DMB at Alpine Valley, WI 2013

Here are a few pictures from the Dave Matthews Band concert my friend and I attended at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin.  The concert was part of a two-night stand at the venue (common for this band).  We attended the July 6 show.  It was awesome!

We went kayaking in Madison before heading over to Alpine Valley.  Super fun!

 The venue.  You can see the ski slopes in the background

Pre-show snack.  The "Sexy Veggie."

The opening act: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.  They rocked!  (BTW, we had great seats!)

Carter and Dave (and cameraman)

Rashawn Ross on the trumpet

Stefan Lessard on the bass guitar

Tim Reynolds!

Lots of DMB fans

Great band!  Amazing show!

They had created a really neat animation to play behind them for the song The Song That Jane Likes.  It very beautifully depicted the lyrics of this song. 

The Song That Jane Likes is an old song.  It was released in 1993 on the Remember Two Things album.  The whole concert on this night was a good mix of songs from every album spanning the band's career.  They even threw in a Tom Petty cover: Runnin' Down A Dream.  And, I finally got to see Halloween performed live.  Incredible!!

I love this band!

Off the Shelf: Away From the World

It is time to finally say something about the latest release from my dear Dave Matthews Band.  Away From the World follows 2009's send up to the recently deceased founding member LeRoi Moore (we miss you, bro), Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King.  Big Whiskey is great, incidentally, and proved to fans that Dave and Band hadn't lost their touch.  Though the true fans never doubted them.

Away From the World, released in September of 2012, was produced by Steve Lillywhite, who had been at the production helm through the 1990s.  Some of the sounds on this album echo back to those songs from that time, and a few tracks, such as Rooftop, carry the dark energy that can be heard in Before These Crowded Streets.

Listening (I mean really listening) to the CD on a recent lengthy drive around southeast Iowa, I came away with a few observations.  Even though the song style and direction the band has taken has been a bit of a turn from the "old" stuff, the music is still clearly stamped "Dave and Band Created This."  It isn't just the characteristic sound of saxophone versus guitar or busy drumming versus violin.  It isn't even Dave's unmistakable voice.  For me, a Dave song is always recognizable by the direction a song will take harmonically or lyrically.

The deluxe CD/DVD set I had ordered from the Warehouse came packaged with photo book, lyric cards, and this little assembly-required dude-in-a-box.

As an example, listen to If Only.  At the start, the song sounds like something John Mayer or Jack Johnson could do (not to belittle John Mayer, but his style different).  It's cool, relaxed, poppy, chillin' outside in the sun music.  I felt this way at the first listen.  The turn happens at the chorus, when he starts with "but I know you and you know me."  That harmonic shift out of a somewhat predictable progression makes the song all his.  Now that I've listened to it a few times, it sounds so inevitable, but the song could have gone in many directions.

Mercy was a track that was released as a single and previewed on tour.  It's a fragile, politically-charged song that reminds us in a gentle way that we're dealing with a thinking rock star.  It is ultimately a hopeful song, in true Dave fashion.  Mercy, will we overcome this?/ One by one, could we turn it around?

Of all of the tracks, the one I gravitated to first was Gaucho.  Flowing melody over a plucky guitar riff, before leading into the hook: "We gotta do much more than believe if we really want to change things."  This sentiment resonates with my own beliefs, which is probably why it grabbed me, but, more importantly, the horn parts on this tune are so well orchestrated.  If there were ever a song that so well features what Jeff Coffin and Rashawn Ross are capable of in a "back up" band setting, this is the song.  And it isn't really "back up" band in the traditional sense; it's so much better!

The quiet solo Sweet was nice to see on the album.  I remember hearing it live for the first time while at the Chicago Caravan show, played as an encore.  Someone had apparently gifted Dave a ukulele and with it he wrote a beautiful little song about his young son learning to swim.

In some ways, this album can be interpreted as an answer to the Band's earliest music.  When Dave asked "Could I have been anyone other than me?" in Dancing Nancies (from 1995's Under the Table and Dreaming), he replies now with this advice in Drunken Soldier: "Fill up your head and fill up your heart and take your shot. Don't waste time trying to be something you're not."

Well spoken.

Random Happy

A very happy birthday to Dave Matthews! 

