The August 30th issue of "Rolling Stone," features a candid interview with Dave Matthews. The nuts and bolts of the interview have already been reviewed here, but there are a couple of other noteworthy points that I found interesting.
Warning, this article contains political themes. Not suitable for all readers!
You know that game where someone asks you to tell him something he doesn't already know about you? I hate that game. Usually, I think, about how I already told the person everything that I am comfortable with him knowing. But today, I have an answer. So, I'm going to pretend we are playing. So here is something about myself that I don't think you already know: If I have a thought, and then sneeze immediately afterward, I believe the thought to be true.
Contrary to the famous phrase from "Watchtower," there are many reasons to get excited, especially if you are a Dave Matthews Band fan! We are part way through the summer tour, having seen some amazing sets with more to come, and we are only 8 weeks away from a brand new record. "Away From the World," the Dave Matthew's Band's 8th studio album is set to be released on Tuesday, September 11th, a conspicuous release date, which isn't altogether surprising considering the themes present in some of the new songs. At this point, before tonight's show, 6 of the 11 new tracks have been played live, including "Belly Belly Nice," "Mercy," "Gaucho," "Sweet," "The Riff," and "If Only," while "Mercy" has also enjoyed a studio release. It is yet to be seen whether the other 5 numbers will be played before the official birth of this CD.
This past weekend at Alpine Valley Music Theater, in East Troy, Wisconsin, the Dave Matthews Band played what many are calling, the best two-night set, in history. Of course, that is a subjective call, but taking a look at the songs that graced the stage, I can see where the superlatives are coming from. Night one boasted favorites like, "You Never Know," "The Best of What's Around," "The Song That Jane Likes," "Seek Up," "Pig," and even a rare, partial, "Blue Water." And that was just night one! Night Two was given a rarity score of 1 by dmbalmanac.com, because of seldom heard treats like "Little Thing," "Shotgun," "Raven," "The Dreaming Tree," and "Loving Wings."
Yesterday, I happened upon a link to part three of the Dave Matthews Band's documentary, from their 2010 summer tour. The film, aptly named, "Hello Again," will have five parts in all, but only three have been released so far. Funnily enough, when I saw the clip, I knew that I would want to write about it, but then I found that we already have links to all three parts of the piece, here at DBTP. It's times like this when I am glad that the world doesn't wait for me, because everyone would be just a wee bit behind. 
I'm not quite sure why, but I haven't been terribly motivated to write an article since I saw DMB a couple of weeks ago in Charlotte. It wasn't that it was a bad show; as usual, they boys were amazing, and I even got "Bartender," and "#41," which are two of my all time favorite songs. But something in me seems to have shifted since that night, and since it doesn't seem to be shifting back into place on it's own, I figure I better write about it.
UPDATE: 07/23/12 - Congrats to Todd & Mike. Winners of this giveaway.
We all have our own reasons for loving this band. Great music, fantastic live shows, and the chance to meet amazing friends top many people's lists, regarding why they listen to the Dave Matthews Band. And then there are the reasons without words, like the chill to the spine that creeps in every time you hear Dave and Tim's version of "Bartender" from "Live at Radio City Music Hall." But also, it just feels good to support a group of musicians who contribute so much to important causes.
This weekend, I experienced the worst nightmare of any Dave Matthews Band fan. I sat, with tickets in hand, to a show in Dallas, while I was in North Carolina. As sometimes happens to all of us, unpredictable and uncontrollable circumstances arose that made my well-plotted plans a bust. And despite knowing better, I felt like a monkey who was pushed from her dreaming tree.
When people ask me why I love the Dave Matthews Band, I rarely even know where to start. One thing I inevitably end up mentioning is the way that every time I turn around, the band is contributing to another charity event or production. This Mother's Day is no exception, with the boys offering a live version of "Sister," to the "Every Mother Counts CD," a compilation disk aimed at bringing awareness to the high mortality rate of mothers around the world.
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."
