Neil Young, well liked and admired by Dave, is the composer and original performer for "Down By The River." Dave's appreciation and love for Young's lyrics are expressed by the way he delicately and passionately sings this song. I've never heard this song sung live, as it's a bit of a rarity, especially now days. He's only played this song about 16 times, mostly in 2006 and 2007, including the 2006 performance at the Bridge School Benefit with Neil Young himself. Dave has played this song once more recently on December 11th, 2009 at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas.
Title: Down By The River
Original Artist: Neil Young
Why I Love It: As a casual fan of Neil Young, it was a treat to get to hear Dave sing "Down By The River." I love the slow pace the song strolls along at. Admittedly, I prefer this song done solo or with Dave and Tim as opposed to the full band. In certain versions, Dave sings the song so emotionally, it practically brings me to tears. I can hear this song a thousand times and I get equally emotionally involved each time.
Memories: Perhaps my preference for this song performed solo comes from the fact the first time I heard it was on Dave and Tim's Live At Radio City album. The way he performs in this version is one of the most stirring covers I've ever heard him sing. I love the natural rasp to his voice and he uses to his advantage to express the emotion of the song and powerful lyrics. Tim never disappoints either with his solo on Live At Radio City; he truly is a genius.
Favorite Lyric: She could drag me over the rainbow/ Take me away/ Down by the river/ I shot my baby/ Down by the river/ Dead
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
3. Rye Whiskey (Tex Ritter)
This is a short traditional song from the good 'ole USA that Dave turns into a quiet solo ballad. It doesn't hurt that the song is all about my favorite pastime, drinking whiskey. If you're a Dave fan, you probably know about his love for whiskey (he tends to talk about it during his shows more than you'd think) and the way he performs this song leads me to believe he loves playing it as much as he love to drink it. Dave started playing this song only two years ago in 2009, so it's a new treat for Dave-heads. According to dmbalmanac.com, this song is properly titled "Jack of Diamonds" and has been performed by the incomparable Pete Seeger. Seeger's performance is what Dave modeled his version of the song.
Title: Rye Whiskey
Original Artist: Tex Ritter, Pete Seeger
Why I Love It: Every time I've heard Dave introduce this song, I always detect an undertone of excitement, though he may not be overt about it, I know he loves playing the song. He delivers the lyrics very delicately and he hits the high notes with a beautiful rasp. The way he strums along perfectly reflects the song's roots in 1930's traditional American drinking songs. Though there may be no profound message to the song, you can never really go wrong with a song all about drinking.
Memories: The first time I heard this song was when listening to the Live In Europe 2009 album. I remember being on the bus, heading home from class and the unique sound of this song compared to much of Dave's other stuff grabbed my attention. Ever since then, I dreamed of hearing it live. My dreams came true this past year when I heard "Rye Whiskey" at the Gorge on Sept. 4.
Favorite Lyric: If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck/ I'd dive to the bottom and never come up
Title: Rye Whiskey
Original Artist: Tex Ritter, Pete Seeger
Why I Love It: Every time I've heard Dave introduce this song, I always detect an undertone of excitement, though he may not be overt about it, I know he loves playing the song. He delivers the lyrics very delicately and he hits the high notes with a beautiful rasp. The way he strums along perfectly reflects the song's roots in 1930's traditional American drinking songs. Though there may be no profound message to the song, you can never really go wrong with a song all about drinking.
Memories: The first time I heard this song was when listening to the Live In Europe 2009 album. I remember being on the bus, heading home from class and the unique sound of this song compared to much of Dave's other stuff grabbed my attention. Ever since then, I dreamed of hearing it live. My dreams came true this past year when I heard "Rye Whiskey" at the Gorge on Sept. 4.
Favorite Lyric: If the ocean was whiskey and I was a duck/ I'd dive to the bottom and never come up
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
4. Still Water (Daniel Lanois)
This is another song originally performed by Daniel Lanois that tricked me into believing it was a Dave original. With the same feel as "The Maker," "Still Water" is another beautifully haunting piece Dave performs perfectly with a voice that caresses each syllable with grace and ease. With more biblical references and gorgeous guitar riffing, there's not much more I can ask for in a cover. Dave has used this song to open into "Don't Drink The Water" on more than one occasion, making it an electrifying and suspense building piece with a bubbling energy just underneath the lyrics.
