Dave Matthews

Listen to a Dave Matthews conversation like no other as Questlove and Team Supreme break down the beautiful history between his band and The Roots. That leads to a completely unconventional QLS interview. Between recalling his days as a food server and discussing ice cream flavors, Dave sheds some light on his musical approach and why Dave Matthews Band is in a great spot.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Quest Love Supreme is a production of iHeartRadio. Hi David, Look,
everybody's here.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
It's like the whole here's the story of a man
named Questy. Okay, yes, it's all of us here.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
But it's very nice to see you.

Speaker 2 (00:20):
Great to see you too, sir.

Speaker 4 (00:21):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to another episode of Quest Love Supreme.

Speaker 2 (00:27):
I'm your host Quest Love. Hey guys, when can we
call it the award winning Quest Love.

Speaker 5 (00:31):
Supreme five years ago?

Speaker 2 (00:34):
Oh?

Speaker 3 (00:34):
Really, that's I like that. That's right now.

Speaker 4 (00:38):
Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the illustrious, award winning Quest
Love Supreme.

Speaker 3 (00:42):
There you go, right, Sorry, I'm excited to be part
of this.

Speaker 4 (00:47):
Actually, if you're if you're really good, we might make
you part of the team. So that's that's the joy
of coming. Yes, we might just steal you away. Right
now we.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Are with our Team Supreme members. Uh shust, How is life?

Speaker 6 (01:01):
It's like quarantine, but you get to leave the house
and do whatever the heck you want and work on
all the ship you ever wanted to work on. And
the first single from your record dropping this Friday from
Plumb on JMI coming out Brown Doves on Friday. Quest
love and you.

Speaker 4 (01:17):
Sort of seen showing G's face when he learned that
I have a jazz.

Speaker 7 (01:21):
Record coming out, So yeah, he knows about it anyway.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
On Paid Bill, Yeah, man, how's life post Tony great?

Speaker 8 (01:32):
I didn't win shit. Tony's were wonderful. Uh, it's whiskey Wednesday.

Speaker 2 (01:36):
Who won?

Speaker 3 (01:37):
Who won?

Speaker 2 (01:38):
What?

Speaker 3 (01:38):
All of them?

Speaker 5 (01:39):
I guess and Juliet didn't win. Y'all didn't get it.

Speaker 8 (01:41):
And Juliet did not win a Tony. But that's okay
because we're the doors are still open.

Speaker 5 (01:46):
Y'all still the ship though, thank you who winning.

Speaker 2 (01:49):
I'm just curious.

Speaker 8 (01:51):
Kimberly A Kimbo won a lot of Tony's, mostly for
Best Musical, et cetera, et cetera. It was a weird thing.
It's very called kimberly A Kimberla kimberly A Kimbo.

Speaker 5 (02:00):
What's the part? What's the play called?

Speaker 3 (02:01):
Bill?

Speaker 5 (02:02):
That's why I think he's asking.

Speaker 8 (02:03):
Oh, it's that's what it's called. It's called kimberly A Kimbo.
I wish I could tell you something about it. I've
not seen it, so I don't know. So I'm just
gonna drink whiskey. On Wednesdays.

Speaker 2 (02:11):
There you go, Kim Lelya, Kimblo, Laia, how are you?

Speaker 4 (02:13):
I know we're in the same city and I have
failed to tell you I've been here for a week.

Speaker 3 (02:17):
You know.

Speaker 5 (02:17):
I want to give you the shade friend I do.

Speaker 4 (02:20):
Ladies and gentlemen, A very good friend of mine, very
a very very good friend of mine is coming to
visit us. On the show, I will say that our
guests his namesake. He is the founding member and of
one of the most powerful. Well, the way that laugh came,

(02:41):
I hope you are the founding member of the band.
That's your namesake, so anyway, one of the most powerful,
one of the most creative, one of the most exciting,
one of the most loved popular bands in all of
the world. I will say that this band has I
mean a mixture of cult following and mainstream because the

(03:01):
numbers are there, you know they have mainstream following as well.

Speaker 2 (03:06):
We do all know the hits. We know crass and
to me as marching too much crush.

Speaker 4 (03:10):
I also just realized that this group they've released non
studio albums, but however, they are the first band to
have seven albums debut at number one and he's giving
us the honor right now celebrating him with him their
newest album, which is entitled Walk Around the Moon. What

(03:32):
can I say, Man, one of the nicest guys on earth,
if you ever have the.

Speaker 2 (03:37):
Pleasure of opening for this guy, he will actually.

Speaker 4 (03:40):
Introduce you and stand on stage and watch you before
him in front of the crowd of fifteen.

