Dayna Malow

Dayna Malow is a new face on the Chicago music scene. She is a singer and songwriter but her style is not based on and defined by her own acoustic guitar playing like many others who use those words to describe themselves. In fact, this particular night she was strictly a singer, leaving the instruments to her eight-piece band. She is more country than folk, more contemporary than classic. This show at Gunther Murphy’s was the release party for her new CD Anywhere But Here. The record paints a picture of an artist shooting for the airwaves of modern country stations nationwide, which would seem to be an attainable goal for Ms. Malow. She is a trained vocalist and has a voice equal to many of the big hit-making women of Nashville. More importantly, she has the songs and production to go with her vocal chops and seems to understand what that area of the music business is looking for. Make no mistake: there is nothing alternative about her brand of country. Live and on record, Malow is slick, tuneful, and together and comes across as a lady in waiting for her shot at the stars, rather than an aging punk with a cowboy hat on like so many other "country" artists in Chicago.

Gunther’s was packed to the ceiling by the time Malow and her band took the stage. The band was an expanded version of her normal lineup and featured all the players that had contributed to Anywhere But Here. They did an excellent job of backing here up, although the small stage left little room for Dayna to step out front due to the sheer number of musicians on it. The crowd seemed pretty familiar with the songs already, which is always a good sign. Malow and company ran through the music on the CD and got much love in return from those assembled. Most of her tunes are strong, but the best of the lot was "Richness In My Life". This song has ‘hit’ written all over it and this reviewer can easily imagine it blasting out of country fans’ car radios all over the USA.

This night was a triumph for Malow and her band, but, of course, much work is still in front of her. It would be nice to see her catch on and build a following here locally, but she is a little more polished than most of the stuff that gets popular here in punk-obsessed Chicago. Malow may very well have to look outside the area to really get her shot. The thing of it is she is enough of a singer to make that shot count when she gets it. Time will tell, as it always does, but the future may find Dayna Malow
everywhere but here.

© 1999-2002 The Morrissey Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
- Mike O'Cull

"Dayna Malow, a relatively new singer/songwriter to the Chicago music scene,
having released her first cd entitled "Anywhere But Here" it sounds like this
is more her 3rd or 4th release. This CD is flawlessly put together with more
than knowledge and talent, there's a lot of love poured into it along with
Dayna's soul. It's something you can feel when you hear it. The feeling of
the CD is relaxed, like a lot of time was put into the making of it, not
what one would expect from an artists' first release.

The Vocals
Passionately sung, her vocals sweep you away from the first note and keep
you soaring through the entire cd as she gently brings you down for the
final song entitled "Walk Away." She sings with tenderness and in such a
personal way, it is hard not to come away from listening to her CD without
feeling like you've found a new friend.

Lyrics
Skillfully written, Dayna succeeds in writing about some difficult life
situations and still manages to keep the overall feel positive and hopeful.

Music
With a well balanced blending of musical styles and instruments, Dayna keeps
the moods fresh and light. The mixing was well done as well, I can't even
think of anything bad to say about the music, or any part of this CD; it is
just that well put together.

Overall, "Anywhere But Here" is a great CD and a perfect introduction to her
new would-be fans (which includes myself). I look forward to hearing a lot
more from this amazing artist!"
- Dennis Kelly

Malow calls country home


A career in country music wasn't Dayna Malow's first choice, but now the Skokie-bred singer/songwriter wouldn't have it any other way.

"I am going to corner the market on Jewish girls singing country music," said the 27-year-old Malow in a recent phone interview. "As a songwriter you really can't help what comes out of you. You just sit down at the piano and start to play and start to sing and it is what it is.

"I could sit down and write a pop tune or a R&B tune, but in terms of what is near and dear to my heart and what I enjoy singing most, it would be the country and the folk music."

Currently living in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood, Malow is excited that her eight-piece band will be performing in a free concert downtown in Grant Park this Saturday afternoon at the Chicago Country Music Festival.

"It is the biggest country music event that takes place in Chicago," said Malow. "Loretta Lynn is going to be there this year."
Since taking childhood piano lessons, music has been a major factor in the life of the daughter of Skokie residents James and Bonnie Malow.

"My parents were very open to exposing us to different kinds of music and taking us to the theater," Malow said. "Fortunately the schools I attended had large music programs and those teachers are the ones I remember most in terms of being an influence and my favorite classes."

A graduate of the Niles North High School Class of 1994, Malow was active in the school choir and took part in stage musicals which included leading roles in "Bye Bye Birdie" and "Anything Goes."

Singing a different tune

Malow, who had planned to be a classical musician and study opera, credits Niles North music director Dan Gregerman with opening doors for her continued musical education.

"The summer before my first year in college he took me a studio session in Northfield. The director of the University of Miami music program was there visiting and he auditioned me on a harpsichord. So I ended up going into jazz and pop music instead of opera."

Since receiving a degree in jazz vocals and studio music at the University of Miami in 1998, Malow has gained attention locally as the lead vocalist for Speakeasy Swing, toured the Midwest with the Milwaukee-based band Orphans and sung a capella in the musical production "Klub Kokomo," staged a few seasons back at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts in Skokie.

Since 1999, Malow has performed regularly with the David Rothstein Orchestra singing jazz, pop, rock, R&B and traditional Jewish selections at corporate events and weddings.

First love

Malow traces her love of country music back to her college days in Florida.

"After four years of living with different roommates, I found myself being exposed to different artists that I probably would have never come across being in Chicago," she said. "It greatly influenced my writing and the style of music I started to listen to more and more for enjoyment."

Released in October, 2002, "Anywhere But Here" is her first solo CD.

Passionately sung with a sweet, clear voice, the self-produced Jabberwocky Records release features eleven original songs written and performed by Malow, three of which she co-wrote with producer-guitarist Chris Cash.

"They are all autobiographical in some way, shape or form," said Malow. "I went through a bad break-up with someone I had been with for a very long time and this album was my silver lining."

Malow concurs that heartache does put one in a country music frame of mind.

"I carried a lot of baggage for a while and I had plenty of time to simmer over things and go through different ranges of emotions," she said. "One of the things I love about country is that it is such a story-telling type of music. It can be very direct. There is not a whole lot of ambiguity in a lot of the songs."

For Malow, even her CD song titles tell a story. Consider the emotional arc that runs from "The Chance to Love You" to "Six Hours More" to "What Did I Ever See in You" to "Walk Away" to "Brand New Life."

Malow and her band perform at 12:30 p.m. Saturday on stage at the corner of Balbo St. and Columbus Drive in the Chicago Country Music Festival. "Anywhere But Here" is available at www.daynamalow.com.
- Dan Pearson