Title: Still Water
Original Artist: Daniel Lanois
Why I Love It: I love this song on its own, but as an opening piece into "Don't Drink The Water," it is perfect. The swell of emotion under the song with Carter's rhythmic percussion and Dave's strumming make a subtly intense segue into another amazing song by the band. Lanois' hauntingly beautiful lyrics here again are masterfully sung by Dave, giving the song a quality that sends goosebumps all over my body and shivers down my spine.
Memories: Though it wasn't the first time I heard the song, my fondest memory of this song comes from the band's performance in Charlottesville in 2010. Dave sang "Still Water" as the band gradually dropped out and quietly Dave faded out only to have the band erupt into a rousing rendition of "Don't Drink The Water."
Favorite Lyric: Wild eyes in the wilderness/ Where're you going with the devil in hand?
Title: Still Water
Original Artist: Daniel Lanois
Why I Love It: I love this song on its own, but as an opening piece into "Don't Drink The Water," it is perfect. The swell of emotion under the song with Carter's rhythmic percussion and Dave's strumming make a subtly intense segue into another amazing song by the band. Lanois' hauntingly beautiful lyrics here again are masterfully sung by Dave, giving the song a quality that sends goosebumps all over my body and shivers down my spine.
Memories: Though it wasn't the first time I heard the song, my fondest memory of this song comes from the band's performance in Charlottesville in 2010. Dave sang "Still Water" as the band gradually dropped out and quietly Dave faded out only to have the band erupt into a rousing rendition of "Don't Drink The Water."
Favorite Lyric: Wild eyes in the wilderness/ Where're you going with the devil in hand?
Monday, January 10, 2011
5. The Maker (Daniel Lanois)
This song, from the first time I heard it, haunted me with its beautiful, deep lyrics. For an embarrassingly long time, I thought that this song was a Dave original, only come to find out it was originally written and performed by Daniel Lanois. The lyrics remind me so much of something Dave would write, I never questioned it's origin until I was listening to Live Trax Vol. 11 and he introduced the song as a cover. As you'll see soon enough, Dave has covered Daniel Lanois before, perhaps for the stirring lyrics and beautiful sweeping verses with biblical references galore.
Title: The Maker
Original Artist: Daniel Lanois
Why I Love It: The fact that this song sounds like an original by Dave and the natural, beautiful way he sings the lyrics make me fall in love with this song anew each time I hear it. Dave's vocals are so delicate, his guitar's constant strumming, Carter's snare heavy beats and LeRoi's gorgeous saxophone playing create an entrancing melody I find myself getting lost in.
Memories: The first time I really paid attention to this song was when I heard Dave and Tim's rendition on the Live At Radio City album. As a matter of fact, I remember I was sitting in By George at the University of Washington between classes and this song began to play. Since then it's been on my radar as a beautiful song that I'm always interested in hearing on quiet days or when I need a break from the loudness of the world.
Favorite Lyric: I have seen the flaming swords/ There over East of Eden/ burning in the eyes of the Maker
My Life As a Musician
I like to think I've been a musician my whole life.
One of my earliest memories about music was when I was just before starting kindergarten. My mom and dad had a huge stereo system in our living room that was off limits to me and my brother, Cody. As a kid, I was more of a rule breaker than rule follower at home, so naturally I ventured into the territory I was forbidden. I remember finding dozens and dozens of records and tapes, but what caught my eye was a small box of CDs. I found one with a black and white picture of a man's face and decided I would attempt to listen to it. I have always had a knack for figuring out technology, even at a young age, and I managed to start playing the CD. I had jacked the volume way up and the first thing I remember was this massive wave of sound rushing into my head. Scrambling to turn it down, I fumbled with the controls. Then, I started to listen. I remember falling in love with how it sounded. Not the words, but how the combination of notes, rhythms and sounds layered on top of each other to create a new, more interesting sound. Turns out, it was Elton John's self titled album playing "Your Song."
