humanity thing,” remarked Gay. “Those little moments like smells and sights and things that make you think of your own life. I really dig that stuff.”
Gay’s preferred storytelling is blithe as he doesn’t care for, “over-romanticized or dramatic songs,” as that’s not his “MO” but rather jumpstarting the recollection of “burning your coffee [or] the feeling you get when when your cat jumps into bed with you” for the listeners.
His latest single, “Golden” is directly inspired by this same approach.
“‘Golden’ is all about the small moments and tiny experiences you have with someone that build your understanding of them,” he said. “I think that inspiration comes from the way that, specifically, country folk and bluegrass music depict everyday life.”
As Gay nears the release of his EP “Round About Way,” he will be sharing songs from the project as he explores a “high fidelity” sound with “a more settled spirit.”
After years in the making, Gay says the EP is “still pretty self-reflective” of the contemporary.
“I think this just kind of reflects the stage of life I’m in. I’m pretty settled and happy with who I am and what I sound like and I’m not trying to cover that up with plugins, processing and music magic. I wrote these songs a few years ago, so they’re still pretty self-reflective but all in all, there’s a sense of gratitude and thankfulness through all of them,” Gay admitted.” There’s a sense of appreciation for my life and all the beautiful things around me.”
With this new phase, Gay said, “Something in my spirit feels more in tune,” allowing him to embrace his sound authentically — and the overflowing support from the community.
“Jacksonville has been amazing in terms of acceptance. Since I’m from here, I feel an immense amount of support from my community. I’ve put a lot of time in here,” he exclaimed. “I play pedal steel in a bunch of different bands, and I support my friends so I think what you put out comes back to you.”
His buoyant personality and unadulterated love for music have ignited a flame that has no plan of dying out anytime soon as his desires to continue to push pen to paper are outlined in his future endeavors.
“The end goal for me would be to write songs for a living and not have to tour a day in my life. Be more of a guy behind the scenes,” expressed Gay. “I’ve never really liked attention so I think publishing is definitely for me. I also love teaching, especially children. Lighting the fire in someone else almost does more for me than having a room full of people clapping. It’s like giving somebody a wave. Feels better to see them ride it than for you to take it for yourself. Even if I make it big, I still see myself sitting down at a piano or with a guitar with a little one and trying to inspire a love for music the way that so many people did for me. I’m eternally grateful for each of them and I hope I can do the same for others. Sharing music through teaching has brought more joy to my life than receiving applause ever has.”
Landon Gay – a.k.a Howdy – is trekking towards a future that is fueled by rhythmic notes and happiness that join together to further propel his talents.
To keep up with Howdy, follow him on Instagram at @howdytunes and Spotify.
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