Dave Matthews Band - The Rock of the Boy Next Door

The numbers speak for themselves: the Dave Matthews Band (also known as DMB) is one of the most successful musical acts of all time. Far removed from mainstream pop-rock, with not a single chart-topping hit to their name throughout their career, they've nevertheless managed to win over an enormous and devoted fan base through their unmistakable yet accessible brand of indie-pop-rock. More than thirty million albums sold in the US alone, an impressive string of sold-out shows, and a quiet form of political activism have made them one of the absolute leading acts on the American scene since the latter half of the 1990s.

Built around an unconventional line-up that includes violin and saxophone, and a hybrid musical blend of rock, folk, country and pop, the Charlottesville boys have often been misunderstood or miscategorized by the press. A recurring tendency is to label them a jam band for their habit of greatly extending the length of their songs during performances, weaving in plenty of improvisation. This makes every one of their concerts a unique, unrepeatable experience, and is no doubt linked to the jazz background of some members of the ensemble. It's clear, however, that it's highly misleading to lump their name together with other groups commonly tossed into the jam band cauldron: a fan hoping to lose themselves in the psychedelic explorations of Grateful Dead or in the refined, conceptual harmonic structures of Phish, for instance, would likely be left disappointed by DMB's acoustic, occasionally saccharine rock. This is why it's easy to come across pages online that, sometimes even half-jokingly, dismiss the band's worth entirely. One Californian publication went so far as to place them, albeit ironically, at the very top of the podium among the worst bands of all time.

In 2019, even though they were the group that received the highest level of public support for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the organizers still left them out. Their sheer visibility certainly played against them, as it tends to polarize opinion and draw out the most extreme positions. But there's also a clear underestimation of the band's strengths. The most obvious one is their ability to command a stage. DMB's songs truly come alive when fed by contact with an audience, while their studio work can feel like mere sketches, later to be transformed - in length and power - during live performances. Catching one of their shows can thus become an incredibly joyous experience. Far from the restless anger of grunge or the social struggle embedded in hip-hop, Dave Matthews and his bandmates seem to embody the reassuring face of America. Yet there's a hidden tension, a restless core running through their music that deserves to be told, and which we'll try to trace through a look back at their career spanning more than three decades.

Becoming a band

In the beginning, there's Dave Matthews, or simply Dave, as he was known to the many regulars at Miller's Bar in Virginia, where he worked. The place drew in plenty of musicians thanks to the live nights it put on for its customers. Dave had moved to Charlottesville in the late 1980s, after a childhood marked by constant moves between America and Europe due to his father's job - his father passed away when Dave was just 10. After spending his teenage years in South Africa, his home country, he settled permanently in America to avoid mandatory military service, something at odds with his uncompromising pacifist ethics. Although he'd started learning guitar as a child, encouraged by his father, it was only in this East Coast city that he began playing in public. His musical tastes are remarkably varied, taking in the jazz of Thelonious Monk and Sun Ra, as well as African artists like Abdullah Ibrahim and trumpeter Hugh Masekela. For this reason, he was instinctively drawn to two already-established jazz musicians who frequented the bar where he worked: drummer Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore. The three quickly hit it off and decided to form a band. At first, Dave had hoped his close friend Tim Reynolds would join as well. Reynolds was in fact a fixture at the bar, often performing there with his guitar. Though he immediately recognized his friend's potential after listening to a few demos, he chose to turn down the offer and continue pursuing his career on his own.

To round out the lineup, the three decided to bring in more musicians. On bass, they chose a then sixteen-year-old Stefan Lessard, whom they'd seen playing in a student jazz band concert, and on keyboards, Peter Griesar, whom they knew from working at the same bar as Dave. The keyboardist would stay with them for only two years before leaving the group. Almost by chance, Boyd Tinsley joined too - a friend of Moore's brought in because they needed a violinist to play the song "Tripping Billies." From then on he began collaborating with them, at first only occasionally, and later as a permanent member.

