Days of the New shows its True Color

July 13, 2008

When Travis Meeks burst on the music scene in 1996 he was 16 and in special-ed classes. One year later he had the number one song on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Chart. “Touch, Peel, Stand” was pounding the charts and the airwaves for Meeks’ band Days of the New, landing the teenagers and high school classmates a slot as the opener on the summer Metallica Tour.
Meeks will bring his new version of Days of the New to Streeter’s Ground Zero Night Club on July 18. The group is touring in support of their compilation album that was released this spring and their much anticipated new release this August and keeping with the color theme of past CD it will be titled “Purple.”
As a mere teenager, Travis Meeks was heralded by the metal community as the next great voice of rock and roll. Days of the New’s debut release “Orange,” went platinum behind the songs “Touch, Peel, Stand,” “The Down Town” (also a number one hit), and “Shelf in the Room,” that went to number three on the charts.
The band toured relentlessly as an opener and headliner. Before recording a second CD Meeks fired his band mates (they would go on to form Tantric) and basically took on Days of the New as a solo project.
Meeks was tapped in 2000 with his sultry, mysterious and haunting vocals to perform two songs on “Stoned Immaculate” the Doors Tribute CD. He sang “L.A. Woman” and nailed as eerily as Morrison had done the song “The End.”

ROUGH RIDE
But the ride for Meeks and Days of the New was a turbulent one and he brought in all new bandmates again in 2002 to go back in the studio (The band’s 1999 second release “Green” went gold). The third album sold less than 100,000 copies and the band fell apart.
“It’s called drugs. I was messed up,” said Meeks. “But here is something people didn’t know about me. I am autistic. Hence my focus on things magical, like the tree, colors, spirituality and consciousness.”
Meeks battle with drugs has been very public. Family and friends convinced him to be a part of A&E show “Intervention” for his addiction to amphetamines. In 2005 he went into rehab as part of the show but eventually checked himself out before completing the program.
“I slipped up a couple of times since but I have been clean for a couple of years now,” said Meeks. “In fact I have spent the last two years traveling and touring trying to make amends to the people for the past, even for mistakes there that not mine.”
Meeks is excited about his new philosophy and approach to making music.
First of all, I am doing a better job of letting people know about me. See, my band mates and others were unaware of my autism. So they saw me as standoffish,” said Meeks. “Also I get into situations that result in terrible panic attacks. That results in me going into rage and anger moments.”
What about your new philosophy?
“I have adopted a different approach that doesn’t put a focus on trying to create hits,” said Meeks. “ I am not out trying to impress anyone. I love everyone, but I don’t care if anyone likes me. Sure, I have insecurities and want people to like me, but ultimately I am not living my life trying to get people to like me.”

TRUE COLORS
Meeks is getting ready to release his new album under a new concept.
“It is hard to explain and hard to understand, because it has never been done before” said Meeks. “In fact the Beatles and Led Zeppelin should have done years ago. I am starting Days of The New Productions. So the new CD will be ‘Days of the New Productions presents Tree Colors.’ This is my way of owning my own music and not allowing people to interfere with my creativity.”
When he hears his band being mentioned as part of the grunge scene, he becomes animated.
“Look, we were our own genre -- it’s called acoustical madness,” said Meeks. “I was a 16-year-old kid who had been misdiagnosed by professionals. I was scared and fragile and wrote from soul. So when our first album came out those songs were real. They were from being bounced around from different special-ed classes and programs. They were about exploring what I was going through at the time. Sure those songs went number one but I didn’t care. I still don’t care.”
So what is the focus and direction of the new material?
“The best way to describe what I have done with the new album is I’ve written a soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist,” said Meeks. “The best way to look at it is the movie will unfold in your mind when you listen to the CD. Just like Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side Of The Moon.’ When you listen to that album from start to finish you hear and see a movie. That is how I am writing today; it is my autism that has taken me to this stage of songwriting. So this new album ‘Tree Colors’ will be a movie that everyone will create to fit their own vision.”
Days of The New will perform July 18 at Streeters Ground Zero Nightclub. Additional show details at streetersonline.com or call the box office 231-932-1300.