Rather blurry shot from an Alpine Valley concert, 2012! (with Stefan rocking out the bass guitar!)

The front man, Band namesake, and musical powerhouse is 46 years young today!

Much thanks to someone who I will most likely never meet, but who has been an unfailing source of happiness, mental health, and well-being.  Funny the way it is.

So Damn Lucky

A friend and I made the trip to Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI to see the Dave Matthews Band show on July 6.  The venue allowed cameras this year, so here are some pictures from the concert.  People attend Dave shows for lots of reasons: some go for the party, some go to them because it's tradition to attend one or more concerts every summer, and some go simply for the music. 

Almost there!

YAAAAAY!!!

The venue.  All seats will be filled and the upper lawns will be filled with fans.  Right around 40,000 people.

Somehow managed to get a glimpse of Dave pre-show.  Those are his twin daughters with him.  Their tour buses are behind them.

The Eco-Village had some nifty things, like a couple of these listening stations.

Listening to a track from the new album, due for release in September.

This is Brandi Carlile.  The opening act.  She's really good!  Go buy her music!  She has a Johnny Cash/Sheryl Crow/bluegrass vibe.  Solid vocals, strong guitar/piano work.

Hard working stage crew.  Setting the stage.

Look! Boyd's violin!

He has the best seat in the house.

Stage Left Solidarity.

Stefan Lessard, Rashawn Ross, Jeff Coffin.  Bass, trumpet, saxes, respectively.  Of these three, only Stefan is a founding member, Jeff was brought in after LeRoi's death to cover the sax parts, and Rashawn adds so much to the sound of the band.  Always tasteful, always musical.  The musicianship here is just incredible.

Boyd Tinsley, Tim Reynolds

 It was a hot night.  98-103 degrees.  But the band delivered three hours of solid, non-stop, energized music.  A good mix of old and new songs, including some of my personal favourites.  I try not to go into concerts hoping to hear one song, or expecting them to play certain songs.  They'll play what they want to play.  However, it was great to hear Seven as an opener, The Song That Jane Likes, You Never Know, and All Along the Watchtower.  Closing the show with Tripping Billies was perfect.

Dave, Stefan.

Carter is hidden behind his drum set.  He has a very busy style of playing, but it's never in the way.  Good drummers know how to add to the music without overwhelming it.

A great concert.  Despite the heat, the (very large) crowd seemed to be in good spirits, and the band was appreciative.  It's so great to be a part of something so big and so positive.

Rock on.
 :-)

Tim the Alien

Today's post is a Tim Reynolds appreciation post.  I realize that I haven't heard every guitar player on the planet, but Tim is definitely up there on my list of super-amazing guitarists.  Thanks to my love of Dave Matthews and Band (is there nothing this man can't do?) I was introduced to the music of Tim Reynolds. 

Tim was born in Germany, to extremely religious parents, and after moving around the world and through the US Midwest, he eventually took up residence in Charlottesville, VA.  This is where he met Dave.  I was fortunate to see him and his band, TR3, play in Davenport in 2008 and 2009, and was completely blown away.  He's a bit difficult to understand when he talks, and in interviews, he's talked about being from a different planet, but good grief, the man can play a guitar.  As a guitarist friend of mine commented, after we went to see TR3 play, "'that's a lot of notes."  True, but all good and really innovative notes.  Listening to Tim's music is like going through a soundscape of different jagged edges.  At first listen, it seems chaotic, but actually it's all very logical.  TR3's first studio release was Radiance in 2009, and this album would be a good one to look into as a first time listener. 

He's experimental, using different technologies and sound loop systems to create, and makes full use of time signatures, styles, and melodic harmonic devices.  I am generally hard to impress, especially when it comes to the ubiquitous guitar player, but I am thoroughly impressed with Tim's skill.  And if you see TR3 in concert, you may be lucky enough to see the Pooh Bear Wearing Gas Mask and Cow dancing around onstage.  Large dancing animals is always a plus in my book.

Equally competent on electric and acoustic, he's been known to pick up other instruments such as the banjo and sitar.  TR3 tours the country, and Tim can be seen as one half of the Dave and Tim acoustic duo and he's appeared on nearly every one of DMB's studio albums.  As a personal record, in addition to the couple of times I saw his band play, I've seen him perform a Dave and Tim set at the 2011 DMB Caravan and at every DMB show I've been able to attend.  Rounding out the TR3 trio on bass is Mick Vaughn, and Dan Martier on drums.