The newly formed band's very first show took place in 1991. That same year, they started to become known as Dave Matthews Band. The name was chosen almost by chance. At one of the first venues the still-unnamed group played, the manager had the idea of putting the frontman's name on the poster. In the end, even though there was no real hierarchy within the band, everyone liked the idea. That's how they began billing themselves as Dave Matthews Band at the many shows they played around Charlottesville, a college town that offered plenty of opportunities to perform.

Within a couple of years, Dave and his bandmates had become fairly well known locally, so they decided to gather material to produce their first album, Remember Two Things, recorded partly live during shows in Virginia and at The Muse Music Club on the island of Nantucket.

A few months later they also released an EP titled Recently. Given the more homespun production quality and the fact that most of the same songs would later resurface on their subsequent albums, these early efforts are recommended almost exclusively to die-hard collectors. Still, the records do include a few previously unreleased songs often played live, such as “One Sweet World” and “The Song That Jane Likes,” a song dedicated to his sister Jane, whom Dave considers his soulmate.

The golden age: working with Lillywhite

Their first album released through a major label was Under The Table And Dreaming (1994). Produced by the seasoned Steve Lillywhite (U2, Simple Minds and Talking Heads, among others), it would far exceed any sales expectations, going on to achieve six platinum certifications. It's an excellent debut regardless, not just in terms of audience response, but also for the thoroughly original sound that Dave and his bandmates managed to shape.

The many catchy tracks, such as “What Would You Say” and “Ants Marching,” put into heavy rotation on MTV, bear witness to the band's pop sensibility. The interplay of violin and saxophone helps build an infectiously joyful, carefree atmosphere. Many tracks blend elements of rock, blues, jazz and Afro rhythms, confirming the eclecticism baked into the band's DNA.

“Rhyme And Reason” takes a direct rock approach, especially in the chorus; “Dancing Nancies” and “Jimi Thing” deliver extraordinary sax solos; “Warehouse” opens gently and is often used in concert to showcase the soloists' improvisational skills. When the tempo drops to something very slow and minimal, as on “Pay What You Get,” jazz echoes can be heard in Matthews's voice, the rhythm guitar and the accompanying horns. Equally lovely in this regard is the ghost track “#34,” the only fully instrumental track, which sends listeners off with its delicate atmosphere, underscored by gorgeous saxophone harmonies.

The lyrics on Under The Table And Dreaming are mostly inspired by romantic themes, as one would expect from an album of this kind. As we'll see, however, as the American band's career progressed, they would more frequently weave elements of social critique into their lyrics. A welcome exception on this album is the beloved, well-known “Satellite,” where Dave reflects on technology's intrusiveness and its hold over people's lives.

The album's success prompted the band to embark on their first world tour. The day they played their hometown was even declared “Dave Matthews Band Day,” and the frontman was invited to City Hall to introduce the event. The band had already built such a large following that they could quickly sell out any arena or theater. It's no surprise, then, that Crash turned out to be a commercial smash, selling a million copies in just two months and remaining their best-selling album to this day.

This is the record containing their most widely known songs, such as “Too Much” and “Crash Into Me,” a song also recently used in the soundtrack of the film “Ladybird.” Their performance of “So Much To Say” earned them their first Grammy Award, beating out acts that seemed more likely to win, such as Oasis with “Wonderwall” and Smashing Pumpkins with “1979.”

This album also revisits songs already used in their earlier homemade productions and in some live shows. That's the case with “Say Goodbye,” “#41” and “Tripping Billies,” the latter having appeared as far back as Matthews's very first demo.

The rhythm section is remarkably tight throughout the record, with Beauford's drums charging forward through constant variations while Lessard's bass, like a metronome, keeps everyone locked into the same key. Moore's saxophone sits slightly further in the background compared to the previous record, though it still delivers a gorgeous solo on “Let You Down.”

The lyrics are still mostly focused on exploring the band members' romantic troubles, but one track stands out: “Cry Freedom,” dedicated to South African revolutionary leader Steve Biko, killed for his fight against apartheid and already honored by Peter Gabriel. “How can I turn away,” Dave protests in the chorus, worried about the future of a world where freedom still seems more like a mirage than a right. Granted, it's a little amusing that the song is preceded by others in which the singer repeatedly calls himself a lovestruck puppy or asks his girl to lift her skirt so he can show her his world. Still, it would be wrong to judge the American band's worth simply on the basis of its lyrics, which seem fundamentally conceived for the deep heart of America. A dependable, accessible world, where global events, however important, pass quickly by between a beer and stories of romantic conquests.

