Today is a very bittersweet day. On the one hand, it's the anniversary of the largest terrorist attack the United States has ever seen, but, on the other hand, it's also the day that the Dave Matthews Band released their 8th studio album. It seems somewhat inappropriate to even include those two events in the same sentence, as if the release of a new record could have the same magnitude as the horrific loss of lives on September 11th, 2001. And still, in a very respectful way, this is exactly what I am saying. That music is that powerful.
This summer has been crazy busy. Between swimming, writing, working on extra projects, being a Mom, and complaining about Republicans, I've barely had a moment to myself. That's why, I'm chagrined to admit, I only got a chance to listen to the Dave Matthews Band's Warehouse 8 CD yesterday. I have so much DMB on my ipod, that I mistakenly thought that I could stand to wait a little while before giving the new tracks a whirl. But before I knew it, a little while turned into a few months, which is pretty hilarious, considering how I checked the mailbox as if I was waiting on an acceptance letter to Harvard beforehand.
Funny how history repeats itself. In 1995, while watching a late-night talk show, I fell in "love at first note," with the sound of a quirky and adorable singer/songwriter from South Africa. Seventeen years later, having evolved synchronistically with the music, it happened to me all over again.
Last night, Dave Matthews appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show to give fans a taste of DMB's new album. Dave performed an acoustic version of a song called "Mercy," with the help of the amazing guitarist, Captain Kirk, of "The Roots."