I remember bugging my mom about wanting to play piano from a very young age. My grandma had an old upright at her house and every time I'd visit, the first words out of my mouth were, "Can I play the piano?" I never really knew what I was doing, but I knew I loved the sounds the instrument made each time I pressed the keys. I loved the sensation of the white ivory under my fingers, having the power to create a smooth, rich sound by merely striking the keys downward. I was fascinated by the ability to control the volume of the sound by striking harder or softer. I eventually began to teach myself basic theory, note names, where they're located on the keyboard and scales. I so clearly remember my aunt teaching me proper form, "Hold your hands like you're holding a bubble, but don't pop it!" Soon after, I began piano lessons.
While quitting piano is one of my greatest regrets in life, I have to admit, I've never really like people telling me what to do and how to do it. Eventually I got to a point where I knew pretty much everything I needed to know in order to be successful at the piano. All I needed was practice. So I quit and begged my mom to buy me a violin so I could be in the orchestra at school. No matter how much I pleaded my mom reiterated her nightmarish past with the violin, listening to her sister practice as a youngster, screeching away. She insisted I wait one more year for band.
My mom played clarinet when she was in school, so naturally, so did I. It turned out, my cousin Mike had an old trumpet he used to play when he was in school, and since money was always tight growing up, I became a trumpeter. Before I even got my hands on the thing, I was at a sleep over at my friend, Sonya's house and her dad was a trumpet player. We found his old trumpet and all of us had a go at trying to make a sound. I was the only one who could get a noise out of it. I remember as soon as I heard the the warm buzz out of the other end of the bell, I just wanted to hear more. Then I got my own.
In band, I picked up on the trumpet very quickly. I memorized notes, scales, and whole pieces of music. I loved to play, night and day, for hours. But after my first year, I hit that point again where I got burnt out. I felt like I knew everything (ha!). I wanted to switch to french horn. Even at that age, I knew the french horn was in higher demand and I could probably get a lot further with a career in music as a french horn player. But my mom insisted I stick with the trumpet. And so did my music instructors. From Mr. Bradley's constant encouragement, Mrs. Carpenter's pushing me to be more confident and Mr. Rine's belief in me, I fell back in love with the trumpet.
In eighth grade, I moved from the middle school band to the junior high. I can't remember if we had auditions that first year, but I so clearly remember the first day of band. The new band teacher was Mr. Rine, and he scared the crap out of me. Actually, I was the first kid to get in trouble in his class for whispering something to my buddy Riley. I was embarrassed and made my mind up that I didn't like Mr. Rine. As the year progressed, I started to notice Mr. Rine's genuine interest in bettering me as a trumpet player. He would answer my questions, spend time with me to get rhythms right and if he couldn't help, would get me the help I needed. At the end of the year, he encouraged me to try out for jazz band. I was nervous and I just assumed I wasn't good enough, but I knew I didn't really have much to lose. I auditioned and Mr. Rine placed me as the second trumpet player for the jazz band. That next year in jazz band literally changed my life as a musician.
Jazz totally redefined what I thought was possible as a musician. I found the rhythms intoxicating, the scales delightful and the improv a challenge. I fell in love, harder than I've even fallen before. I started listening to jazz musicians every waking moment. I bought album after album of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Count Basie and Louie Armstrong. I learned as much as I could as fast as I could. I ate it up like it was a big bowl of chocolate pudding. And I never looked back.
It so happens, the same time I fell in love with jazz, I took a particular liking to Mr. Rine. I suspected he also had a fondness for me, though I never knew for sure. He had me playing in the top bands at the junior high, gave me solos I never thought I deserved, and put me in full orchestra. When the year began to end, I couldn't help but feel sad to leave the next year. And auditions were coming up. I don't think auditions ever become easier as a musician. I've been to a million auditions, and every single one is as hard as the one I had at the end of ninth grade for jazz band at the high school.
I remember every moment of that audition. I remember sitting in the practice room at the high school, a strange foreign place with a hobbled piano and broken music stands. I remember staring at the sheet music, "Blues In Hoss Flat," trying so hard to get each rhythm right. I remember frantically studying blues scales. One by one, each of us in that practice room were called into the band room. 4 people left. 3 people. 2. Then just me.
