Days of the New (album)
Encyclopedia
Days of the New is the debut album of world music
/post-grunge
band Days of the New
, and the first of their three self-titled albums. The album was released in 1997
through Outpost.
. Drummer Matt Taul was called away from the studio during the sessions for the birth of his daughter, so session drummer Adam Turgeon filled in on some tracks. The last song on the album, "Cling" is actually a home demo that Meeks recorded on a four-track machine. The entire album is acoustic
, with emphasis on guitar, and features dark melodies such as "Face of the Earth" and "Freak" as well as more upbeat songs like "The Down Town" and "Where I Stand."
," "The Down Town
," and "Shelf in the Room
." "Touch, Peel and Stand" was number one on Billboard's Rock Chart
for 17 weeks; "The Down Town" and "Shelf in the Room" were each top 40 hits. Music video
s produced for the three singles also found rotation.
Shortly after releasing the album, the band went on tour with Metallica
and Jerry Cantrell
in 1998. Internal problems became publicly evident, however, and soon after concluding the tour, the band split up. Todd Whitener, Matt Taul and Jesse Vest would go on to form Tantric
while Meeks formed a new band under the Days of the New name.
Singles - Billboard (North America)
World music
World music is a term with widely varying definitions, often encompassing music which is primarily identified as another genre. This is evidenced by world music definitions such as "all of the music in the world" or "somebody else's local music"...
/post-grunge
Post-grunge
Post-grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged in the mid-1990s as a derivative of grunge, using the sounds and aesthetic of grunge, but with a more commercially acceptable tone...
band Days of the New
Days of the New
Days of the New is an American alternative rock band from Louisville, Kentucky, formed in 1995. The band consists of vocalist/guitarist Travis Meeks and a variety of supporting musicians...
, and the first of their three self-titled albums. The album was released in 1997
1997 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1997.-January:*January 9 – David Bowie performs his 50th Birthday Bash concert at Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA with guests Frank Black, The Foo Fighters, Sonic Youth, Robert Smith of The Cure, Lou Reed, and Billy...
through Outpost.
Production
The band recorded its debut album in October and November 1996 at Woodland Studios in Nashville, TennesseeNashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. Drummer Matt Taul was called away from the studio during the sessions for the birth of his daughter, so session drummer Adam Turgeon filled in on some tracks. The last song on the album, "Cling" is actually a home demo that Meeks recorded on a four-track machine. The entire album is acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
, with emphasis on guitar, and features dark melodies such as "Face of the Earth" and "Freak" as well as more upbeat songs like "The Down Town" and "Where I Stand."
Promotion
Days of the New was a success, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide. Three songs from the album were hits: "Touch, Peel and StandTouch, Peel and Stand
"Touch, Peel and Stand" is a song by the rock band Days of the New and the lead single from their self-titled debut album. It was released in 1997 and remains arguably the band's most popular and well known song. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and retained the...
," "The Down Town
The Down Town
"The Down Town" is a song by Days of the New and the second single from their self-titled debut album. Like its predecessor, the song reached #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1998 and is a concert staple...
," and "Shelf in the Room
Shelf in the Room
"Shelf in the Room" is a song by Days of the New and the third and final single from their self-titled debut album. The song reached #3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1998 and is a concert staple...
." "Touch, Peel and Stand" was number one on Billboard's Rock Chart
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
for 17 weeks; "The Down Town" and "Shelf in the Room" were each top 40 hits. Music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s produced for the three singles also found rotation.
Shortly after releasing the album, the band went on tour with Metallica
Metallica
Metallica is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1981 when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Robert Trujillo ...
and Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Cantrell
Jerry Fulton Cantrell Jr. is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter best known for his work with the grunge/metal band Alice in Chains, as lead guitarist, backing and co-lead vocalist, and co-lyricist. He performs lead vocals on his solo projects, and is part of Alice in Chains' harmonizing...
in 1998. Internal problems became publicly evident, however, and soon after concluding the tour, the band split up. Todd Whitener, Matt Taul and Jesse Vest would go on to form Tantric
Tantric (band)
Tantric is a rock band from Louisville, Kentucky. The group has released four studio albums since 2001; although, their last two albums only retain Tantric's original singer, Hugo Ferreira...
while Meeks formed a new band under the Days of the New name.
Track listing
All tracks by Travis MeeksTravis Meeks
Travis Shane Meeks , is an American musician, and is the lead singer, guitarist and song writer for acoustic rock band Days of the New.-Early life and career:...
- "Shelf in the RoomShelf in the Room"Shelf in the Room" is a song by Days of the New and the third and final single from their self-titled debut album. The song reached #3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1998 and is a concert staple...
" – 4:44 - "Touch, Peel and StandTouch, Peel and Stand"Touch, Peel and Stand" is a song by the rock band Days of the New and the lead single from their self-titled debut album. It was released in 1997 and remains arguably the band's most popular and well known song. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and retained the...
