History of a Unique Sound.

Flashback to the year of 1991, a decade dominated by pop and rock. Among the chaos Dave Matthews, in his small town of Charlottesville, Virginia, made his own musical path. It started out with him just wanting to get some songs on tape. Instead of simply recording himself and his guitar, he opted to add more instrumentals to bring more life to his work. Dave found drummer Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who were both accomplished jazz musicians in his local area. He also added Stefan Lessard, a 16 year old bass prodigy, keyboard player Peter Griesar (who left the band after a couple of years), and talented and classically trained violinist Boyd Tinsley. Little did they know their new folk/jazz sound would entertain millions for years to come.

The band’s first gigs were at a Middle East Children’s Alliance Benefit at Trax Nightclub in March and at the City of Charlottesville’s Earth Day Festival in April. After people got a feel for what this band was all about, there was no stopping them. The band released its first album titled, "Remember Two Things," on November 9th, 1993. Even though Remember Two Things received a platinum award, it was their next album title, "Under the Table and Dreaming," that really sent them to the stars. By the turn of the century they were the top grossing band in the nation. 

Twenty four years later the band is still touring and is still widely popular throughout the world. I would classify their genre of music as a folk/jazz mix splashed with creativity. The music is so different from any other band that I have heard. I was lucky enough to catch a show in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at a music festival called Summer Fest. Every song could be viewed as a different musical journey, Dave would just let the music flow through him, it was beautiful. I highly recommend listening to what these guys have to play.