Better, then, to focus on the musical skill of the band members and all the professionals who join them on tour and in writing their songs. After all, it's no small feat to have managed to make music accessible to so many while still carving out an utterly personal style.

In 1998 came what can be considered their musically mature album: Before These Crowded Streets. It wouldn't match the commercial success of its fortunate predecessor, but it would still have the honor of knocking the unstoppable “Titanic” soundtrack off the top of the Billboard chart, where it had sat steadily for months.

If with the cheerful, optimistic tones of their previous albums they had celebrated their carefree, romantic view of life, with the new album they add darker shades that are just as inspired. Matthews's voice is unrecognizable on "Halloween", pushing his vocal cords to the limit as he lashes out at his ex-partner. Adding to the sense of unease, the track features nervous string arrangements courtesy of the Kronos Quartet. The Californian ensemble also collaborates with the band on "The Stone", one of the most complex pieces of music the DMB has ever produced. Carried along by the quartet's driving rhythms and Tinsley's violin, Dave's voice stays on a steady pitch while being tossed about by the strings' constant shifts, which only find peaceful resolution in the finale, aided by John D'Earth's soothing trumpet.

Various artists took part in making the record. Banjo player Bela Fleck features on several tracks, including "Don't Drink The Water", released as the album's first single, on which Alanis Morissette also sings alongside Dave. The same duo reunites on the closing track, "Spoon". Meanwhile, it's a trio of excellent voices - Tawatha Agee, Cindy Mizelle and Brenda White-King - who join the frontman on the lively "Stay (Wasting Time)". Propelled by a vintage-flavored video, the song would achieve modest success, buoyed by rhythms that bring it close to the style of the band's earlier albums.

Also quite distinctive is the video for "Crush", shot entirely in black and white to recreate the track's blues and jazz atmosphere, which, with its constant tempo changes and highly catchy melody, quickly became one of the fans' favorites as well as a fixture of every live show. Here too the lyrics aren't particularly interesting, but if you treat Matthews's voice as simply an instrument, without dwelling on the words, you can appreciate the frontman's great work in adding expressiveness to every single transition.

Saxophonist Moore, speaking about this album, said he was especially pleased with what they had managed to create, given the range of emotions they'd succeeded in capturing. Indeed, Before These Crowded Streets comfortably holds together elegance, romantic tension, expectation, anger, aspiration, and the band's passions. By trying to work through these impulses on their own terms, drawing inspiration from the varied musical universe that makes up their background, the DMB manages to create a truly original album that probably represents the peak of their long career.

The live albums

Looking through the Dave Matthews Band's discography, one thing immediately stands out: the huge number of live albums, driven by their triumphant tours and the solid reputation they built on stage. Often, too, these live releases feature songs that would only make it onto studio albums years later.

A prime example is Live At Red Rocks 8.15.95, recorded during a show in Colorado, which previews some songs that would be released the following year on Crash, as well as the famous "#36", later renamed "Everyday" on the 2001 album of the same name.

Other celebrated albums that would go on to do well include Live In Chicago, recorded in December 1998, and Live At Central Park from 2004. The former is enhanced by Tim Reynolds's presence on electric guitar throughout the show. Matthews's longtime friend, despite having turned down an offer to join the group, often collaborated with the band; he would only finally decide to become a permanent member of the DMB in 2008. The Central Park concert, meanwhile, is one of the releases that best showcases the band's ability to magnificently rework their own songs in a live setting. Recorded during a charity concert in New York that drew no fewer than 130,000 people, it revisits the group's greatest hits with some exceptional guests, such as Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers, who joins them on "Jimi Thing", and a Neil Young cover.

To date, the Charlottesville band has released nearly ninety live albums. By far the largest body of work belongs to the Live Trax series, which numbers more than 60 volumes, sold mostly through the band's official website from 2004 to the present day. The name pays tribute to the Trax Nightclub, the venue where they used to perform early in their career.

