Dave Matthews is not a prolific song-writer, despite what some may say. He hooked up with some bonafide heavy-weights early on (Stefan Lessard and Carter Beauford) and they attempted to meld Rock, Jazz, Country, Bluegrass, etc. into something new. What resulted sounds almost Zappa-esque to me at times and is all over the map. The material that hit the main-stream is definitely the better written and cohesive of his stuff and has some limited pop sensibility, however. I understand what he`s trying to do I just don`t think the well is very deep. The guys he`s playing with are fantastic players in their own right but they aren`t song-writers either. They prop up his `ok` songwriting with great musicianship. Try as I might - and I have alot of DMB on mp3 - I like only about 15% of his material. I really do want to like more of it but alot of it leaves me cold.
So from the DMB`s perspective, how do you remedy the situation and keep playing? You take what you can get from mainstream radio and turn the DMB into a jam-band ..... fill the void of the Dead. Create a vibe at the shows, market the hell out of it, network, appeal to the demographic with money (Ivy-league college kids, young professionals) and tour, tour, tour. Release something - ANYTHING - once every year or two ..... the minnions will buy it. This he does better than anyone.
I do agree though - non-musicians listen to music with a different set of ears entirely. It`s not just about the songs - it`s about the vibe, the fact that their friends are into the music too, the concert experience, the airplay, the videos ..... there`s alot of variables at play there. Who are we to judge?
Personally, I`d still rather listen DMB than most of what`s on the radio these days and from a players perspective, give me DMB over Lady Gaga, Pink, One Direction or Katy Perry anyday.
