Dave Matthews Band's farewell to a fallen brother
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August 20th, 2008
Even if it had been a merely half-hearted performance – which it wasn't, not even close, though who'd have blamed 'em if it were? – Tuesday's inspired show at Staples Center would still linger long in Dave Matthews Band lore.
For this, sadly, was the night the group played a nearly three-hour elegy for its fallen brother, LeRoi Moore.
You could tell something was different – something wasn't quite right – from the way Matthews approached the microphone after opening with a tremendous roar through "Bartender." Clearly striving for some sort of grieving catharsis during that track's dozen-minute running time, eventually achieving a high-pitched, hollered fervency like I haven't felt shake my soul since Bono was in his prime, he suddenly looked sullen, sad-eyed, kinda lost – yet at the same time all business, as if out to impress.
"We got some bad news today," he told the quickly quieted crowd. It was a heavy blow: Saxophonist and founding member Moore – DMB's own Clarence Clemons – who had suffered health complications ever since sustaining serious injuries from an ATV crash on his Virginia farm in late June, had died earlier that afternoon at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles, not far from where the band would play hours later. He was 46.
"(He) gave up his ghost today," Matthews said matter-of-factly, "and we will miss him forever."
Tim Reynolds Interview with Glide Magazine
July 14th, 2008
Tim Reynolds - Ace in the Hole
By Chad Berndtson
Fall 1998 remains my all-time favorite Dave Matthews Band tour—the band at its creative zenith with, to these ears, its best studio album (Before These Crowded Streets) just out, and blowing the roof off of arenas every single night with setlists that on paper looked short only because every song was a multi-layered jamfest. There were possibilities untold and musicianship unbound, and the DMB backlash among those in and outside the jamband community were not yet palatable.
No coincidence, perhaps, that the Flecktones were the opening act and nightly collaboration foil—and that Dave's longtime guitar-slinger pal Tim Reynolds was tearing it up as a full-time touring band member. There are still great DMB shows to be seen in 2008, sure, but night after night of all those expansive '98 readings of "#41" "Jimi Thing," "Minarets," "Crush," "Lie In Our Graves"—I’m not sure the band has ever been that daring.
To see the inscrutably exciting, relentlessly inventive Reynolds on tour with Dave Matthews Band full time again this summer, 10 years later, is a little jarring—and a little nostalgic. Jarring, perhaps, because DMB at present is a touring lineup that includes Reynolds, trumpeter Rashawn Ross and Flecktones sax ace Jeff Coffin, but no Butch Taylor, and, disquietingly, no LeRoi Moore, who continues his hospitalization and recovery from a recent ATV accident. But times of internal band challenge can also yield some really unique nights on tour–and having had a listen to some recent bootlegs, here's thinking 2008 will stand as the most adventurous and remarkable DMB tour in at least five years. Certainly one of the most exciting, and just wait til Roi gets back.
Reynolds himself is having a banner year. After years of solo tours and spot projects, he's not only back in the spotlight with DMB but has revived TR3 (if not former members) in a new configuration. The new TR3 formed with bassist Mick Vaughn and drummer Dan Martier shortly after Reynolds moved to North Carolina's Outer Banks from New Mexico in 2007, and as he told us in a recent interview, there'll be plenty more from them in the near future, too.
Read The Full Interview
Rocky Mountain New Interview with Dave Matthews
July 11th, 2008
By Mark Brown - Rocky Mountain News
It's an uncertain time for Dave Matthews Band fans. Longtime keyboard player Butch Taylor recently left the band. Saxophonist LeRoi Moore had an accident on his ATV in late June, breaking ribs and more, which forced a sudden, indefinite exit from the band (Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck's band is standing in). The recording of a new album is only partially complete, with no release date in sight, three years after the release of Stand Up. Matthews continues to be grateful to the Colorado music scene that gave the band its first toehold outside the East Coast, as evidenced by the Red Rocks stands he's played and his willingness to headline the first Mile High Music Festival. The self-effacing Matthews sat for a long telephone interview with Rocky pop music writer Mark Brown about the state of the band and his life, ending with a good-natured "Thanks for putting up with me."
Read the Full Interview
Rothbury gives full attention to Dave Matthews
July 6th, 2008
by Troy Reimink | The Grand Rapids Press
There's no question that for three hours, Dave Matthews was king of Rothbury. His was the first major set to stand alone at the festival. All stages remained silent in his honor, and all 40,000 peasants in the kingdom gathered to rejoice.