The 2000s: more success and a tragedy

Despite the old saying about not fixing what isn't broken, in 2000 the Dave Matthews Band made the major decision to part ways with their longtime producer Steve Lillywhite and bring in Glen Ballard instead.

Everyday, the first album of this new phase, leans more toward mainstream pop-rock, with songs built on decidedly simpler harmonic structures. The immediate consequence is that some instrumental sections come across as thinner. Boyd Tinsley's violin is rather marginal, while Leroi Moore's saxophone only really redeems itself on the delicate "Sleep To Dream Her".

There's no shortage of well-crafted songs, such as "What You Are", which recalls the angrier sound of the previous album, and "When The World Ends", which had been considered as a possible lead single but was shelved following the attacks on the World Trade Center. Also notable is the important collaboration with "The Voice of South Africa" Vusi Mahlasela, who duets with Matthews on the title track.

Overall, though, Everyday is a less fluid, less dynamic album. Many songs lean heavily on the frontman's charisma, with the rest of the instrumentation playing a reduced role.

Fans' regrets were only deepened when some songs previously recorded with Lillywhite leaked online, songs that instead echoed the band's classic sound. Almost all of these tracks would resurface in reworked form in 2002 on the album Busted Stuff.

The overall compositional approach of this work rejects the radio-friendly pop charm that had defined the previous Everyday. What emerges are refined, pleasant sketches that, while not prone to complex structures, still allow room for the individual members' high-level musicianship: among the best moments are the title track, caressed by bubbles of reggae bass and a romantic jazz sax, "Grey Street", built on a pop-jazz riff with echoes of Steely Dan, and the fairy-tale pop-rock of "Big Eyed Fish" — but above all "Grace Is Gone", the album's masterpiece, which starts from a purest folkie guitar pluck to build an extraordinarily intense country scenario, in which Matthews drowns in alcohol and melancholy soliloquy the unhappy ending of a prairie love story.

There is in these tracks an aftertaste of retro harmonies that exalts an ideal of sonic aesthetics belonging to the past, yet brought to life by an absolutely modern perfection and purity of sound. When the scales tip the wrong way — that is, away from any intent of evolution — the result is bland songs ("Where Are You Going") or unmistakable feelings of deja vu (the pointless "Digging A Ditch", which too blatantly quotes "Proudest Monkey" in its chorus, and not only there). Better, then, when the technical flourishes are channeled into the flow of "Captain", a delicate, dreamlike blues that recalls the nimble, harmonious flow of "Two Step", but with a softer accompaniment, closer to "Seek Up", and a more ambiguous mood, closer to "Warehouse".

The right balance between technique, refinement, catchiness and personality, however, remains a goal not always achieved, though clearly pursued, and the friction between the great abilities on display and the limits still present in this work significantly narrows the final judgment on a record whose potential far exceeds its results.

The assessment of the following record, Stand Up, released in 2005, is without doubt less controversial. The album's fourteen tracks get hopelessly stuck in an undertow of monotony and stasis. The band seems to have lost every shred of inspiration, and the songs lack any interesting transitions. Despite this, commercially the album will also do well, quickly going platinum in the United States. The musicians from Charlottesville even get to enjoy the satisfaction of having Julia Roberts appear in the music video for "Dreamgirl". To reach a wider audience, they enlist the help of seasoned producer Mark Batson, who had already worked with artists of the caliber of Beyoncé and 50 Cent.

In some tracks there's a clear pursuit of a more danceable groove ("Louisiana Bayou", "Everybody Wake Up (Our Finest Hour Arrives)"), while the band's characteristic jazz-rock timbre gives way to more soul-inflected sounds ("You Might Die Trying", "Steady As We Go"). Still, the overall impression is of a work caught between commercial ambitions and a faint nod to the past. The instrumental solos, for instance, the band's trademark, almost always come across as forced and redundant. A case in point is the saxophone on "American Baby", which, though magnificently launched by the driving drum rhythm and the rising melody of the electric guitars, remains disconnected from the rest of the track. A pure exercise in style, in short, made even more unbearable by being placed at the end of the best song on Stand Up.

