01/12/10
By
NEW YORK — Although the Dave Matthews Band's many achievements include a Grammy Award, getting a trophy has never been the focus of the group, which has blazed an independent path from pop's mainstream.
And it's still not.
But this year, even frontman Dave Matthews is feeling emotional over their two nominations for "Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King," including album of the year, perhaps the Recording Academy's most prestigious award.
"I live in my own tree and I'm pretty out of touch with a lot of what's going on – the mechanics that's going on with the Grammys and the industry in general," said Matthews in a phone interview last month.
"But to get that was a real thrill for me ... because of what the album meant to us and because (of) the loss of LeRoi (Moore) and because of the love that we put into making this."
The Grammy nominations underscore how the band, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, has rejuvenated itself after traumas that have led to the dissolution of other groups: First, creative differences almost tore them apart, then founding member LeRoi Moore died after a 2008 ATV accident.
"This band now as it is, is in a very new and very dynamic, very encouraged phase," said Matthews of the group, which had one of North America's most successful tours last year and is going on a European tour next month. "Overall this last tour was one of the best. The emotional connection and the band and the music that we are making ... is good or as better than we've ever sounded."
By Steve Baltin - Spinner.com
The Grammy Museum in L.A. welcomed Dave Matthews and producer Rob Cavallo on Tuesday night to talk about the making of the Dave Matthews Band's recent 'Big Whiskey' record, an album Matthews described as "Being very personal, with a lot of pain and celebration."
The revealing and entertaining hour-plus conversation with Grammy Museum executive director Robert Santelli highlighted both of those aspects, with a heavy emphasis on celebration as Matthews showed off his sense of humor mixed in with the painful talk about fallen bandmate LeRoi Moore, who died in August of 2008 after complications from an ATV accident.
By: Mike Bookey - Jambase
It's cutting late into the afternoon in a town just outside of Pittsburgh and, like he's been doing for most of the summer afternoons in his adult life, Stefan Lessard is getting ready to play a show. Well, he actually calls it a "gig," rather than the massive multi-tour-bus-and-semi-truck production that is required for a performance by the Dave Matthews Band. This night at the Post Gazette Pavilion, some 23,000 fans will be adoring every note Lessard pumps out of his bass as he sways rhythmically back and forth, his instrument snug up to his chest... just like he's been doing, again, his entire adult life.
This "adult life" of Lessard's is one of the more intriguing in the annals of rock & roll. A boy, still of high school age, gets snagged up by a promising singer-songwriter to play in a band of equally promising musicians. In only a few years, that band makes it big – really big – and becomes for some concertgoers the only show they care to see for the entire summer.
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It's cutting late into the afternoon in a town just outside of Pittsburgh and, like he's been doing for most of the summer afternoons in his adult life, Stefan Lessard is getting ready to play a show. Well, he actually calls it a "gig," rather than the massive multi-tour-bus-and-semi-truck production that is required for a performance by the Dave Matthews Band. This night at the Post Gazette Pavilion, some 23,000 fans will be adoring every note Lessard pumps out of his bass as he sways rhythmically back and forth, his instrument snug up to his chest... just like he's been doing, again, his entire adult life.This "adult life" of Lessard's is one of the more intriguing in the annals of rock & roll. A boy, still of high school age, gets snagged up by a promising singer-songwriter to play in a band of equally promising musicians. In only a few years, that band makes it big – really big – and becomes for some concertgoers the only show they care to see for the entire summer.
By Jerry Shriver, USA TODAY
BOSTON — The band leader wanders into a hotel lounge for an afternoon appointment sounding groggy and hoarse, sporting a thick dark stubble, craving coffee and seeming to validate all of those clichés about a musician's life on the road.
But Dave Matthews' condition can't be blamed on cruising the city's underbelly until the wee hours. On the eve of the first of two sold-out shows at Fenway Park last weekend, the famously normal singer/songwriter and father of three was in bed, where he would "roll and read, roll and read," fretting over the reception that awaited the retooled and re-energized Dave Matthews Band and the material from Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King, the group's first studio album in four years, out today.
'BIG WHISKEY': Read the review
BOULDER, Colo. — Tim Reynolds is going to have his hands full juggling his career this year -- and it's a task most musicians would die for.
The master guitarist is out promoting his band TR3 and its new CD, Radiance.
But wait, it gets better -- Reynolds, a longtime associate and on-stage partner of Dave Matthews, was just hired by the Dave Matthews Band to serve as a featured guitarist for the multi-platinum group.
Reynolds took time off from working on DMB's upcoming album in New Orleans to talk to the Colorado Daily.
"It's been pretty nice in New Orleans," Reynolds said. "It's just great that I have the opportunity to wake up every day and get inspired by new music that comes my way.
"It just makes me want to keep trying harder as a musician. That's why I created my band TR3. It's a way to try out new musical ideas."
By Stephen Saito
In a festival that's boasted such fine music docs as "Lou Reed's Berlin" and "Playing for Change: Peace Through Music," along with an appearance from Madonna to promote the non-musical Malawi doc "I Am Because We Are," Tribeca has also turned out to be a place where musicians put down their instruments and pick up scripts. Though acting is nothing particularly new for either Mariah Carey or Dave Matthews, the two have taken on supporting roles in the low-budget films "Tennessee" and "Lake City," respectively, both in this year's line-up. Here's a look at how they measured up.
October 31st, 2008
Reflecting on death of sax player LeRoi Moore, he says: 'that will change everything'
By MELISSA RUGGIERIMUSIC CRITIC
Last week, Dave Matthews was passionately engaged talking about politics and his reason for hosting Sunday's "Last Chance for Change" concert at VCU's Siegel Center.
But, while his political convictions are the timely topic, Matthews hasn't forgotten his day job as a musician. (If you missed our exclusive interview with Matthews over the weekend, visit www.inrich.com and search for 'Dave Matthews.')
As the frontman for the band that bears his name, Matthews often has the spotlight directed on him, despite being one of the most unassuming characters in one of the industry's most consistent bands.
But this summer, the resolve of the Dave Matthews Band was tested with LeRoi Moore's ATV accident that, two months after it occurred, led to his shocking death.