Dave Matthews Band has never been a typical band. It did not start out as a group of friends who formed a garage band in their teen years, only to find success after years of hard work. Nor were they hand-picked by a producer for their talent and chemistry.
Instead, Dave Matthews Band was formed in 1991 when Dave Matthews decided to record some songs he had written. Wanting more than the sound of his guitar for accompaniment, he brought in other musicians to give his music more intensity. He enlisted Carter Beauford to play the drums, LeRoi Moore to play the saxophone, Stefan Lessard (who was only 16 years old at the time) to play bass, Peter Griesar to play keyboard and Boyd Tinsley to play violin. More than a decade later, only Griesar is no longer playing with the band.
Dave Matthews Band’s first public show was at the Earth Day Festival in Charlottesville, Va. in 1991. To this day they are still interested in helping save the environment. This February, in a joint effort by Dave Matthews Band and Music Matters, Vermont-based ice cream company Ben and Jerry’s released its newly created flavor called “”One Sweet Whirled.”” The focus of this alliance is to campaign against global warming.
Dave Matthews Band’s first album, “”Remember Two Things,”” was released in November of 1993 on the Bama Rags label, and its fan base continued to spread, especially among college students. Seeing the growing popularity of the group, RCA released their next album, “”Under the Table and Dreaming,”” in September of 1994. A year-and-a-half later, in April of 1996, “”Crash”” was released on the RCA label. The next Dave Matthews Band album, “”Before These Crowded Streets,”” was released in April of 1998 on the RCA label. The latest album, “”Everyday,”” was released in February of 2001 with the help of legendary producer Glen Ballard.
However, this latest album forced Dave Matthews Band to put aside the songs that Steve Lillywhite produced in 2000. While this collection has been called “”the Lillywhite sessions”” for two years now, these songs will be released on July 16th under the title “”Busted Stuff.”” The first single, titled “”Where are you going,”” is featured in the upcoming Adam Sandler movie “”Mr. Deeds.””
It may appear that Dave Matthews Band is a band that prefers to spend its time in the studio rather than on stage, but nothing could be farther from the truth. From its first official tour in 1994 to the present day, the band has been playing to sold-out crowds across North America and Europe.
The appeal of its live performances has not been lost on the band or their record labels. Bama Rags/RCA have released four double-disc recordings of live shows. “”Live at Red Rock 8-15-95″” (1997), “”Live at Luther College: An Acoustic Performance by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds”” (1999), “”Listener Supported”” (1999) and “”Live in Chicago 12-19-98 at the United Center”” (1999) all went platinum with no promotion or marketing.
San Diego has a chance to see this amazing band live at Coors Amphitheater at 7 p.m. on May 13, but only if you already have tickets. Dave Matthews Band will play to a sold-out crowd of 20,000 with Gov’t Mule as its opening act.