Dave Matthews and co. probably realize something needs to change, and set in motion a major overhaul. Tim Reynolds joins the group permanently on guitar, along with virtuoso trumpeter Rashawn Ross. Unfortunately, though, the release of the new album Big Whiskey & The GrooGrux King is overshadowed by the news of Leroi Moore's death following the aftermath of an accident. The saxophonist had managed to collaborate with the band during the recording sessions, and this work, dedicated to his memory, can be considered his final testament.

It's fittingly a solo by the late musician that opens the record on the touching "Grux", a title that recalls the nickname they used to call their friend, for his ability to find prodigious grooves (called, in slang, "grux"). But, truth be told, there aren't many "grux" to be found on this record, which instead confirms the lack of inspiration already made plain on its predecessor. The catchy melodies of "Shake Me Like A Monkey" and "Funny The Way It Is" might grab you on first listen, but they fade quickly from memory.

Better, then, to turn to the fabric woven by the plucked strings of "Lying In The Hand Of God", which shows a sweetness and delicacy comparable to the band's early days. Dave's voice, however, is thinner and softer: almost unrecognizable compared to the anguished screams with which he tackles the ending of "Time Bomb". Also worth a listen is "Seven", with its over-the-top funk melody and an engaging horn section.

Beyond that, the album doesn't have much to offer: the magnificent interplay between the different instrumental voices feels like a distant memory. Boyd's violin is still remarkably marginal. It takes on some relevance only on the Eastern-flavored "Squirm", though without managing to rescue it from the interminable length to which it's condemned.

On the album's promotional tour, saxophone duties are handed to Jeff Coffin, formerly of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, who from that point on becomes a permanent member of DMB. In 2012, right after the band's celebrations for its twentieth anniversary, Away From The World is released, which, unlike their recent output, receives fairly warm critical reception. It's certainly not a masterpiece, but it is without question a finely crafted piece of work. Without excessive post-production frills, the record manages to showcase every element of the group. Sax solos, strummed guitars, irresistible violin flourishes and consistently excellent rhythm sections seem to bring the band back to its former glory. In this sense, the decision to once again rely on Lillywhite's professionalism proves well judged.

Proof that things have changed comes from a revitalized Boyd, who on the opener "Broken Things" unleashes his finest bowing to accompany Matthews' excellent vocal performance. And it's no isolated case, because already on the following "Belly Belly Nice" he delivers convincing solos alongside Coffin, who doesn't make you miss the late "Grux" too much. Overall, every song reveals a good balance of instrumentation, with the soloists ready to step in at just the right moment. Particularly lovely in this regard is Reynolds' jazz accompaniment on the dreamy "Only If".

This album, too, isn't free of less inspired moments. The socially conscious songs, for instance, such as "Mercy" and "Gaucho", don't quite convince, relying more on the positive message they want to convey than on the actual songwriting. Some tracks also still feel too static and repetitive, despite having a very charming melody. That's the case with "Sweet", which, true to its title, comes across as very tender and delicate: it opens softly with the sound of a ukulele, and then you get the sense things might change, but it lingers too long on the same key; when the drums finally kick in, it feels like they've arrived too late. These, however, are minor details in what can be considered one of the best studio albums of the second half of their career.

DMB finally seems to have shaken off the obsession with pleasing everyone at all costs, allowing itself the freedom to include more complex pieces, ill-suited to radio play. "Drunken Soldier", the track that closes the album, is a gem of indefinable nature: with a style that absorbs elements of progressive rock, folk and country, and a monster running time nearing ten minutes, it proves without doubt the best card in the deck and the best possible way to close an album that finds Dave Matthews and his bandmates finally revitalized.

Modern Times: Boyd's Dismissal and Back in the Studio

After the release of Away From The World, there follows a long period in which the American band focuses mainly on live performance. DMB's many fans will have to wait a full six years for a new studio album. Come Tomorrow will indeed be released in the summer of 2018. Shortly before the album's release, out of the blue, comes the news of Boyd's dismissal, following a sexual harassment complaint filed by a member of the violinist's previous band.