Funny, I don't actually remember what the hell I did during the audition. It was sort of like blacking out, because I have no memory of what happened during those 10 minutes until Mr. DePalatis said, "So I think you'll be the lead next year." Wait, what?? I wanted to blurt out, "Do you know who you're talking to? I'm just a freshman! I don't know what I'm doing!" But I just smiled, said thank you and left.
Now I know that was one of the most important moments in my career as a musician. Mr. DePalatis taking a chance on a freshman, a kid he maybe only heard place a few times before, to be the lead in a band full of upper classmen with years more experience than me. That first year playing lead transformed me from a shy, timid band member into a confident leader of the band. I think I owe all of my musical maturity to that man.
When high school ended, I was faced with a choice: to continue with trumpet or not? I chose not. I never regret my decision, but often I miss playing with a band. I've found that when I'm not playing the trumpet, it's impossible for me to survive without some form of music making. I've replaced my first love, the trumpet, with the challenge of learning the guitar.
No matter what the instrument or how well I can play, who I'm with, where I am, I'll always have the need and urge to be a musician. Music is perfect. And the world is perfect when I'm playing.
One of my earliest memories about music was when I was just before starting kindergarten. My mom and dad had a huge stereo system in our living room that was off limits to me and my brother, Cody. As a kid, I was more of a rule breaker than rule follower at home, so naturally I ventured into the territory I was forbidden. I remember finding dozens and dozens of records and tapes, but what caught my eye was a small box of CDs. I found one with a black and white picture of a man's face and decided I would attempt to listen to it. I have always had a knack for figuring out technology, even at a young age, and I managed to start playing the CD. I had jacked the volume way up and the first thing I remember was this massive wave of sound rushing into my head. Scrambling to turn it down, I fumbled with the controls. Then, I started to listen. I remember falling in love with how it sounded. Not the words, but how the combination of notes, rhythms and sounds layered on top of each other to create a new, more interesting sound. Turns out, it was Elton John's self titled album playing "Your Song."
I remember bugging my mom about wanting to play piano from a very young age. My grandma had an old upright at her house and every time I'd visit, the first words out of my mouth were, "Can I play the piano?" I never really knew what I was doing, but I knew I loved the sounds the instrument made each time I pressed the keys. I loved the sensation of the white ivory under my fingers, having the power to create a smooth, rich sound by merely striking the keys downward. I was fascinated by the ability to control the volume of the sound by striking harder or softer. I eventually began to teach myself basic theory, note names, where they're located on the keyboard and scales. I so clearly remember my aunt teaching me proper form, "Hold your hands like you're holding a bubble, but don't pop it!" Soon after, I began piano lessons.
While quitting piano is one of my greatest regrets in life, I have to admit, I've never really like people telling me what to do and how to do it. Eventually I got to a point where I knew pretty much everything I needed to know in order to be successful at the piano. All I needed was practice. So I quit and begged my mom to buy me a violin so I could be in the orchestra at school. No matter how much I pleaded my mom reiterated her nightmarish past with the violin, listening to her sister practice as a youngster, screeching away. She insisted I wait one more year for band.
My mom played clarinet when she was in school, so naturally, so did I. It turned out, my cousin Mike had an old trumpet he used to play when he was in school, and since money was always tight growing up, I became a trumpeter. Before I even got my hands on the thing, I was at a sleep over at my friend, Sonya's house and her dad was a trumpet player. We found his old trumpet and all of us had a go at trying to make a sound. I was the only one who could get a noise out of it. I remember as soon as I heard the the warm buzz out of the other end of the bell, I just wanted to hear more. Then I got my own.
In band, I picked up on the trumpet very quickly. I memorized notes, scales, and whole pieces of music. I loved to play, night and day, for hours. But after my first year, I hit that point again where I got burnt out. I felt like I knew everything (ha!). I wanted to switch to french horn. Even at that age, I knew the french horn was in higher demand and I could probably get a lot further with a career in music as a french horn player. But my mom insisted I stick with the trumpet. And so did my music instructors. From Mr. Bradley's constant encouragement, Mrs. Carpenter's pushing me to be more confident and Mr. Rine's belief in me, I fell back in love with the trumpet.
