Days Of The New

Those kinds of feats are unusual for the average teen-ager, but Meeks is a unique person. The Louisville, Ky., resident has a 5-year-old daughter, a strong passion for the acoustic guitar and an even stronger belief in his music.

Radio stations and listeners shared Meeks’ belief in Days Of The New, which generated sales of more than 1 million from its debut effort. The album, with its acoustic rock-dominated sounds, provided radio with a couple of smash hit singles.

According to the band’s label, Outpost Recordings, “Touch, Peel and Stand” held the No. 1 spot on rock radio charts longer than any other track ever.

Yet, in spite of the fledgling quartet’s grand success, Meeks and his bandmates went their separate ways. “They don’t support my vision,” he said of his former musical buddies. Meeks forged on with the Days Of The New idea, while the other guys formed their own group.

Rising from the ashes of the old band, the new Days Of The New has been completely overhauled with a solid lineup and a fresh sound. From his Distillery Sound Studios in Louisville, Meeks talked with POLLSTAR about his new album and upcoming tour, and shared some thoughts on other topics, including the often-criticized radio station festival.

“Days Of The New is not just another act or project that a record company gets to say, ‘OK, we’re going to use our formula to work this band,'” Meeks said. “It’s not like that; it’s a totally different thing.”

The band’s sophomore album delivers an extreme departure from the “unplugged” sound fans and radio found so comforting. Although Meeks’ trademark acoustic riffs are ever-present, the album transcends the typical guitar-bass-drums ensemble and strives for a more complex and textured sound that defies stereotyping.

While the result is an interesting album full of songs arranged with sampling, orchestras, and brass and woodwind instruments, audience reaction has been lukewarm. The record is suffering from the dreaded follow-up blues, moving 124,000 copies since its August 31st release, reported SoundScan. But Meeks isn’t worried.

“Regardless of what happens with my music as an artist selling records, I will still be successful in the movie-soundtrack scene or any format like that, producing or anything,” he said. “In other words, I will be a high resource in the music business because I will invest my money in the right things.” This is, after all, coming from a guy who signed a record deal well before he could legally vote.

However, much like the band’s initial fortune, audiences slowly grew to the Days sound before flocking to record stores. That original success was propelled by constant touring as a support act or club-level headliner.

“We were on the road before the first single or the record was released,” Meeks said of his early touring experiences. “Then the record was released, we got on another tour, toured with some other acts and the single was out. … In about six months, we sold 60,000 records. Then, before you know it, we started selling 50,000 a week.”

Considering the performer’s insight into the upcoming tour, it’s quite possible that Meeks will at least match the band’s debut success. Its concerts are “going to be more of a dramatic show,” he said. “It’s going to start going into more of a choreographed direction.”

Backdrop screens, stage props and other effects will accompany the seven-member band during performances. “It won’t be just a rock ‘n’ roll show,” Meeks said. “It’ll be more of a sensory-experience thing.” The group’s tour of theatres, small arenas and the occasional radio-sponsored festival kicks off in Pensacola, Fla., October 22nd.

When it comes to the multiband bills of radio station concerts, Meeks isn’t thrilled with the idea. Concert-goers are there for “any number of bands and the beer and the weather and just to be out there with all the people moshing – and they’re there for the nookie,” he said. “And I’m not there for that.”

Additionally, some radio-sponsored festivals are just nuisances, he said. “The crew and all the people who’s working the show, the union and stuff, they’re like, ‘Get onstage. Yeah, come on, we want you to play.’ And then it’s like, ‘Get the f**k off the stage, we got Limp Bizkit coming on next.'”

He continued, “So it’s like kiss your ass, get onstage, then get offstage and get the f**k out of here. And the radio station is like, ‘Thank you, here’s $20,000.'”

Spending the last four or five years in the music industry has definitely had a toll on Meeks. It appears that he is graduating from a party-hardy teen-ager into a responsible, young adult. “I’m not there to party. I’ve had my partying days. Maybe when I was 13 or 14 or 15 or something, I could’ve got on that stage and shook my weenie and shit. ‘Yeah, let’s get drunk,’ you know. But I’m not into that anymore. My priorities are higher and more in place.”