Come Tomorrow is without a shadow of a doubt one of the most melodic albums in the band's entire discography, if not the most accessible. “Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin)”, which opens the record, is tangible proof of this, with its swirling, self-contained momentum that still plays to the arena, smeared with the colours of Chris Martin and dressed in the sunglasses of Bono Vox. If the opening track ends up only a few steps away from where it started, the groove of “Can’t Stop” does everything it can to rewind the clock, as if to prove that the 24 years since Under The Table And Dreaming are nothing but one big lie.

“Is it ok if I call you mine/ from here on out/ as if I could ever stop?”, mumbles Dave Matthews in a “Grace Is Gone” that's a little less painful and a little less country. “Here On Out” – a touching ballad tiptoeing along on fingertips, embellished with a lovely counterpoint of violins and double bass – is the dust jacket of this book that lasts nearly an hour and speaks of women with the kind of devotional respect reserved only for those who exude sanctity. Almost like a concept piece on the female figure, Come Tomorrow conceptually weaves between celebrations of a newborn daughter (“Samurai Cop” and perhaps “Virginia In The Rain”), odes to a mother (“Again, Again”) and love in its most ordinary sense (“Can’t Stop”, “Here On Out”, “That Girl Is You”). The knot to untangle in judging it lies in understanding whether the immediacy that defines it is born of a poverty of ideas or the result of a genuine artistic choice.

The record is not without its weak points: the breezy “That Girl Is You” ends up chasing its own tail with a forced, at times irritating falsetto, shortly before “She” winks none too subtly at the cheapest kind of rock, conjuring the ghosts of the disappointing Everyday.

The remarkable thing is that, despite this, everything manages to hold together with an enviable aplomb and sonic coherence, which is also thanks to the hidden "staff" in the control room, namely the excellent production work of John Alagía, Rob Cavallo, Rob Evans and Mark Batson. According to the latter, the Dave Matthews Band is more alive than ever, and on this record they even managed to include a perfect compendium of what their music represents. That compendium is called “Idea Of You”, which reprises the first few seconds of one of their live performances. The idea of freezing the song on record exactly as it had always been played live came from Rashawn Ross (horns), who lifted the incipit from a video uploaded to YouTube.

Come Tomorrow is certainly an album designed to move the listener: the fact that it's not only easy to listen to but also easy to fall in love with after just a few spins takes nothing away from its merit — if anything, it adds to it.

In 2023 DMB released their new album Walk Around The Moon.  Now without the light-hearted touch of Boyd Tinsley's violin, the sturdy rhythm section led by Beauford and Lessard gains a new member, jazz-trained keyboardist Buddy Strong. The upside is that the changed instrumental lineup translates into a more balanced involvement of the band's different souls.

When Matthews' songwriting instincts take over and the band is reduced to simply backing him, the results are fairly mediocre (“Singing From The Windows”, “Something to Tell My Baby”) or missed opportunities (“Looking For A Vein”). Quite different in impact, by contrast, are tracks like “The Ocean And The Butterfly” or “The Only Thing”, which rank among the best things the American band has recorded in recent years. The former opens with a trumpet call over a placid double bass and Dave's voice. Jagged guitar and a saxophone solo bring back a band that seems to have returned to its very best form. “The Only Thing”, on the other hand, has a far more rock-driven impact, with an unrelenting march of electric guitars and extraordinary work on electric piano and Moog One from Buddy Strong. The Phoenix-born keyboardist reveals more than a few debts here to the art of Herbie Hancock.

The singles that preceded the album's release are also enjoyable. “Madman’s Eyes” is a furious invective against the proliferation of guns and rising racism, set to a vaguely Eastern-tinged groove; “Monsters” is a ballad with a wrenching lyric and a highly compelling chorus. The title track, meanwhile, is built around a handful of guitar chords onto which the other instruments latch in rotation. Given how it's conceived, it lends itself perfectly to launching DMB's inevitable improvisations during their live performances.

The rest of the tracks on the album don't offer the listener much to get excited about, but overall Walk Around The Moon can be considered a fairly solid album, one that's remembered more for its high points and shows a band still eager to take risks.

Contributions by Alessio Gambaro (“Busted Stuff”) and Federico Piccioni (“Come Tomorrow”)

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