<glacius:metadata>

    <title>Tantric - Astounded - Solo</title>

    <description>

        My recording of the solo from Tantric's "Astounded"

    </description>

    <category>Music</category>

    <category>Music recording</category>

    <category>Guitar</category>

    <category>Acoustic guitar</category>

    <series order="25">2022 music project</series>

</glacius:metadata>

<p>

    The most interesting thing about 

    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantric_(band)">Tantric</a> is the beef

    between them and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Travis_Meeks">Travis Meeks</a>.

    Meeks and Tantric minus the singer were in a band called <em>Days of the New</em>

    that released <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_the_New_(1997_album)">an album</a>

    that was very successful… when they were all teenagers in 1997. After the

    success of the album, Meeks (who was the lead singer and songwriter) kicked everyone

    else out of the band and then made a couple more <em>Days of the New</em> albums

    that weren't as good as the first.

</p>

<p>

    Meanwhile, the other three (former) members of <em>Days of the New</em> found

    another douchebag singer in 

    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Ferreira">Hugo Ferreria</a> and formed

    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantric_(band)">Tantric</a>, which was basically

    <em>Days of the New</em> but with slightly more electric guitars. <em>Tantric</em>'s 

    <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantric_(album)">first album</a> went

    platinum, but their followup(s) didn't have as much success, and the band eventually

    broke up.

</p>

<p>

    By far my favorite part of this saga was this quote by Meeks in an interview with

    Howard Stern:

</p>

<blockquote>

    <p>

        Later, in 2002, Meeks called in to The Howard Stern Show and was asked by Stern why he

        didn't stick with the original members. He replied, "They had no spirituality. They had 

        no brains." When Stern pointed out, "They had hits!" he gave the vague response, "That's 

        not what I'm into. I'm into the truth."<glacius:cite>via 

        <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Days_of_the_New#1996-1998">Wikipedia</a></glacius:cite>

    </p>

</blockquote>

<glacius:figure glacius:src="astounded-solo-book.jpeg" type="image">

    <caption>

        Transcription of the <em>Astounded</em> solo from the 2001 album <em>Tantric</em>

    </caption>

</glacius:figure>

<h2>Recording</h2>

<p>

    Tuning is double drop D. The electric solo is honestly pretty sloppy, but I didn't feel like

    doing more takes.

</p>

<glacius:figure 

    glacius:src="astounded-solo-480p.mp4" 

    glacius:thumbnail="astounded-solo-poster.jpeg" 

    type="video">

    <caption>

        Cover of Todd Whitener's solo from <em>Astounded</em>

    </caption>

</glacius:figure>

<hr />

<glacius:figure 

    glacius:src="astounded-ardour-hydrogen.png"

    glacius:thumbnail="astounded-ardour-hydrogen-thumb.jpeg" 

    type="image">

    <caption>

        Screenshot of my 

        <a href="https://ardour.org/">Ardour</a>/<a href="http://hydrogen-music.org/">Hydrogen</a> 

        setup

    </caption>

</glacius:figure>