DMB

[Father Gino]

Just the other day I spied a comely young lass in my rear view mirror while stopped at a traffic light. She was nothing special. Maybe a little cute because she was young but that's not why I peered at her for so long though the safety of my mirror and sunglasses.

She was singing along with whatever music was playing in her car. Bopping and swaying, almost dancing in her seat.There was no trickery, no pretense, no one to impress with her taste. It grabbed her, touched her soul. Granted, this fantasy might have soured had I been able to here what was playing in her car but i was very aware that I was observing the magical, illogical, inexplicable attraction between music and humans.

Made me feel good.

Now maybe she was listening to Jimmy Reed or maybe it was Dave Mathews  but more than likely it was some modern pop concoction that would make my ears cry in pain. I try not to belittle this personal, mystical connection between this girl and her trashy pop tune. There's far to little magic left in the world these days.

[fur85]

Now maybe she was listening to Jimmy Reed or maybe it was Dave Mathews  but more than likely it was some modern pop concoction that would make my ears cry in pain. I try not to belittle this personal, mystical connection between this girl and her trashy pop tune. There's far to little magic left in the world these days.

Nicely said.

A few months ago I had the chance to DJ at a birthday dance party for a friend of my daughter who was turning 13. It was all trashy pop by request. (played Katy Perry's Dark Horse three times) They was dancing, singing along, running around and clearly connecting with the music as a group bonding experience. Maybe part of DMB's appeal (and the Dead and all kinds of music) is primarily about connecting with other people? If I don't connect with people then I probabaly don't get their music either. Just a thought.

[Pilgrim]

DM who...?

Someone I've totally missed and probably don't need to be concerned...

I had missed them, too.  I can't say that I feel the poorer for that fact.

[westen44]

Nicely said.

A few months ago I had the chance to DJ at a birthday dance party for a friend of my daughter who was turning 13. It was all trashy pop by request. (played Katy Perry's Dark Horse three times) They was dancing, singing along, running around and clearly connecting with the music as a group bonding experience. Maybe part of DMB's appeal (and the Dead and all kinds of music) is primarily about connecting with other people? If I don't connect with people then I probabaly don't get their music either. Just a thought.

I observed in an earlier post that the DMB music "must be connecting emotionally with people in some way."  Most likely that is the case.  It's just that different music connects with people in different ways.  I don't connect emotionally to it at all, but the music that I do like almost always affects me on an emotional level.  The topic of emotion in music is something I've focused on many times through the years in talking to other musicians. 

[Pilgrim]

The Grateful Dead connected with many people - never interested me any more than Dave Mathews does.  Dif'rent strokes connect emotionally to different people.

[westen44]

The Grateful Dead connected with many people - never interested me any more than Dave Mathews does.  Dif'rent strokes connect emotionally to different people.

If everyone liked the same thing, the scenario would be like The Borg on Star Trek Next Generation.  It wouldn't be very appealing. 

[Highlander]

I tried to get the dead but all I learnt was that they were dead... boring... imho...

[Pilgrim]

I tried to get the dead but all I learnt was that they were dead... boring... imho...

Make that two of us.

[4stringer77]

Acid helps.

[westen44]

I'd never take something like that in a million years.  Seriously, though, it's how George Harrison said he came to believe in God. 

[Dave W]

Just the other day I spied a comely young lass in my rear view mirror while stopped at a traffic light. She was nothing special. Maybe a little cute because she was young but that's not why I peered at her for so long though the safety of my mirror and sunglasses.

She was singing along with whatever music was playing in her car. Bopping and swaying, almost dancing in her seat.There was no trickery, no pretense, no one to impress with her taste. It grabbed her, touched her soul. Granted, this fantasy might have soured had I been able to here what was playing in her car but i was very aware that I was observing the magical, illogical, inexplicable attraction between music and humans.

Made me feel good.

Now maybe she was listening to Jimmy Reed or maybe it was Dave Mathews  but more than likely it was some modern pop concoction that would make my ears cry in pain. I try not to belittle this personal, mystical connection between this girl and her trashy pop tune. There's far to little magic left in the world these days.

I watch the Today Show for a little while every morning mainly to catch the news and local weather. Every Friday they have a concert on the plaza featuring a name act. Everything from rappers to new country, but mostly pop acts. I've heard of almost all of them but in most cases I haven't heard their music before. And what I hear is mostly meaningless pop pablum without any substance. Nothing I'd ever own.

But you know what? There are always huge crowds, they love whoever is playing, they move, they sway, they seem to know every word of every song. The music means something to them, no matter how dreadful I think it is. It makes them happy, and I can't criticize that.

[gearHed289]

DMB is one of those polarizing bands that you either get, or don't. Much like the Dead or Phish. They've been good customers of mine for over 12 years, and make boatloads of money every summer. They have a semi trailer that's a playroom for the kids. They have another that's a workout room. I can go to any DMB show I want. I went once (Buddy Guy was the opener). I left a few songs into their set.  Just not for me. Killer musicianship though.

[luve2fli]

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.

[uwe]

Sparsely orchestrated, introspective, earnest singer/songwriter adult rock (= no loud guitars) that takes itself very, very serious (and as always is therefore on the border of being laughable). It's nothing new, this stuff has been with us since the late sixties, it's actually very much an American art form. DMB fans probably consider Sting and REM "rock" too. Let them. Doesn't quite pass my Made in Japan-test though, music without smashed Strats is kinda self-defeating. 

I'm not putting it down, lots of people like that stuff because they somehow consider it deep and non-childish. I can listen to music like that too (quote Frank Zappa: "I can take about an hour of the Tower of Power as long as I get some golden shower ..."), but after an hour or so I need something adolescent and escapist again!

I mean really adolescent and escapist!!!



I guess that wasn't very deep just now ... 

[uwe]

PS: See, that is what the Outpost is good for! Just ordered two DMB CDs (actually four because they are doubles), that means that I will have more DMB CDs now than I have Mud CDs, but less than I have Starz CDs. In my CD collection everyone gets along.

True story: Up to now I never knew what music the Dave Matthews Band actually played, I thought they were country'ish!