Travis Meeks was only 17 when he blew up. People forget how young he actually was when the "Orange" album dropped in 1997. He had this deep, haunting voice that sounded like it belonged to a man who had lived three lifetimes, and the acoustic-driven gloom of "Touch, Peel and Stand" became a permanent fixture on rock radio. But the story of Days of the New members is a messy, sprawling web of talent, ego, and some of the best musicians to ever come out of the Kentucky-Indiana scene. It wasn’t a band for long. It was a revolving door.
Most fans know the original lineup. It was Meeks, Jesse Vest, Todd Whitener, and Matt Taul. They were kids, basically. They had this incredible chemistry that fused heavy metal sensibilities with folk-inspired acoustic guitars. No electrics allowed. That was Travis's rule. Honestly, it worked brilliantly for a minute. Then, things got weird. Meeks decided he wanted more control. Or maybe he just had a vision that didn’t include the other three guys. By 1998, the original lineup was dead. Vest, Whitener, and Taul went on to form Tantric, which had its own massive run, while Meeks kept the name and started hiring a "who’s who" of world-class session players.
The Chaos of the Color-Coded Eras
If you look at the Green album (the second self-titled record), the list of Days of the New members looks more like a small orchestra than a rock band. Meeks went full visionary. We’re talking about dozens of people. He brought in legendary session bassist Bill Upchurch. He had an entire choir. There was a full orchestra.
It was a pivot. A huge one.
The Green album is a masterpiece to some and a bloated mess to others. It’s dense. It’s experimental. It’s got intros, outros, and interludes that feel like a fever dream. While the original trio was touring and writing more straightforward post-grunge hits with Tantric, Meeks was in the studio meticulously layering hundreds of tracks. He brought in percussionists like Ray Brinker and backup vocalists like Nicole Scherzinger. Yes, that Nicole Scherzinger, before she was in the Pussycat Dolls. She actually toured with the band and provided those haunting feminine harmonies that define the "Green" sound.
Then came the Red album. The third one.
By this point, the roster of Days of the New members had shifted again. Ray Mayorga, who is a monster on the drums and eventually played with Stone Sour and Hellyeah, stepped in. Chuck Reed took over some of the production and management aspects. It was heavier. It was more aggressive. But the stability was gone. Meeks was struggling with addiction, and that’s not a secret—he’s been very open about his battles over the years. This led to a constant flux of touring musicians. You could go to a show in 2002 and see a completely different group than the one you saw in 1999. It became a solo project in everything but name.
Why the Original Lineup Reunion Failed
In 2014, something happened that no one expected. The original four—Travis, Todd, Jesse, and Matt—announced they were getting back together. The hype was real. Fans who had been following them since the mid-90s thought we were finally getting the proper follow-up to the Orange album. They called it the "Full Circle" tour.
It didn't last.
It actually ended in a pretty public meltdown at a show in Sellersburg, Indiana. Meeks wasn't in a good place. He ended up wandering around the stage, unable to perform, while the other three eventually just walked off. It was heartbreaking to watch. It proved that you can’t just put the pieces of 1997 back together if the foundation is cracked. Since then, the list of Days of the New members has been a rotating cast of whatever local musicians or session guys Travis can pull together for one-off shows or sporadic recording sessions.
A Breakdown of Key Contributors
- Jesse Vest: The original bassist. He provided the rhythmic anchor that made those early songs feel "heavy" even without distortion.
- Todd Whitener: The lead guitarist who had to figure out how to play "leads" on an acoustic in a way that didn’t sound like a campfire singalong.
- Matt Taul: A drummer with a massive, booming style that mimicked John Bonham but in a grunge context.
- Mike Emerson: Played keyboards during the early 2000s, adding that atmospheric layer that Meeks was obsessed with.
- Ray Mayorga: Provided the percussion for the "Red" era, bringing a much harder, more industrial edge to the project.
- Charlie Starr: Before he was in Blackberry Smoke, he actually toured as a guitarist for Days of the New. It’s a small world.
The problem with tracking Days of the New members is that Travis Meeks is the only permanent fixture. He is the band. But the band is also everyone who ever helped him realize the sounds in his head. From world-class bassists to orchestral arrangers, the credits on those three albums are a map of late-90s and early-2000s rock talent.
The Sound That Defined an Era
You can't talk about these musicians without talking about the gear. Travis was obsessive. He used specialized acoustic guitars with high-output pickups so he could run them through massive amp stacks. Most people think they're hearing electric guitars on the Orange album. They aren't. That’s just the sheer volume and technique of the players involved.
The percussion was also unique. On the "Green" and "Red" albums, the drummers had to adapt to a style that wasn't just 4/4 time signatures. There was a lot of world music influence. A lot of polyrhythms. To be one of the Days of the New members during the middle era, you had to be a technical virtuoso. You couldn't just be a "grunge guy." You had to understand arrangement, dynamics, and how to stay out of the way of Travis’s massive vocal presence.
Misconceptions About the Band
- They were a Pearl Jam clone. People said this a lot in '97 because of Travis's baritone. It's a lazy comparison. The acoustic-only gimmick made them something closer to a dark, twisted version of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
- Tantric stole their sound. Actually, Jesse, Todd, and Matt brought their own sound to Tantric. If you listen to "Orange," you hear the DNA of both bands.
- The band is retired. Technically, Travis still performs when he's able. There have been rumors of a "Tree" album (the fourth color) for nearly two decades.
What’s the Legacy?
The legacy isn't a stable lineup. It’s a discography that influenced a generation of acoustic rockers. You don't get bands like Breaking Benjamin or even some of the later Shinedown stuff without the ground broken by the various Days of the New members. They proved that acoustic music didn't have to be "unplugged" or soft. It could be terrifying. It could be huge. It could be arena-ready.
The tragedy is that the instability of the lineup prevented them from having the longevity of their peers like Alice in Chains or Tool. When you change your entire backing band every two years, you lose that "gang" mentality that keeps a group together through the hard times. Meeks chose the path of the auteur. It gave us brilliant, weird music, but it cost him a stable career.
How to Follow the Members Today
If you're looking to see what these guys are up to now, the paths are pretty diverged. Jesse Vest has stayed active in the music scene, often working on the business and production side while still playing. Todd Whitener has various projects and occasionally pops up with new music that leans into his melodic sensibilities. Matt Taul has mostly stayed out of the spotlight compared to the others.
As for Travis? He remains an enigma. He pops up on social media, plays a small club, disappears for a year. It's the cycle. But for fans, the hunt for news about Days of the New members is usually a hunt for that "Tree" album. Will it ever happen? Who would even play on it? Given Travis's history, it would likely be a whole new group of people.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Collectors
- Audit the Credits: Check the liner notes of the "Green" album. You’ll find names of musicians who went on to work with everyone from Tori Amos to Nine Inch Nails. It's a masterclass in session work.
- Listen to 'Echoes of the Past': Look for the rare demos and B-sides from the 1996-1997 era. This is where you hear the original Days of the New members at their most raw, before the big production took over.
- Support the Offshoots: If you miss the "Orange" sound, go back and listen to Tantric's first album. It’s essentially the second Days of the New album that never was, at least in terms of the rhythm section and lead guitar work.
- Stay Skeptical of "Reunions": Unless you see all four original members on a stage together for more than one song, don't buy the hype. The history of this band is littered with "almost" reunions that fell apart due to internal friction.