Well, not peasants exactly, but after three days and not many very many showers, it's beginning to smell that way.
Good old Dave, with music as hard to dislike as it is easy to like, and even easier to not muster strong feelings about whatsoever. But that's just me. Dave's band is, of course, endlessly proficient (especially with Tim Reynolds joining him on guitar), and he's done as much as anyone to bridge the occasionally incongruous worlds of jam culture and popular rock.
So in that capacity, he's a perfectly suitable choice as Rothbury's inaugural headliner. Something almost everyone can agree on. Bets do not get safer.
Dave's marathon set was normal by his standards. Or maybe it wasn't, what do I know? If I closed my eyes and imagined what a normal Dave Matthews set sounded like, it would be exactly like the one he played at Rothbury. Which is to say loose and improvisational, with a set list that provided concessions to hardcore fans, as well as the rest of us.
The recent news that LeRoi Moore, Dave's longtime sax player, was seriously injured in an ATV crash led to a bit of uncertainty about the show, but with a fill-in as high-caliber as Jeff Coffin (of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones), there was obviously nothing to worry about.
"Seek Up" opened the show. "Satellite" came fairly early on. Ah, "Satellite," with that sneaky little riff that every college guy with an acoustic guitar can play in his sleep. I was that dude once. Tried it on the ladies. Didn't work.
There was also "Tripping Billies." And "Jimi Thing," jammed out ceaselessly into the night. And a cover of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer." Good stuff, all of it executed flawlessly. "So Much to Say" and "Ants Marching" rounded out the greatest-hits portion of the night. Not surprisingly, the set emphasized his poppier, more fully arranged songs that lended themselves better to the big-band treatment, though this meant the more interesting portions of his catalog were ignored (like the bulk of "Before These Crowded Streets," my vote for his best record).
No "Crash Into Me," however. Sorry, guys, but if you've made it this far into Rothbury without getting any love, not even Dave Matthews can help you.
So there you have it, the biggest show of the biggest event on Michigan's summer entertainment calendar. From here we coast through Sunday and, after that, into a hot shower.
Dave Matthews Band show no signs of letting up
June 6th, 2008
By BRIAN McCOLLUM
The 15-year mark is a crucial point in the life of a rock act.
It's the stage when a veteran band can slip into contentedly running through the motions, or decide it's going to stay on its toes and keep challenging itself.
For the Dave Matthews Band, says bassist Stefan Lessard, opting for the latter is a no-brainer.
It was spring 1993 when the Southern college band settled into its permanent lineup, preparing to issue its first record as it began the wild journey into national fame and eventual status as one of the world's top touring draws. Fifteen years later, it's all still electric for Lessard, drummer Carter Beauford, violinist Boyd Tinsley, sax man LeRoi Moore and the band's singer-songwriter namesake.
"This band is kind of a living, breathing organism," says Lessard in advance of the band's Monday show at DTE Energy Music Theatre. "We're constantly morphing into different shapes and sounds. We don't really aim to sound one particular way or have one particular type of show. We just let it happen as it happens. It's very much in the moment."
The ever-evolving DMB story has entered a new chapter: Back on the road with the band is guest guitarist Tim Reynolds, a close confederate of Matthews who played with the band during the late '90s. Most notably, the group inaugurated a recording partnership last year with producer Rob Cavallo, best known for his work with Green Day and My Chemical Romance. Sessions have begun for the follow-up to 2005's "Stand Up," the band's latest chart-topping, pop-savvy fusion of rock, funk, jazz and world music.
As other '90s bands have fluttered off to the fringes -- back to playing small venues or linking up for retro package tours -- DMB remains vital and relevant. The group sold more than 831,000 tickets in the United States last year, according to Pollstar magazine, placing it behind only the Police, Kenny Chesney and Justin Timberlake. That's a standard sort of feat for the group: Dave Matthews Band is widely regarded in the concert industry as the contemporary act with the most dependable box-office draw.
Dave Matthews Band Still Plugging away on New CD
The Dave Matthews Band is emphasizing the "band" part of its equation on the group's next album. "It literally was a collaborative effort from beginning to end," violinist Boyd Tinsley tells Billboard.com. "Every song was written by everybody at the same time -- we've never really done that before."
"We all got together and played and got these ideas, and we'd all work through building these songs all together," he continues. "Everybody's just really excited about it. That's why I say it sounds very much like DMB. It couldn't be more purely DMB than what it is."
