Tantric

I originally came to Tantric as a fan of Days Of The New. When original Days Of The New members Matt Taul, Todd Whitener and Jesse Vest split from Travis Meeks and joined with Merge vocalist Hugo Ferreira, there was still enough of the same brooding, post-grunge Days Of The New vibe to keep me happy. Though I liked the music, I think I can safely say at that point that Tantric had become for me little more than a poor man's (woman's) Days Of The New. Thus, when I heard a new CD was coming out featuring an entirely new lineup minus ALL the last vestiges of Days Of The New, I wasn't initially impressed.

Then something happened. I heard a little track from this album called Down And Out that not only blew me away, but forced me to rethink everything I thought I knew about Tantric. With the purging of all Days Of The New influence, this new lineup seems finally in a good place to carve out a whole new-and unique-identity for this band.

The crowning jewel of this new lineup is undeniably the addition of classical violinist Marcus Ratzenboeck. As the story goes, Tantric had a hard time convincing The Powers That Be at their label that a vilonist could actually be a viable addition to a rock band. But one listen to the hard driving Down And Out is enough to shut up the naysayers. Ratzenboeck's violin riffs lend the track its slightly macabre, decadent edge. You could envision one of Anne Rice's vampire characters from Queen of the Damned playing this. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if somebody somewhere hasn't snatched up the rights to this song for a movie. It's just too perfect.

Of course, violins and rock'n'roll are not exactly a new combination. I think Kansas already has that market cornered as the first rock band to feature classical strings. But what Ratzenboeck brings to Tantric is a totally new take on the concept, in which the violin becomes in essence the band's second guitar. I heard Eddie Van Halen play many times back in the day, and there was a moment during Ratzenboeck's solo that I had a strange sense of deja vu, for I have not heard that kind of total virtuosity on an instrument since then. Until tonight.

But anyway I am jumping slightly ahead of myself here. We arrived at the WZYP stage in time to catch the last few songs of Highland Blues, who are, by the way, a terrific young band from out of Atlanta. The crowd at this point was neither as large nor as rowdy as Friday night's crowd had been, which was actually a pleasant surprise. With more space and a little more room to breathe, and an atmosphere that was more of a laid-back groove than a mosh pit, we were able to thoroughly enjoy every minute of Highland Blues. (Of course, perhaps the No Moshing signs that had been erected since last night had a little something to do with that!).

However, the crowd steadily grew as it came closer to time for Tantric to come out. Having been so pumped by the new music, I was anxious to hear mostly the tracks from the new album, but the first part of the set leaned pretty heavily on what Ferreira called (in half jest, I think) "old school" Tantric. Which seemed a little off considering their first album was released in 2001. But then again, that has been over seven years. Boy, time does fly!

Ferreira, I should add, is an excellent frontman who knows how to keep the crowd engaged. He's also damn good at knowing how to keep an audience on edge and second-guessing his every move. Whether it is unexpectedly throwing a Journey ballad into the mix, or throwing himself gung-ho into the crowd to go surfing, there's never really any way to know what this guy's next trick up his sleeve will be.

The crowd-surfing, by the way, appeared to be a completely spontaneous act. Extra ironic and hilarious considering that he took the diving leap into the crowd right beneath the "No Moshing" sign. The effect was rather like one who stands beneath a "No Smoking" sign and brazenly lights a cigarette.

Not surprisingly, Down And Out was the highlight song of the set for me. In fact, overall, though I enjoyed hearing the classics again like "Breakdown" and "Astounded" it was the new tracks that really carried the show.

The "new" Tantric has certainly made a believer out of me. And has taught me the value of giving every band a second chance. It's true that the dynamics of a band will change when new players are brought into the fold. That's just the way things are. But it doesn't mean the new is necessarily inferior to the old.

In fact, I would say in the case of Tantric that the new blood has created a whole new transfusion.

And this fan is liking it.

Raven Woods