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TANTRIC
By Sarah Klosterbuer; photos by Phil Hunt
After the less-than-amicable break up of moderately successful rock band Days Of The New, Todd Whitener, Jesse Vest, and Matt Taul found themselves lacking
a lead singer, a band, and any sort of claim to their previous success. It didn't take long for them to cross paths with vocalist Hugo Ferreira, and when the dust finally settled, Tantric emerged.
Still,
Ferreira is quick to point out that the scenario was never that of a band simply hiring a new singer. "The first meeting we had together, we were like, 'This is a brand new band. Of course, we're going to get the
initial lash of their previous band, but we're just going to approach it like we're doing it for the first time.' And we really had nothing to lose, because we were already broke, all of us, and the worst thing that
could happen was that nobody gave us a deal and then we'd just go back to our normal lives of either trying again in some other musical endeavor or whatever, but everything just kind of worked so [well] with
us. There were so many people who just believed in us and just wanted to see us do well, so I never felt any pressure."
Released a year ago, their self-titled debut has been extremely successful,
producing extensive radio support and gigs opening for rock giants like Creed, Three Doors Down, and others. Tantric's contrast of melodic, almost mellow musical elements with Ferreira's rough baritone, along with
introspective lyrics and immaculate production, has spanned a number of genres. The result is a broad appeal and a large and diverse audience, as well as a long list of bands hoping to share a bill with Tantric on
tour.
While listening to the album reveals that Tantric's success is mostly the result of their collective musical talent, the band still finds itself constantly mentioned in context with Days of the New.
Exactly how much that aspect of the band's history had to do with its success is difficult to tell. "I'm sure initially, when the song was going out to radio and stuff…people were curious," reflects Ferreira.
"Sometimes, your song will go out to radio and nobody will listen to it, you know? So, I think it might have helped us in that format, but I think what sold us the records was our writing and, basically, us. We've
been on the road for over a year and just touring really hard. For every record that we sold we had to work very hard for it."
Tantric have certainly come a long way in accomplishing the difficult task
of proving themselves as a strong band in their own right, detached from projects of the past. The question that is currently posed is exactly how far they will go as a band, not whether or not they will succeed in
the wake of Days Of The New. Tantric are tentatively planning to record their second album after finishing their headlining tour in early April, with plans to release it later this year. For more on Tantric,
visit http://www.tehani.com/tantric/index.html .
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