Days Of The New Announces Eastern U.S. Tour Dates

Recently renovated rock band Days of the New has announced its tour dates through Dec. 9.

Frontman Travis Meeks will lead his seven-piece band to Atlanta, Charlotte, Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Chicago from late November to early December. The tour was previously scheduled to end in Meeks' current home, Louisville, Kentucky.

The group has been on the road since late October, performing a few songs from the first Days of the New album and reworking the orchestral songs of ''Days of the New 2'' into straight-on rock versions.

The current lineup of guitarist Doug Florio, guitarist Craig Wagner, bassist Brian Vinson, keyboardist/background vocalist Kimmet Cantwell, vocalist Nicole Scherzinger and drummer Ray Rizzo replaced the group's original lineup of guitarist Todd Whitener, bassist Jesse Vest and drummer Matt Taul.

Meeks fired the original band on its first tour and went on to record a second album by himself, still using the Days of the New name. Explaining the split, Meeks said he had a broader, more ''experimental'' vision for the band, while the other members wanted to stay on a stricter rock 'n' roll path.

Recording at home in Louisville for eighteen months in '98 and '99, Meeks put together the 15-song ''Days of the New 2'' album, which utilizes strings, woodwinds and tympani.

Writing about the album, Meeks said that he believes that people neglect their spirituality as they age. He envisions the Days of the New project as a way to bring people closer to nature and creativity. Through those routes and others, he wrote, they can discover their souls.

Describing his ideal of how people might listen to his album, he wrote, ''I want people to sit down with black lights, candles, in a field, around a fire, or in whatever setting they choose and find their own interpretation.''