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Tantric Is Back and In a Big Way: A Conversation with Hugo from Tantric  |
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 Around ten years ago you couldn’t turn on the radio without hearing Tantric and one of their hit singles. They were everywhere, and then all of a sudden they weren’t anywhere. Looking to hit the studio and release what would be their record, the band’s label, Maverick, blew up, and so did the band. Everyone that called Tantric home left, and Hugo Ferreira was suddenly an island.
Luckily for him, he is Tantric.
He pressed on, and in time found a new home, Silent Majority Group, and a new band, featuring former Fuel drummer Kevin Miller, and emerged from the depths with a new record, The End Begins. Somehow, someway, Tantric still lives and is back in the mainstream in a big way.
The End Begins is the best Tantric record released to date, and it’s simply because they are still doing what brought them to the dance, while mixing in new things here and there as well, like violins and other string instruments.
I recently caught up with Ferreira and was able to find out what it was like to be without a band and a label literally overnight, what record he thought was the most efficient in Tantric history, and just how the new band members inspired him on this record.
AtHome: Why the four year break between records?
Hugo Ferreira: Basically after the second record was done we went back in and recorded the third. We recorded it and it was all done, a week away from press to get started, then the label folded. Basically we found ourselves without a label, but they still owned the record. With all that happening the rest of the guys in the band got discouraged with the music industry and decided to not do it any more. Todd didn’t want to be a part of it anymore and Matt had his own thing he was doing. After that I went down into my home studio and recorded what would actually be the third Tantric record, but actually the third. The third one is in limbo somewhere.
AH: What did it feel like to be suddenly without a band? Did you ever consider just giving up music?
Ferreira: Lonely. It felt very discouraging and I didn’t know if I was going to be able to pull myself out of it. At the same time I wasn’t really ready to give up on it because I have invested my whole life into it. Basically I wiped the dust off and got back on my feet, started writing and working as hard as I possibly could. Luckily for me it paid off and I got another record deal. I found another band to back me up and here we are.
AH: Were you surprised the label folded?
Ferreira: It was a pretty big surprise to me. The music industry is in such a flux situation – labels were downsizing, bands were getting dropped left and write. I was surprised it happened but not surprised it happened with that label. I know the label was already having problems, even on our second record. It was surprising but at the same time it I wasn’t super surprised. It’s always surprising especially when it is a week away from the record being released. I mean, c’mon, I already had my new Porsche (laughs). It happened all the time and it ultimately only made me stronger.
AH: So, the new incarnation – is this Tantric reborn? What can we expect from the new version of this band?
Ferreira: Absolutely. The essence of what Tantric is still there but just obviously a different incarnation. It’s a different Tantric because of the different members and they all add their different qualities to the music. I think that Tantric fans when they listen to the record it sounds like a Tantric record, it doesn’t sound like a different band with me signing on it. I definitely think I wanted to take a step sideways and forward. I wanted a breath of fresh air in the texture of the music, while still sticking to what people know us for. There are a lot of songs that are classic Tantric.
AH: Tell me about the recording process of The End Begins.
Ferreira: It was crazy. What we did was, when I got the deal, I called my good friend Toby Wright, who produced the first two records, and luckily he had about six weeks available. We went to his studio in the Pocono’s in the middle of nowhere. The nearest gas station was 12 miles away from the studio. We recorded, produced and mixed the record in 32 days. It was definitely the most efficiently produced record. You would be surprised what you could do with a limited budget. You kind of learn how to make the most of what you have and at the end of the day you find out you really didn’t need to spend a lot of money – you just need to be a little more focused and efficient in the recording process.
AH: Why do you feel this was the most efficient record?
Ferreira: What we went through on the third record was a really humbling experience and I think it was sort of a way for life to check me and let me know I can’t be screwing around. I needed to be more focused and concentrated on what I was trying to get accomplished. Going into the studio with that attitude and with everyone in the band knowing what we were going up against and the energy reflected on everybody. We all did what we needed to do to get it done.
AH: What inspired you to write this record? Did all of the hardships and obstacles play into the writing? Do you feel it is a more personal record because of the journey?
Ferreira: I definitely had a lot of material. Everyday was some sort of story, and just those stories of overcoming everything I did, that could be a record in itself. Besides that I was having some personal relationship problems that we were happening at the same time that were affecting my life and those things tend to come out in song. Lyrically this record is almost a biography of my life; the stories of my struggles and my happiness, pretty much all of the good things and the bad things that have happened over the past few years.
AH: Did the new members inspire you?
Ferreira: It’s a lot easier to believe in yourself when you have other people believing in you. It was definitely inspirational to have the other guys say that they though we had great songs, and they wanted to be a part of this with me. Seeing them work really hard everyday made me feel that a little bit of the weight was off of me and distributed throughout the rest of the band. It was nice to see these guys fight for this like it was their first record deal ever. For example my drummer had already sold 4.5 million albums worldwide, so he was definitely a veteran to this but was definitely treating it like it was his baby. Having that reinforcement helped solidify my own ideas of what this could be.
AH: Were you friends with Kevin Miller before?
Ferreira: Yeah, we had been friends for years. We are a lot closer friends since he has joined the band. He was my first choice as a drummer, so when he agreed to do it I was obviously very happy.
AH: Can you touch any of the third record material?
Ferreira: One day we will be able to touch that material I think. Somehow in the future I will make that record available to people. Right now my focus is on this record and what we need to do. So, maybe one day that record will be released to people but there is obviously a lot of red tape to go through. Until it settles itself out I need to keep my eye of the prize, which is this record. We will see what happens.
AH: What can we expect from this record?
Ferreira: They can expect something a little different than they have heard before, but definitely a Tantric record. They can expect the most lyrically passionate record I’ve ever written and literally meaningful. Every song has a really important story behind it and all of the songs are important. They can be related to a certain point and event in my life. I think people will love this record for its sincerity, melody, and rock, a little something for everybody.
AH: Is this is a record that will over the old fans and win over new fans?
Ferreira: I think so. Based on the response we have been getting already the old Tantric fans are still behind me and love this record and some of them even like it better. We are winning new fans over everyday.
AH: What can we expect from the band the rest of the year?
Ferreira: This record is being set up in such a way that it is going to be way more accessible. We pretty much restructured the entire bands core, from management to booking agents to attorneys and everything. This time around we have everybody a part of this because they are passionate about it, not just because it is a going to be a meal ticket. The touring is going to be way more consistent this time around.
Check Tantric out today, and check out some materials they have to offer, http://www.myspace.com/tantric.
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