Howie Day & Olivia Millerschin, Stubb’s, May 2015 -

AUSTIN – The Live Music Capital of the World has been very unpredictable with the weather lately, but that’s not stopping the music from crawling into downtown Austin.

Stubb’s opened its indoor area at exactly 8pm. People took their time, got some drinks and settled into an open intimate space. They were ready to welcome Olivia Millerschin, a talented 19 year-old singer songwriter who was opening for Howie Day. This was her first show and first encounter with Texas. You could tell by her calm introduction that she felt right at home just before strumming away on her ukulele to an original “She’s Got It All.” She’s definitely got it all. At such a young age, she has toured with incredible artists, won numerous awards and had written songs for her EP and an eleven track full featured album –now that’s seriously impressive.

Olivia assured the audience that she likes talking a lot on stage, and of course the crowd loved it. She owns a charm, which catered well to the diverse group of audience in the room. This Detroit girl was throwing jokes before every song and we can all just smile with our hearts. She took on a lot of her own songs, as well as a memorable and beautiful mash-up cover of Bon Iver’s Skinny Love and Sam Smith’s Stay With Me. It was quite a short set, but a guy shouted, “Encore! Encore!”

Millerschin was getting ready to leave the stage since her microphone was already turned off. She jumped to an excitement, responding to the encore request by politely asking the sound guy, “Am I allowed to do this? Dave, do I have time for one more?” That was so adorable; she had no idea that the crowd was hooked big time.

Sound systems were back on after a few seconds and she chose the perfect encore called the Pie Song. “I always name a song after food if I don’t want people to know what it’s about” –and that just catapulted her to the most wonderful person/artist ever. Olivia, you are so welcome to come back and play for us in Austin anytime, perhaps South by Southwest next year?Headlining this tour was Howie Day. . He came to Austin looking all fresh and ready to impress the crowd. The singer-songwriter stepped onto the stage, unfolding his set list, what he called “the top 40 most requested songs.” Of course he was joking, but he did play about fifteen long tracks and two encores.

Talking to some people at the show, looks like it has been a long time since they last saw this talented guy sing live. He recently dropped his latest album Lanterns this past April. He’s currently doing a tour to promote the album. Howie went back and forth, mixing the set list with new and old songs, which was brilliant. He was a one-man show accompanied only by samplers and effects pedals, a microphone, and a guitar. Surprisingly, for someone who hasn’t been doing this live touring gig in a while, he delivered a tremendously breathtaking vocal show and convinced the audience that they are seeing the Howie Day. He belted out his “Favorite Song” from the new album and commanded the attention of an entire crowd –He’s back!

Howie was not much of a talker on stage, but he was very friendly interacting with the audience. It is probably best with less talking since he’s got a long set list for the night. Song after song was solidly performed and of course, the famous hit Collide was reserved at the end as an encore. That was a pleasant ending for everyone, and he closed the show with a beautiful performance of “She Says.” Can’t wait for what’s to come with this man, he is a wonderful artist.

Howie Day together with Olivia Millerschin brought with them the spirit of two great artists and entertained the crowd even after the rain had stopped.

Article by: Irene Ler
Photos by: Christian Sena