If you get an opportunity to see Tim play, as a part of a DMB show or as TR3 or just by himself, I highly recommend it.  And who knows, maybe we are all aliens.

Caravan Recap

This past weekend a friend and I went to the Dave Matthews Band Caravan Chicago stop.  It was incredible.  Don't have the exact statistics, but I heard that each night had between 40,000-60,000 fans in attendance.  Huge.

The festival was remarkably well-run and  well-planned.  The south Chicago venue site was originally a steel refinery or something, so it was a bit rough (difficult to walk around without tripping on cobblestones and I did find more than one industrial-looking doodad lying around) but it was expansive and flat, all-in-all a good place to put a large music festival.

Here is a picture from the top of the Ferris wheel.  Oh, yeah, they had a Ferris wheel!  Nice touch.  Yes, beer was expensive, as par for the course for any concert, but for one dollar more, people had the option of getting better beer and even wine.  There was a farmer's market section, offering fresh fruit, and a couple of misting stations to cool off in.  Also available were free water stations, open to anyone with a reusable water bottle.  These usually had very long lines, but it was a nice service.  Another nice feature was a vegetarian friendly food vendor.  Usually, I go to big festivals like this and have a hard time finding tasty, veggie-ready food.  The portobello wrap and Benevolent Burrito from the Crescent Food stand were super yummy.
The daytime acts were solid and the sound system was superb.  Even on the outer edges of the crowd, it was possible to hear singers and instruments cleanly and clearly.  I discovered a couple new bands to listen to, a reggae group called Soja, O.A.R., and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band.  We got to the grounds a bit late on day two to see TR3 play, but I have seen them in Davenport twice, so I wasn't too worried.  TR3 is Tim Reynolds trio.  Tim Reynolds has been an unofficial member of DMB and often tours with them.  He is also one helluva guitar player!

We got fairly close to the stage on the first night.  On Friday night, the band played a good mix of old and new and pulled out some not-often heard gems, like Joyride.  I was happy to hear You Might Die Trying done in the spirit of a recent LiveTrax (New York), where after the sax solo, just as the song builds to a thrilling conclusion, Dave vocalizes a nonsense-filled, energetic, rhythmic riff that reminds me just why I love the man so much.  Boyd was crazy good this set of shows, also reminding me of what he adds to the sound of the group, even though he appears to stay in the background.  Jeff Coffin burned up the sax solos, creatively and musically.  Stefan and Carter laying down an always tasteful groove and Rashawn Ross (who looked fabulous, by the way.  It looks like he's lost about 100 pounds) adding just the right amount of trumpet.

At the end of night one, Dave came out for a solo encore (they always do at least two encores) on a ukulele.  Brilliant.  He also gave a performance of Out of My Hands, which features him on a piano.  Ending the show on Shake Me Like a Monkey was perfection.

The second night had a few more mainstream tunes, but still had a good mix.  Saturday opened with #41, a definite crowd-pleaser that the fans loved.  I loved hearing Alligator Pie and Too Much and ending on Two Step was a great choice.  Carter's drum solo was a solo to beat all drum solos.

Overall, a great couple of shows, maybe the best I've seen.  The band sounded tight and fresh, and they looked like they were having a great time.  And, as anyone who has been a part of a DMB concert crowd knows, part of the experience is to survive being part of the crowd.  True, some DMB fans go just to get drunk and stupid, but there are plenty more people in the crowd there just to enjoy some great music from a great band. 

Musicians make money?

Found an interesting article from Forbes.com about the world's top 25 highest paid musicians.  U2, Bon Jovi, and Elton John round out the top 3, with Lady Gaga coming in 4th.  I was surprised to see Michael Buble edge Sir Paul McCartney out of 5th place. 

Black Eyed Peas at 7th place, followed by The Eagles and *shudder* Justin Bieber.  In 10th place is the Dave Matthews Band (not too shabby for a band who took this summer off from extensive touring, and will tour whether they are promoting a new album or not. ♥)

To get an idea of the money they are making for their art, U2 earned $195 million for the year, and DMB took in $51 million.  These two bands are also philanthropic, giving much of their earnings to selected charities and worthwhile causes.

