Old band comes back as new incarnation
By Daily Bruin Staff
Jan. 21, 2001 9:00 p.m.
 Maverick Records The recently-signed band Tantric is
comprised of members (left to right) Matt Taul, Hugo
Ferreira, Jesse Vest, Todd Whitener.
By Chris Moriates
Daily Bruin Contributor
A record deal is hard to come by these days; so the fact that
guitarist Todd Whitener, bassist Jesse Vest and drummer Matt Taul
have come across two record deals with two separate bands in their
young musical careers seems like nothing less than fate.
As members of the successful alternative outfit Days of the New,
the trio broke up shortly after opening for metal giants Metallica
on a 1998 tour.
The break-up left the three musicians feeling disillusioned.
They didn’t know where to turn, but leaving their passion for
music behind didn’t seem like an option.
Joining forces with vocalist Hugo Ferreira to form the
rock-driven band Tantric, the group is now prepared to release its
emotional self-titled debut album on Feb. 13.
“I couldn’t be any happier right now,”
Whitener said in a recent interview.
Whitener met Ferreira at a show on one of the first Days of the
New tours. Ferreira hung out with the group after the performance
and kept in touch with the band.
“He’s one of those cool people,” Whitener
said. “You just click with some people.”
When the group needed a singer for its new material, Ferreira
was the first person to enter the members’ minds. The
vocalist must have been impressed; after a short try-out with the
band, he packed everything he owned into a U-Haul and moved from
his home in Detroit to Louisville to be with the unsigned band.
“He’s a nut,” Whitener said of his new front
man. “He’s got no conscience. You need a singer with no
conscience.”
After witnessing the energy of the band, Maverick Records signed
the new quartet, who quickly entered the studio with producer Toby
Wright (Korn, Alice in Chains)Â to record 12 songs for its
debut album.
“It’s not music that’s just there for filling
up another 72 minute CD of useless music,” Whitener said.
“We’re hoping that with all the bullshit that
we’ve been through and that we learned, that we could throw
that on to an album and hopefully some other people will hear it
and be able to get something out of it.”
The album is full of Ferreira’s introspective and
emotional lyrics. From the searching feeling of the opener
“Breakdown” to the Alice in Chains reminiscent closer
“Inside Your Head,” Tantric’s new CD takes the
listener on a journey searching through many different tones and
emotions.
The energy of the CD is, well, tantric.
The group had trouble finding a name for its newly formed band
until a woman that worked in a recording studio in Los Angeles
happened to use the word “tantric” in a sentence.
“The word seemed to stick out. As soon as she blurted it
out, it just seemed to have some magic behind it,” Whitener
said. “So we did some research on what it meant and it
wasn’t necessarily pertaining to sexual things, it’s
more like a magical energy. Like the one energy that kinda bonds
everyone together.”
The name seemed to fit perfectly for a band that hoped its music
could serve as the one thing that everybody could relate to. The
four musicians feel that their new connection is truly magical and
destined to make gripping music.
Tantric has already started a buzz before its music has even hit
the shelves. Its first single, “Breakdown” has appeared
on various radio stations throughout the country.
Its Web site (www.maverick.com/tantric) is also becoming
popular. The site offers downloads of the band’s music, along
with a brief history, and links to fan sites. That’s right,
the band already has dedicated fan sites, despite its limited
exposure. One such site to check out is www.tehani.com.
Tantric, armed with its new album, is sure to turn some heads in
music land. The group is making music that means something, for
itself and its fans, and isn’t that what rock ‘n’
roll is all about?
“Obviously, none of us are doing it for the money, because
I’ve never been broker in my whole life,” Whitener
said.
MUSIC: Tantric will be performing in the Los
Angeles area in February in support of its new self-titled album,
which will be released Feb. 13.
