NOW PLAYING... Dave Matthews Band

June, 2nd 2006

by Matt Hendrickson

Jam master Matthews shares his secrets for staying sane during another hectic summer tour

*Baseball, Fourth of July, a Dave Matthews Band tour... it's become a rite of summer.

Dave: It is sort of a habit now. I'd be a liar if I said I didn't harbor fantasies of lazing about at home. But for now, I pack my family onto a bus and try to make it as much of a holiday for them as I can.

*So what do your 4-year-old twins, Grace and Stella, like most about the road?

Dave: Finding a cool playground in each city we're in. They're very unimpressed with the fact that Dad is a rock star.

*Do they have any musical aspirations?

Dave: They bang on the piano. I haven't forced them to do anything. Yet. That day will come. I appreciate the fact that my mother made me and my brothers and sisters play music. I never had to turn on the TV to entertain myself.

*Do you train at all to get ready for a tour?

Dave: Are you kidding? I try to exercise a bit so I don't expire, but I moderate exercise with rum.

*If you weren't touring, what would you be doing?

Dave: My wife and I have itchy feet. Even when we're home, we're always thinking about where to go next. To travel with your family is such a gift. I'd love to travel to Egypt, Morocco, Somalia. I'd like to go to some faraway culture to have my eyes opened and leave my daughters saying "Where are we?"

*What would you tell someone who's seeing the Dave Matthews Band for the first time?

Dave: We're not that good looking - but you can't deny we know what we're doing.