Compare that to what I earn to be a musician...come to think of it, let's not.  : )

Vintage DMB

I had some driving time yesterday, so I popped in the latest gift from the Dave Matthews Band fan association.  The Warehouse, to the initiated.  This CD, part of the Live Trax series, is a recording from a very early show at the Wetlands Preserve in New York City.

The show was recorded on August 19, 1993, very early in DMB's career, and I was struck by a few things as I listened:

Dave's voice has mellowed a bit from nearly 20 years ago (from age, most likely. Most everyone's voice deepens as they get older).  He's still instantly recognizable (at least to my ears) whenever I hear him, but his younger voice is reedy and a bit tense, almost like he's uncomfortable singing.  His style is still evident, though, and the guitar work is solid.

Boyd Tinsley (violinist) wrote a song called True Reflections, that is well formed, and sounds good, but definitely shows his influences are different from Dave's (Dave writes most of the songs for the band.)  True Reflections has a bar-band rock style, with a standard verse, chorus form and less surprising chord structure.  Dave's songs are sometimes more meandering, structurally and harmonically.

I was mostly impressed with how little their core sound has changed through the years.  The instrumentation, over the course of many years of mega-touring, has been augmented with keyboards, additional singers, guest musicians, and the permanent additions of Tim Reynolds and Rashawn Ross (and Jeff Coffin taking LeRoi Moore's part after Moore's untimely death in 2008.)  However, the sound is still unmistakably DMB.  The violin punctuating and underscoring Dave's vocals and guitar, the jazz-soaked saxophone, and Carter and Stefan's always tasteful drum and bass underpinning the whole thing.

I like the stripped down sound that they had in the early 1990's.  And, as a devoted fan, it is great to hear that they were as solid and well-developed then as they are now.  The best part: I get to see them play again this summer! ♫♥ 

The DMB post Part 2

I realized that in the first Dave Matthews Band post I didn't offer much in the way of musical information.  So....

1. Dave Matthews is originally from South Africa, he met the rest of the guys while bartending at a bar called Millers in Charlottesville, VA.

2. The original members are: Boyd Tinsley (violin), Stefan Lessard (bass), Carter Beauford (drums), LeRoi Moore (saxophone/flute), Dave Matthews (guitar and vocals).

3. Their success is unique because they gained most of their audience by touring and word of mouth before being signed on by a major label.  By the time they did sign on with RCA, they already had a huge fan base.

4. When Moore was injured in the summer of 2008, Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones filled in while Moore recovered.  Sadly, Moore died as a result of his injuries and Coffin has become a permanent member of the band.

5. The band tours tirelessly, only just this year taking a year off.  It has become one of the top earning touring groups of the past decade, but still donates a large portion of its earnings to worthy causes and charities.

The Obligatory Dave Matthews Band post

I love the Dave Matthews Band.  I've been a casual fan since about 1999, but a serious fan since about 2002-ish.  Not sure why the rabid-ness started.  I guess one day I woke up and decided that the Band was the Man. 

I found the first of my now large DMB CD collection in a thrift shop.  Still not sure why I picked it up.  I didn't know the band particuarly well.  I didn't like it much that first listen.  I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either.  After hearing more on the radio (they were getting a lot of radio play during this time) I finally started to pay more attention.  Well, then I was hooked. 

Now, I have a whole section of my CD collection dedicated to DMB stuff.  Live releases, bonus discs from the Warehouse (fan club), studio releases, Dave's solo disc (very good, BTW), and the Dave and Tim collaboration CDs.  Love them all.  I even picked up an empty jewel case from the Under the Table and Dreaming album from a thrift store (the disc had been stolen) just because it was the older printed version of the cover art that had a picture of Dave's sister. 

When LeRoi died in August of 2008, I sincerely felt a loss.  Yes, weird; I'd never met the guy.  But I appreciated his musical output and his contribution to the sound of a band that had become such a big part of my life.  I suppose only other DMB fans would understand, but that's okay. 

Music affects everyone in different ways.  Whatever your opinion of this band, I'm sure you feel passionately about some other band or kind of music.