My first exposure to Dave Matthews came shortly after Under The Table And Dreaming was released. I'd heard an interview with him (I want to say that it was a Fresh Air/Terry Gross thing) and was intrigued. No, that's not the right word. My reaction to the idea of a band that featured bass, drums, acoustic guitar, violin, and saxophone...and no electric guitar? Skeptical. Then I heard "Ants Marching." It was one of those musical resonance moments in which all of my listening cells went into perfect alignment. I just had to have that album.
Like a lot of people, I bought the next two studio records ("Crash" and "Before These Crowded Streets") and then sort of lost track. He released a ton of live material that I never picked up. That's sort of weird for me because I'm a huge fan of live recordings. It probably has as much to do with my growing interest in oddball instrumental music than anything else. You can only buy so many records, you know?
The last studio album I bought was 2005's Stand Up. To be honest, I can't remember a single thing about it. Now that I say that, I'm not even sure that I own it. Maybe somebody loaned it to me? When I can't bring back details like that it's not a good sign. The music apparently had no resonance mojo. I don't know what was going on with him and the rest of the guys but the Dave Matthews Band circa '05 retained only faint glimmers of Under The Table And Dreaming.
I hadn't listened to them in quite a while when the news hit of the death of saxophonist LeRoi Moore. The DMB community is a tight one, and I just knew that the loss had to hit hard. Well, instead of quitting, they went on to complete the record they were working on at the time of Moore's passing. Big Whiskey & the GrooGrux King celebrates the spirit of Moore with an explosion of passionate and joyous music. It'll sit proudly on the shelf next to Before These Crowded Streets. I'm not kidding.
Article comments
1 - Jordan Richardson
Agreed on "Why I Am." I caught DMB doing that one live on Jimmy Fallon and flipped my shit. Such a jubilant, life-affirming tune.
2 - Phillip Winn
My trajectory with DMB essentially follows yours. Then, my iPhone game Tap Tap Revenge suggested I download a new DMB track ("Funny the Way It Is") from the new album, and I loved it.
I figured it was an unusual one-off, or I was just enjoying the game more than the song, but now I hear you love it, so: I think I'll pick up this album.
3 - Josh Hathaway
You and Tom are gaining traction. I bought a lot of the live packages and stayed with them for awhile with diminishing results. If they've really rediscovered themselves, I might have to hear that.
4 - Tom Johnson
Josh, man, come on. You HAVE TO check this one out. If you've given anything after Crowded Streets a try, you've definitely given a chance to lesser efforts than Groogrux. I can *almost* guarantee you're going to have a smile on your face listening to this one. This is one of those rare albums that, after the first listen, I said to myself, "This may very well be in my top 10 at the end of the year."