But the album, DMB's first since 2005's chart-topping "Stand Up," is a long way from done. The group, along with guitarist Tim Reynolds and producer Rob Cavallo, got together early in the year in Charlottesville, Va., to start working on ideas, then in March continued in Seattle to be closer to Matthews' home.
Tinsley says the songs have been composed and are now waiting for Matthews to write lyrics, with a plan to return to the studio after the group comes off the road in early September.
Matthews and Reynolds put on meaningful, lively show in honor of Dalai Lama's visit
April 12th, 2008
By Gene Stout
Dave Matthews and longtime collaborator Tim Reynolds capped a day of enlightenment, inspiration and compassion with an electrifying performance at KeyArena.
Coinciding with the Dalai Lama's historic visit to Seattle, Friday's concert was a benefit for Seeds of Compassion, the campaign to raise worldwide awareness for "the importance of nurturing kindness and compassion."
Matthews and Reynolds' concert covered a wide range of songs, from the harrowing "Gravedigger" to the funky, countrified "Cornbread." The sound was surprisingly good for a semi-acoustic show at KeyArena, and overhead video screens assured that everyone in the packed arena could see close-ups of the two musicians' masterful guitar-playing.
Reynolds' playing, in fact, was nothing short of brilliant. And the interplay between the two guitarists was lively and often riveting.
"I'm lucky I get to share the stage with Tim," Matthews said. "He's one of my heroes."
Dave Matthews Band Grossed $41.1 Million in 2007
February 4th, 2008 
For the past two years, the Dave Matthews Band has proven to be one of the more consistent bands on the road. In 2007, the group’s ticket sales grossed $41.1 million, placing the band eleventh in the year-end touring charts. In 2006, DMB grossed $39 million.
The band performed mostly in amphitheaters; in 2000, proving their drawing power, they were playing numerous stadiums and some with multiple nights in each, including three nights at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ and two nights each at Soldiers Field in Chicago, IL and Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, MA.
Over the years, the Dave Matthews Band has been considered a people band, like the Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, and has kept ticket prices moderately low and under market value. Although there were some very high VIP tickets in 2007, including $340 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, CA, and $240 at Coors Amphitheatre in Chula Vista, CA, the average ticket price to a DMB concert was $47.80, according to Pollstar, which was the lowest average ticket price for any act in the top 20.
Dave looks to the other side
December 31st, 2007
By Helen Herimbi
Hollywood film releases are not something you'd associate with Dave Matthews. The 40-year-old South African native is rather better known for his musical exploits - enjoying the not-to-be-sniffed-at status of being the lead singer of America's biggest touring act.
Yes, that's right. More people attend his Grammy Award-winning band's concerts every year than say, a slick Justin Timberlake, rap mogul Jay Z, or even, heaven forbid, the newly reformed Spice Girls.
Together with Jonathan Dorfman and a few friends, his latest exploit is as a movie producer for the psychological thriller Joshua. Matthews was in Joburg last week to promote the film.
Joshua, which according to Matthews "was the first film where all the pieces just fell together", follows the life of a precocious 9-year-old whose world is shattered when a new child enters the household. His jealousy takes sibling rivalry to a new level as a series of fatal events raise unanswered questions and leave a dark cloud over the family. On top of being one of the producers, Matthews contributed a poignant ditty to the film.
In high spirits, Matthews - who was born and attended St Stithians High School in Johannesburg - explains that in the original script there was meant to be a song in the final scene where the boy would reveal that he is he puppet master of the whole thing.
"The scriptwriters hadn't written the song. So they asked if I knew anyone who would do it . So I said 'well, give me a chance'.
Cadets win 'Pep Rally' prize - Dave Matthews Band
October 25th, 2007
West Point — "Go Army! Beat Navy!" It's the unofficial mantra of the U.S. Military Academy, and it extends to all things on post.
When cadets walk by officers, they salute and murmur, "Go Army," and officers bark back, "Beat Navy."
There are four flower boxes on the superintendent's front porch. "Go Army," says one pair. The other pair? You guessed it.
At the nation's bastion for Army excellence, young men and women are trained to win wars and football games.
So when West Point Cadet Jeff Caslen heard about a contest for the "World's Loudest Pep Rally," he knew what to do:
"Stick it to the other academies!" he said.
The competition, sponsored by AT&T, challenged 120 NCAA schools, including West Point and the Naval and Air Force academies, to vote online to win a free, live concerts by the Dave Matthews Band.