Tantric

When creative differences caused Days of the New lead singer to part ways with the rest of the band, the remaining members -- Jesse Vest (bass), Matt Taul (drums), and Todd Whitener (guitar) -- regrouped and went in search of a new frontman. Recruiting Hugo Ferreira, whose band had previously toured with Days of the New, Tantric was formed. The year 2001 and Maverick Records brought the release of Tantric's self-titled debut, which sold nearly one million copies and produced a number one hit single.

Tantric toured for two years, opening for the likes of Creed, Coldplay, Stone Temple Pilots, Kid Rock and more. Establishing themselves as a vital new voice in modern rock, the band hit the studio once again with producer Toby Wright (Korn, Alice in Chains) to record their eagerly awaited sophomore effort, After We Go. Wasting no time, the band has already hit the road with a headlining tour in support of their new album.

During their recent tour with 3 Doors Down, vocalist Hugo Ferreira took some time to speak with StarPolish's Tracie Galinski about building Tantric, the importance of the internet, and achieving goals through persistence.

STARPOLISH: When did you know that music was what you wanted to do and what brought you down this path?

FERREIRA:  I've always known. I just always knew that I wanted to play so I created the path. I created my own path. You just have to make your own path. If you want to be a doctor, you go to school to be a doctor. If you want to be in a band, you start a band.

STARPOLISH: What do you consider to be the first real break in your career?

FERREIRA:  Probably getting signed with this band was my first real break. I've played in other bands before and I had gotten a little small record --like an indie record, you know? It was pretty much worthless. We put Tantric together and Tantric really got us the biggest deal. I would consider that our first real break, or at least my personal one. The [other] guys had already had a huge record with Days of the New. They did really well and then they got fired by the singer because, who knows... lead singer syndrome. The band knew me because my band at the time was touring with their band. My manager worked with their manager in the same company. So when the guys decided that they wanted to start a new band, I was the first one they called. A little bit of luck was involved, you know?

STARPOLISH: How important is the internet to what you are doing and how is it being used most effectively?

FERREIRA:  The internet is super important because if your record isn't on sale all over the world, people can still access your music from all over the world. It gives you that freedom to be able to spread your music all over the world. Plus, it gives fans the chance to talk to you and talk to other fans about the music. It kind of brings everything together and it's also a great marketing tool.

STARPOLISH: What role does your fan base play in spreading the word about your music?

FERREIRA:  They spread it around. They'll tell other fans about us and when you got a couple of thousands of kids out there doing it for you, it helps tremendously.

After We Go

STARPOLISH: How many days a year are you touring and where would like to be a year from now regarding how many dates you're playing and the sizes and types of venues that you play?

FERREIRA:  We're playing about 1,000 to 2,000 person venues. Sometimes we play really small places. Of course, when we toured with bigger bands like Creed, 3 Doors Down, or Kid Rock we got to play in front of 40,000 people or 90,000. A year from now I would like to still be playing, hopefully be a lot richer and playing for more people --have a couple of platinum records under my belt.

STARPOLISH: Do you have any pre-show rituals?

FERREIRA:  Yeah, I have a pre-show prayer. I always pray before I go on stage. I am not the super-best Christian in the world. I'm not even in the top one million, but I figure it's not gonna hurt. We also do this thing where we put our fists in the middle. It's kind of silly, but it's become a ritual.

STARPOLISH: For you and Tantric, what constitutes career success?

FERREIRA:  First of all, making good music is very important. Being proud of what you're playing and being able to go out there to perform and have a fan base so that we can tour and so that we're selling music --so that we can be able to do this. Being successful is doing little interviews like this. That means that somebody actually cares enough that they want to know what we're up to. So, as long as we can pay our bills and play music, I think that's success for us.

STARPOLISH: Who is in your ipod/CD player right now?

FERREIRA:  In my CD player is Extreme, Waiting for the Punch Line. I've always been a big fan --me and one of our guitar players. Actually, everybody is kind of getting into it these days. We're all fans of it. That was their last record. I always listen to that record before I go on stage; it pumps me up.

STARPOLISH: What comes next? Where do you want to take your career from here?

FERREIRA:  I'm aiming for the stars and if I hit the clouds, I'll be happy.

STARPOLISH: What do you feel are the biggest challenges of doing what you do?

FERREIRA:  Biggest challenges? Well, I think music pirating is a big obstacle that bands are trying to overcome. Shady people in the industry are a challenge. Trying to keep a good working environment within the tour --that's always challenging because there are so many different personalities and priorities that are different for other people. Everyone has their own priorities. That's challenging because we live in a house on wheels and there's like 10 of us here.

STARPOLISH: At this point, what's the most stand-out thing you have learned from your career?

FERREIRA:  I would say probably say stay away from drugs. I've seen a lot of people who lose it to that.

Tantric

STARPOLISH: What advice would you offer other artists looking to find their places in the music industry?

FERREIRA:  I have this motto that I always live by and always have lived by in everything that I try to accomplish. It goes like this: Persistence overcomes statistics. Meaning, even when you're scratching a ticket -- you know when you buy those [lotto] tickets -- there are only so many tickets that you can scratch before you're not going to at least win one. I think that a lot of bands don't succeed because they give up. I know it gets discouraging, especially after trying for 10 years to get a record deal or whatever, but I really and truly feel that if you're good enough, you just really need to be persistent and stick with it. You got to do or die. I truly believe that eventually you're going to get a break. It happened for me and I'm just a normal kid from a small town. And once you have that break, you better hold onto it with both hands and be really in control of your career. Make sure nobody else is making decisions for you because that tends to happen a lot.

For tour dates, news and more, visit Tantric's website at www.tantriconline.com.