Early years
Days of the New began as an experimental rock/metal trio called Dead Reckoning, with Meeks, Matt Taul, and Jesse Vest. When they turned to an acoustic sound, they changed the name of the band, as well as added guitarist Todd Whitener.
A demo version of the song "Freak" appeared on the Harvest Showcase Volume 3, a compilation of Louisville area artists. This recording features a solo performance by Travis Meeks but is credited to Days of the New. Jesse Vest and Matt Taul are listed as band members in the liner notes; although, they do not appear on this recording.
Producer Scott Litt signed the band after their third live show.
1996-1998
The band recorded their debut album in October and November 1996. The first Days of the New release, an eponymous album frequently called "Orange" or "Yellow" after the color of the disc and liner notes, was released in 1997, selling 1.5 million copies worldwide. Three songs from this album were hits: "Touch, Peel and Stand," "The Down Town," and "Shelf in the Room." The former was #1 on Billboard's Rock Chart for 17 weeks; "The Down Town" and "Shelf in the Room" were each top 40 hits.
Internal problems of the band were evident early on. Shortly after releasing their debut album, Days of the New began touring for small shows. MTV reported that, after missing a Florida concert in April, the band members appeared physically black-eyed and beaten the following day after what sources claimed to be a band brawl. They then toured with Metallica and Jerry Cantrell starting in West Palm Beach, Florida on June 24, 1998. Meeks later criticized this billing, stating that, due to their acoustic sound, Days of the New should have toured with a group like Dave Matthews Band.
Just before starting this summer tour, however, Meeks had already told interviewers that all of his fellow band members were holding him back and, consequently, were being released from the group. He also said that they were disappointed by this decision but that he thought they would remain friends. An Outpost spokesperson, however, claimed that "Travis just talks" and that nothing was official. Before they could fulfill club touring duties with Finger 11 and Flight 16 in December, without citing reason, Meeks canceled in early November. Various explanations were given by band members and a label spokesperson including poor tour scheduling, band fighting, and even Meeks being physically ill. It was finally confirmed in February 1999 that the band indeed split up. Todd Whitener, Matt Taul, and Jesse Vest would go on to form C14, soon renamed Tantric, while Meeks formed a new band under the Days of the New name.
Over the years, two somewhat contradictory versions of the original Days of the New breakup have developed. It was widely reported in 1998 and still believed that Travis Meeks fired his fellow musicians, aided largely by his personal comments; however, he has since said that this is not true and that they left out of jealousy due to the fact that he wrote virtually all of the songs and received all royalty checks. When Meeks first announced their departure months prior to its conceiving, and without label confirmation, he gave a less than positive remark, stating "It's like a journey in the wilderness - you know with like the struggle and stuff. I made it through, I survived, but the other guys didn't." Meeks also posted comments on a fan message board: "It wasn't truly a band format. It is my fault for leading you on and setting you up to get attached to the prior members." However, the following year during a live online chat, he seemed quite comfortable with the circumstance and treated it as though it were more mutual between them. Meeks has since said to have empathy toward their supposed choice to leave and claims to understand their viewpoint.
1999-2001
Just one year after the original band's breakup, Meeks had assembled a new Days of the New and recorded a second album. Titled Days of the New, and often referred to as "Green." The album was released August 31, 1999 and introduced a variety of different styles. Many of the album's songs contained intros and codas to seamlessly carry into the next song. Meeks debuted his new band on September 4, 1999 at the Ear Xtacy store in Louisville.
Critics were fairly enthusiastic of "Green," but the album sold poorly compared to the first, selling around 450,000 copies. The lead single, "Enemy," was a major hit while its follow up single, "Weapon and the Wound" met with marginal success. After touring to support the album, Meeks contributed to the Doors tribute album Stoned Immaculate: The Music of the Doors as lead vocalist on a cover of "The End" and "L.A. Woman."
In February 2000, Meeks returned to the studio with a new band and was finished by July. Still using the Days of the New name, the third album incorporated aspects of the previous two - much of the energy from the first album had returned, combined with orchestral interludes similar to the second album. In keeping with the previous albums' names, the third album is also called Days of the New, or "Red."
The first single "Hang On to This" charted fairly and was the most added song on rock radio the week it was released. However, the album was released two weeks after the 9/11 attacks and, with very little promotion, only sold 90,000 copies. The band maintained a profile touring with the likes of Creed and 3 Doors Down.
2002-present
After touring for "Red," the band went through a period of inactivity, when they parted ways with Interscope. In the later half of 2003, Travis Meeks embarked on a solo tour performing at small venues. He continued to suffer from drug addiction and, in early 2005, appeared on A&E's Intervention, where his family and friends convinced him to enter rehab and battle his addiction to methamphetamine.
In September 2005, Meeks declared sobriety, and resumed writing for a fourth Days of the New record, with the tentative color being Purple. After relocating to New York to reunite with Ray Rizzo, they began touring. In October 2007, the band entered a studio in New York to begin work on Purple. It has been hinted that the record may be recorded and released independently, giving the band artistic freedom and less pressure to be commercially successful. The record is said to have a theatrical sound, with the incorporation of upright bass, koto, hammered dulcimer and cello. Some of the songs tracked for the record include "Superhero," "Touch of Anger," and "Where It Ends." The album will be financed through fan pre-orders and donations via Paypal.
On March 4, 2008, Days of the New released their first compilation disc, Days of the New: The Definitive Collection.