In eighth grade, I moved from the middle school band to the junior high. I can't remember if we had auditions that first year, but I so clearly remember the first day of band. The new band teacher was Mr. Rine, and he scared the crap out of me. Actually, I was the first kid to get in trouble in his class for whispering something to my buddy Riley. I was embarrassed and made my mind up that I didn't like Mr. Rine. As the year progressed, I started to notice Mr. Rine's genuine interest in bettering me as a trumpet player. He would answer my questions, spend time with me to get rhythms right and if he couldn't help, would get me the help I needed. At the end of the year, he encouraged me to try out for jazz band. I was nervous and I just assumed I wasn't good enough, but I knew I didn't really have much to lose. I auditioned and Mr. Rine placed me as the second trumpet player for the jazz band. That next year in jazz band literally changed my life as a musician.
Jazz totally redefined what I thought was possible as a musician. I found the rhythms intoxicating, the scales delightful and the improv a challenge. I fell in love, harder than I've even fallen before. I started listening to jazz musicians every waking moment. I bought album after album of Miles Davis, Charlie Parker, Count Basie and Louie Armstrong. I learned as much as I could as fast as I could. I ate it up like it was a big bowl of chocolate pudding. And I never looked back.
It so happens, the same time I fell in love with jazz, I took a particular liking to Mr. Rine. I suspected he also had a fondness for me, though I never knew for sure. He had me playing in the top bands at the junior high, gave me solos I never thought I deserved, and put me in full orchestra. When the year began to end, I couldn't help but feel sad to leave the next year. And auditions were coming up. I don't think auditions ever become easier as a musician. I've been to a million auditions, and every single one is as hard as the one I had at the end of ninth grade for jazz band at the high school.
I remember every moment of that audition. I remember sitting in the practice room at the high school, a strange foreign place with a hobbled piano and broken music stands. I remember staring at the sheet music, "Blues In Hoss Flat," trying so hard to get each rhythm right. I remember frantically studying blues scales. One by one, each of us in that practice room were called into the band room. 4 people left. 3 people. 2. Then just me.
Funny, I don't actually remember what the hell I did during the audition. It was sort of like blacking out, because I have no memory of what happened during those 10 minutes until Mr. DePalatis said, "So I think you'll be the lead next year." Wait, what?? I wanted to blurt out, "Do you know who you're talking to? I'm just a freshman! I don't know what I'm doing!" But I just smiled, said thank you and left.
Now I know that was one of the most important moments in my career as a musician. Mr. DePalatis taking a chance on a freshman, a kid he maybe only heard place a few times before, to be the lead in a band full of upper classmen with years more experience than me. That first year playing lead transformed me from a shy, timid band member into a confident leader of the band. I think I owe all of my musical maturity to that man.
When high school ended, I was faced with a choice: to continue with trumpet or not? I chose not. I never regret my decision, but often I miss playing with a band. I've found that when I'm not playing the trumpet, it's impossible for me to survive without some form of music making. I've replaced my first love, the trumpet, with the challenge of learning the guitar.
No matter what the instrument or how well I can play, who I'm with, where I am, I'll always have the need and urge to be a musician. Music is perfect. And the world is perfect when I'm playing.
DMB Cover Songs
This list is short, with only five entries and one honorable mention. Dave has covered a huge number of songs in the 20 years of touring, though there are few that I've had the privilege to hear live or on a Live Trax. In addition to the smaller number of cover songs I've heard, cover songs are my least favorite of the variety the band plays. They're still fun and exciting to hear, of course.
Each post for this section will contain:
Song Title
Original Artist
Why I Love It
Memories
Favorite Lyrics
My Favorite DMB Songs
Twitter so kindly reminded me that today is Dave Matthews birthday and that got me thinking. Since it's a new year and considering my undying love for the Dave Matthews Band, I wanted to follow in the vein of so many before me and create a list of my favorite songs. While writing my list, I quickly came to realize there are so many songs I love for different reasons that I'd have to split them into categories:
Top 50 Dave Matthews Band Songs
Top 10 Dave Matthews Solo Songs
Top 5 Dave Matthews Band Cover Songs
My project for this quarter is to reveal each of my lists, one song at a time with a brief description of why the song is located where it is on each list. I've also decided I'll start from the bottom and work my way to the top. Stay tuned for my musings on each of my favorite songs from my favorite band.
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