" – 4:57 - "Face of the Earth" – 5:17
- "Solitude" – 4:11
- "The Down TownThe Down Town"The Down Town" is a song by Days of the New and the second single from their self-titled debut album. Like its predecessor, the song reached #1 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1998 and is a concert staple...
" – 4:16 - "What's Left for Me?" – 5:27
- "Freak" – 5:23
- "Now" – 5:04
- "Whimsical" – 6:01
- "Where I Stand" – 5:39
- "How Do You Know You?" – 5:33
- "Cling" – 15:27
- "Cling" lasts 6:29, with a hidden track titled "Boner Track" beginning at 8:28.
B-Sides
- "Independent Slaves" - Appears on the Touch, Peel and StandTouch, Peel and Stand"Touch, Peel and Stand" is a song by the rock band Days of the New and the lead single from their self-titled debut album. It was released in 1997 and remains arguably the band's most popular and well known song. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and retained the...
single and on the Crow: SalvationThe Crow: Salvation (album)The soundtrack to the third in the Crow film series, The Crow: Salvation album is once again compiled and produced by Jeff Most. As with the soundtrack to The Crow: City of Angels, Salvation includes an otherwise unavailable cover version by Hole: this time of Bob Dylan's "It's All Over Now, Baby...
soundtrack - "Got to Be You" - Appears on the Touch, Peel and StandTouch, Peel and Stand"Touch, Peel and Stand" is a song by the rock band Days of the New and the lead single from their self-titled debut album. It was released in 1997 and remains arguably the band's most popular and well known song. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and retained the...
single and on 2 Guitars, Bass & Drums: Songs For Survival - "Special Guide" - Appears on the Shelf In The RoomShelf in the Room"Shelf in the Room" is a song by Days of the New and the third and final single from their self-titled debut album. The song reached #3 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks in 1998 and is a concert staple...
single - "Seasons Change" - Appears on the Half BakedHalf BakedHalf Baked is a 1998 stoner comedy film starring Dave Chappelle, Jim Breuer, Harland Williams and Guillermo Díaz. The movie was directed by Tamra Davis, and co-written by star Dave Chappelle and Neal Brennan...
soundtrack - "Two Faces" - Appears on the Varsity BluesVarsity Blues (film)Varsity Blues is a 1999 American drama/sport film directed by Brian Robbins that follows a small-town high school football team and their overbearing coach through a tumultuous season. The players must deal with the pressures of adolescence and their football obsessed community while having their...
soundtrack - "Running Knees" - Appears on the GodzillaGodzilla (1998 film)Godzilla is a 1998 science fiction monster disaster film film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. It is a loose remake of the 1954 giant monster classic Godzilla. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The film relates a tale of a nuclear incident...
soundtrack
Personnel
- Travis MeeksTravis MeeksTravis Shane Meeks , is an American musician, and is the lead singer, guitarist and song writer for acoustic rock band Days of the New.-Early life and career:...
- Guitar, vocals, producer - Todd Whitener - Guitar
- Jesse Vest - Bass
- Matt Taul - Drums
- Adam Turgeon - Drums (tracks 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 11)
- Chris Stone - Second engineer
- Chris Bilheimer - Art direction, illustrations, photography
- Blair Wells - Digital editing
- James Rosenthal - Mixing
- Jim Goldberg - Photography
- Adam Green - Digital editing
- Todd Smith - Organ (track 5), second engineer
- Bill Klatt - Producer, engineer
- Scott Litt - Producer
- Bob Ludwig - Mastering
Charts
Album - Billboard (North America)| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Heatseekers | 1 |
| 1997 | The Billboard 200 | 40 |
| 1998 | Australian Charts | 47 |
| 1998 | New Zealand Charts | 1 |
Singles - Billboard (North America)
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | "Touch, Peel and Stand" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 (16 weeks) |
| 1997 | "Touch, Peel and Stand" | Modern Rock Tracks | 6 |
| 1998 | "Shelf in the Room" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 3 |
| 1998 | "Shelf in the Room" | Modern Rock Tracks | 22 |
| 1998 | "The Down Town" | Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| 1998 | "The Down Town" | Modern Rock Tracks | 19 |
Days of the New: Live
On December 1, 1998, Outpost released Days of the New: Live, a VHS featuring concert footage and two music videos. The video includes numerous songs that would be released on future Days of the New albums.Track listing
- Fighting with Clay
- Freak
- Best in Life
- Shelf in the Room
- The Character/The Threat
- Face of the Earth
- Special Guide
- How Do You Know You?
- Touch, Peel and Stand
- Bring Yourself
- The Down Town
- Touch, Peel and Stand (video)
- Shelf in the Room (video)