In an interview with LEO Weekly, an alternative magazine out of Louisville, Kentucky, Travis stated that the upcoming record will be called Days of the New Presents Tree Colors.
August 2011. Days of New has cancelled their current tour and according to their manager Travis Meeks has entered rehab for an extended period of time.
Shelf In The Room
Days of the New Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've opened doors
Know when to listen
Know what to listen for (yeah)
The shelf in the room
Has been the way of holding me
And letting me stay
Kick me out
Let me go
I don't belong here no more
A releasing sense of getting tired
Hold myself
I can't hold myself
The shelf in the room
Has been so true
I can hide in
The shelf in the room
Holding out
Never hold in
Holding out
Never hold
Know when to listen
Know what to listen for
Believe in resistance
Don't let them tell you anymore
Is there anyway/no
To get away/no
Ask myself
While I stay inside
The key is so distant
I've closed my doors
The shelf in the room
Is rain waiting to pour
The lyrics of the song 'Shelf In The Room' by Days of the New suggest the singer’s struggle to come to terms with their inner demons and find a sense of belonging in the world. The opening lines of the song, "The key is so distant, I've opened doors, know when to listen, know what to listen for," suggest an introspective journey. The singer knows what he should be listening to, but he is having trouble hearing these things over the noise that surrounds him.
The chorus contains the most important lyrics in the song, "The shelf in the room has been the way of holding me and letting me stay." This shelf becomes the symbol of a safe place where the singer can take refuge and detach himself from the stress of the world. The line "kick me out, let me go, I don't belong here no more" could suggest that he's determined to leave the safety of the shelf to face his problems head-on. But in the end, he can only hold himself; he can’t hold onto the shelter for much longer.
The final phrase of the song, "the shelf in the room is rain waiting to pour," suggests that the shelter is temporary and inevitably, darkness and confusion will return. Here, the singer may recognize that he will need to develop new coping mechanisms to face his inner demons.
Line by Line Meaning
The key is so distant
The solution seems unreachable and far away
I've opened doors
I've tried different approaches and attempted to find the solution but failed
Know when to listen
Understand when to be attentive and alert
Know what to listen for (yeah)
Be aware of specific cues or signals to pay attention to
The shelf in the room
Has been the way of holding me
And letting me stay
The artist has relied on a shelf as a source of comfort and stability in their life
Kick me out
Let me go
I don't belong here no more
A releasing sense of getting tired
Hold myself
I can't hold myself
The singer recognizes that they need to move on and let go of the past, but they struggle to do so on their own
The shelf in the room
Has been so true
I can hide in
The shelf in the room
The singer turns to the shelf as a constant and reliable support system
Holding out
Never hold in
Holding out
Never hold
Stand up for oneself and resist being pushed around or silenced
Believe in resistance
Don't let them tell you anymore
Is there anyway/no
To get away/no
Ask myself
While I stay inside
The artist urges themselves to stand their ground and not give in to external pressure or influence
The key is so distant
I've closed my doors
The shelf in the room
Is rain waiting to pour
The artist has given up on finding a solution and has retreated to their safe space, but they sense that something ominous looms on the horizon
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: TRAVIS SHANE MEEKS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Araya Poblete
The key is so distant
I've opened doors
Know when to listen
Know what to listen for (yeah)
The shelf in the room
Has been the way of holding me
And letting me stay
Kick me out
Let me go
I don't belong here no more
A releasing sense of getting tired
Hold myself
I can't hold myself
The shelf in the room
Has been so true
I can hide in
The shelf in the room
Holding out
Never hold in
Holding out
Never hold
Know when to listen
Know what to listen for
Believe in resistance
Don't let them tell you anymore
Is there anyway/no
To get away/no
Ask myself
While I stay inside
The key is so distant
I've closed my doors
The shelf in the room
Is rain waiting to pour
K
This song is EPIC, and to me it epitomizes the pain and disillusionment of modern life. Many songs from the 90s did such a great job of putting the mirror to society and showing the dark undercurrents that exist in our world: "Under The Bridge", "Jeremy", "Man In The Box", "Creep", "Sober", "All Apologies", "Runaway Train", "Everybody Hurts", "Fell On Black Days", the list goes on.
K
@Just Me RIP Peter Steele TYPEO➖
wayne moore
Well spoken.
Just Me
Dont forget about 'Its Been a While" , "Hate Me", 'Killing In the Name Of" , "Come As You Are" , "Everything Dies'. The 90s were definitely a sobering look inward at existential existence.
Deanna Mansbach
This is a indiana group should have been bigger than ever I'm proud there from ny state best voice can't believe they didn't go further
Scott Gibson
@James Sanscrainte I have a lot of cops in my family, I have also lost two in the line of duty. This all said over forty years a scum bag of a cop put me in the ER. I was never arrested, and nothing ever happened to him. Years later someone beat him to within an inch of his lift. He beat me because I said something as he kicked a 15 girl in the head. The point is there are many good cops but certainly no shortage of bad ones and yes, they been getting away with this abuse forever. They call it the blue wall. People are pissed. I know I was. Fire the bad ones and get better cops but they never do that they hide them like the Catholic church did with their priest. People of color have been treated like second class citizens for a long time and they are pissed.
Kevin Gordon
entire album was a masterpiece. fantastic album
grep67
every single song... 100%
502choforoGT
fo real i ended up paying 25$ just to have a used original CD still worth it no regrets at all
Keith Klinert
Get over it,get on with it.