'My relentless passion'

by Nathan Rabin
October 13th, 1999

As a publication that reviews many albums, books, and movies, The Onion receives thousands of press releases touting everything from hotly anticipated music to October's status as National Caramel Month. Some include priceless lines that are just too entertaining not to be shared with the public. For example, a press release for Sena Jeter Naslund's Ahab's Wife, a novel inspired by Moby Dick, contains the following statement: "'Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last.' Along with 'Call me Ishmael,' this line is destined to become one of the most memorable first lines in literature. And Una Spenser, the transcendent hero at the center of Ahab's Wife: Or, The Star-Gazer, may be every bit as unforgettable as Captain Ahab." But the press release accompanying Days Of The New's recent self-titled album simply must be reprinted in its entirety.

“Nothing is real but it is real if you want it to be.”

Travis Meeks, a.k.a. Days Of The New, has created a work which will undoubtedly stand the test of time. Unlike most recordings, which are firmly rooted in a specific time period or movement, the 20-year-old has created a bold, emotional offering that combines so many elements, it could never be linked to any given genre—it is simply complex music. Unlike the raw and immediate arrangements of his first CD, this second chapter in the history of Days Of The New transports its listeners to an interior world where senses are left at the door while something far deeper unfolds. There is an obvious sonic expansion in Meeks' work. This recording presents the listener with a gateway into reaching a spiritual, subconscious, deeper form of experience.

The second release has traveled miles beyond the identifiable trademark usage of acoustic guitars in the rock medium. This new offering underlines his arrival as an artist who clearly understands the power an orchestra can bring to his arrangements. His vision now rests upon surrounding his vocals with a fuller sound. He has created a work where violins and cellos contribute to the guitars, while oboes and brass instruments accent the bass and melody lines. While the first release presented the longest Number One-charting rock track of all time with "Touch, Peel And Stand," this recording is a concept album which stands together as a whole rather than independent tracks. Meeks revealed, "This is one step closer to where I am going: bigger, better sounds within the arrangements and music, moving into a limitless direction where orchestration, samples, and a wide range of melodies from all sorts of instruments come together. I know where this is going. Days Of The New is on its way, pushed by my relentless passion."

Meeks continues, "I am sure people are going to ask me why Days Of The New broke up, but ultimately we did not break up. I had a different vision and I was going in a direction that maybe only I could foresee. My expression in what I was trying to get across to people was something they did not understand. They saw a different picture, and it was too much of a perception issue. I wanted to expand on my vision and did not see Days Of The New as a small rock 'n' roll band. Ultimately, it could have worked if they had wanted to experiment. Let's set the record straight: It was a conscious decision to expand and they were not there for it."

"The world is a pea. You know it don't revolve around me... If anything it revolves around the world."

What makes Days Of The New so unique is Travis Meeks' philosophical vision of how to use this soundscape to cater to his spirit. He mentioned, "The music I'm working on now is more confrontational. I am challenging the world and those who pay mind to my work to find something deeper, and join me in going beyond this limited reality we are ingrained to base our lives on." To truly begin to understand where Travis is coming from, one needs to delve into the descriptive way Meeks explains his vision.

"I've had a vision all my life, but it gets clearer throughout time like common sense. The feel of it has always been the same. When Days Of The New began, I never planned on having a band thing with the guys I started with. I wanted to move ahead and experiment because Days Of The New to me was always about a new way of expression. It is something that has nothing to do with the human mind's preoccupation with buildings, machines, and life's trivial anchors which weigh us down. Days Of The New is all about what gets us closer to nature, and in turn gets us closer to ourselves. As we get away from this preoccupied world, and nature gets us closer to that—I think that my message is that there is a way within creativeness, with music, vision, and the senses, that we can put more focus on our spirit instead of our preoccupation with life. There is one door that lies between us, and that door is open right in front of us while we choose not to enter. What I foresee, and how people get to their spirit, is one thing. But, people who are connected to their spirit have their own sense of instinct. I'm talking about the real thing. It's a universal destination. If we can put it in perspective, why can't we say we need to look at the soul which makes us go around?"

"Think about when you are born. You come from the womb with four things—a brain, which I call the mentality, a heart that I link to emotion, a soul, representing the spirit, and a body. My philosophy is we have four jars of life: mentality, emotion, spirituality, and the physical body. When we are in the womb, the physical body is turned over like an hourglass, and the sand is going. Within the period of life, we have to get our mentality, spirituality, and our emotions all level. As you grow older, your spirit is neglected while your emotion and mentality jars get filled. We go straight for the mentality and emotions because they are so easy."

"Let's find the soul, unleash the spirit, and communicate with each other. As people discover themselves, you can begin to see it, and that is the start. The music will serve as the tool, but it won't be the only thing. I'm not going to settle for music to be the only thing that comes out of me. I want to touch people's senses."

"Shelter me with my own hands and with my hands I will depend."

Travis Meeks played most of the instruments and wrote everything you hear on this album. From the drum parts and timpani fills, orchestral arrangements, and guitar and bass, he visualized this project over a period of years. After 12 months of writing and a substantial amount of time cutting the demos, recording finally began in March 1998. It was completed in May 1999, and Meeks hopes it will be "listened to from beginning to end, as all of the elements come together to form the album. Beats are beats, music is music, and complex music is complex music, so please don't try to label this. I want people to sit down with black lights, candles, in a field, around a fire, or in whatever setting they choose and find their own interpretation. Listen to the record, and respect it. I know I want it to be respected, and I know it is almost impossible to sit down and listen to something without distraction."

"Anything is everything to me."

One thing that sets Travis Meeks apart from his peers is his myopic attention to his work. Sure, he might be emotional, passionate, and a little over-the-top, but ultimately his excessive commitment to living and breathing the audio, visual, and musical aspects of Days Of The New is the observer and listener's gain. While the first release was based on a frustration with the world and deep feelings of being alone, this recording is based on his range of emotions from the past couple of years. Meeks now shows both his spiritual side and a certain level of equilibrium.

"I won't break this—it took so long to make this."

Male and female vocals arranged together in an omnipresent sense of togetherness are a rare occurrence in the rock genre. In challenging this barrier after a long, exhausting search, Meeks found a new voice in the 20-year-old Hawaiian Nicole Scherzinger. Next to join the fold were local whiz kids Craig Wagner (guitar) and Ray Rizzo (drums) from the defunct Java Men, who joined the ensemble after hearing this album. Neither were auditioned, but rather came into Meeks' world via hanging out and jamming. Meeks will be enlisting a second guitarist so he can concentrate solely on singing in the live show. His hope is that in "freeing up my hands and my body, fluidity will bring more power to the stage."

"I want you to feed me too."

Listening to this record as a complete work of art from beginning to end will evoke comparisons to the timeless qualities of other concept works by artists like Led Zeppelin, The Doors, and Pink Floyd. As a thought, Meeks hopes that there will be "big" interpretations of what is going on here. He concludes, "If you really listen, let your mind bring you there. I plan on hanging on to my band and I'll see you all out there soon."

"Now I've opened up all my doors so there's nothing left to hide."