"Brace Yourself" is not just a catchy name for the title track of Howie Day's latest CD. It is an alert.

Brace yourself Penn State; Howie Day is coming. The 22-year-old musician is set to rock the HUB Alumni Hall at 10 p.m. Saturday. A current University Park student ID will be required for admittance to the concert.

John Harlow, LateNight Penn State coordinator, said he was pleasantly surprised to book the concert.

"Due to student demand, LateNight Penn State has been trying to book Howie Day for the past two years," he said. "This was the third time an offer was submitted and finally the budget and routing fell in place."

Harlow expressed concern about a recent lack of attendance at Penn State music events.

"Music has been a tough sell," he said. "This concert is very important for Late Night Penn State. I'd like it to work out so we can work on getting more shows in the future."

Harlow remains enthusiastic that Day's concert will be a success due to the fact that he is popular with college-aged students.

"I think we are catching [Day] at a good time, right before his career really takes off," Harlow said.

Kaki King, who is on the same label as Day, was also scheduled to be part of the show, but according to her media representative Sophia Smith, King will be unable to perform on Saturday. However, Tristan Prettyman is still scheduled to open for Day.

"She is an up-and-coming artist as well," Harlow said. "She was hand-picked to open for [Day] by those who arranged the tour."

Day uses the unique performance style of live-loop sampling to literally create a song in front of the audience.

"[Day] is performing a 'solo' show," Harlow said. "I say 'solo' because [Day's] tremendous guitar technique makes him sound like he's backed by a full band."

Day openly discussed aspects of his life and career in a short interview.

On Piano

"My first musical memory was that my mom bought me a piano at an auction when I was about 5. I remember banging on it, because that's what you do on a piano when you're 5. It was set up next to our TV, so I eventually began to copy the TV jingles. It didn't take me long to catch on. My mom heard this and then I began to take lessons."

On Guitars and Bars

"My dad bought me a Fender Stratacaster when I was about 13. I guess when you are 13 you think it's cool to play the guitar and not the piano. I wanted to play rock guitar, but also realized that acoustic was cool. I started playing randomly at bars and nightclubs around Maine, where I'm from. It became more regular when I was a sophomore and junior in high school, at age 16 or 17. I played up to five and six times a week. That was the only job I've ever had."

On Musical Influences

"My dad owns a restaurant with a jukebox, and that is the first thing I remember listening to as a child. It played the popular records and Top 40 of the late '80s. My mom was the one who introduced me to the music that she liked during high school in the '60s and '70s. She loved Elton John and The Beatles. As a teen, I listened to Nirvana and Pearl Jam during the grunge movement. More recently, I have really gotten into U2 and Jeff Buckley's music."

On Tour Tutelage

"I've opened up for many different artists. I toured with Tori Amos for a year. She is one of my favorite artists and it was cool to get to tour with her. I watched her work and how the whole operation went. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes work on tours. It was a good learning experience. Tori welcomed me with open arms and really taught me a lot about the new world of music I was becoming a part of. She gave me a lot of good advice."

On New Record

"I am releasing a special edition of my CD Stop All The World Now. It has four extra songs on it plus all the other ones," he said. Day's CD will be available on Tuesday.

On Becoming Epic

"Being signed by Epic Records was exciting. There have been a lot of little changes in my career since then. There are a lot more people involved now. Before I signed, it was just me and my agent for the longest time.

It was much more do-it-yourself. Getting signed was like a steroid shot for my career. Everything has picked up in pace."

On Performance Preference

"I have performed with a band and solo. I think I like a little of both.

With a band it is a full setup and it's really exciting and energetic. A solo show is more one on one. I get to be more intimate with the audience."

On Future Plans

"I'm thinking about taking some time off after New Year's and chilling out in front of a beach somewhere.

After that, I'll seriously start thinking about writing more songs to hopefully create a new record with. Right now everything is crazy and fast-paced because I'm touring.

Being able to take some time off and write will be very relaxing."