Speaker 2 (03:46):
But what more can I say?

Speaker 3 (03:51):
That was extremely generous, I mean generous, but also precisely true.

Speaker 2 (03:58):
I have a hilarious story.

Speaker 4 (03:59):
So when we first started opening for Dave, one of
our very first shows was in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and there
were I guess as far as the comp ticket situation
was concerned, I believe each member because it was Philadelphia
and our families were coming, Like I think each family
member got like each band member got eight tickets. And

(04:23):
the thing was I didn't have anyone coming to see
so I had eight tickets. But our bus, our tour bus,
was kind of part where the general public could see us.

Speaker 2 (04:35):
Like we weren't in the tunnel with Dave's forty.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
Two trillion tour buses, so we were kind of on
the We were where like his crowd could see us,
and there were so many people there that were like
desperate for tickets, like anything, any tickets I would take
my kids to see Dave Matthews. So I was like, well,
I got eight tickets. I'll just give it to them.
So I'm in Philadelphia, in my own town. Now it's

(05:00):
two thousand and three. So yes, we already want to Grammy.

Speaker 2 (05:04):
We're you know, we're not.

Speaker 3 (05:07):
You know, you guys are killing It was so exciting
that you guys were we're playing with us.

Speaker 2 (05:14):
Well here's the thing though. Here's the thing though.

Speaker 4 (05:16):
So I'm figuring, like, wow, I'm watching this dad struggle
to get him and his two kids, and I'm actually
go and walk up to him and give him my
four tickets that he needs, and.

Speaker 3 (05:28):
It's gonna happen. But I know it's going to be funny.

Speaker 2 (05:30):
It was such a pie in.

Speaker 4 (05:33):
The face moment because it was like, I don't know
if he just wasn't used to acts that generous or anything,
but he did not trust that my tickets were legit.
And I was like, well, I'm the opening act. I'm
in the roots the Roots, and he was like, I said,

(05:55):
I'm one of the opening acts. See that's my tour
bus here, I'm giving you these four tickets, and it's
like he took him, but it was almost like he
was waiting for.

Speaker 2 (06:03):
That proverbial amble to fall on his head. He still
stood there.

Speaker 4 (06:09):
I was like, well, you're going to go in the stadium, right,
It's like yeah, yeah, yeah, But it was as if
if I were going to walk away.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
He was still stood.

Speaker 4 (06:17):
There and been like, all right, does someone have four
tickets so I can get inside the Dave Matthews like
It's as if he did not believe that, so he
blocked his blessing. I hope he did not get in
and realized that he wrote really good seats, but I.

Speaker 3 (06:31):
Wish you could have just taken them back. It seems
like a little bit of a rude response to.

Speaker 4 (06:37):
Well, it's Philadelphia, and Philadelphia is very non trusting, especially
of kind gestures and SI and it's end.

Speaker 3 (06:45):
But it's also, you know, hometown, so you feel like.

Speaker 4 (06:51):
I thought, you know what, Dave, I'm just realizing that
I've had some of the most interesting career pivots courtesy
of you.

Speaker 3 (07:04):
Yeah, like what, No, It just hit.

Speaker 4 (07:06):
Me that I once fired an assistant at a Dave
Matthews show because uh, you remember, right, Yeah, she beat
me in scrabble, and like, so, I guess the rumor
around Philadelphia is that I'm a sore loser at scrabble
when I fired my assistant.

Speaker 2 (07:28):
But it was just she was a disrespectful way that
she gloated.

Speaker 5 (07:33):
So and what does Dave have to do with that?

Speaker 3 (07:38):
I immediately hired her.

Speaker 4 (07:41):
Wait a minute, yo, Steve, Steve, do you know how
we got Dave Matthews?

Speaker 3 (07:49):
I remember, I see, remember.

Speaker 2 (07:53):
We stole from Dave Matthews. Like, god, we can, we
can go on forever. How you doing, man? What's going on?

Speaker 3 (08:01):
We're on the road, except I'm home. My son just
had his birthday. He turned sixteen. So that's sort of
where my head is in a way because it's a
kind of exciting thing for me.

Speaker 4 (08:13):
Wait, you're conducting a podcast interview in the middle of
your Sun sixteenth birthday?

Speaker 3 (08:18):
No the day after? So no, no, I would have
I think we we we scheduled this again and again,
but for both of us. But I wouldn't have put
it on his birthday because he I mean, I'm not
that he would have cared because he probably he wasn't.
He didn't. I was available for him, but he wasn't
as available for me because he's sixteen.

Speaker 2 (08:39):
And then I see, now you're in debt territory, noybe.

Speaker 3 (08:45):
That was a little bit expressive. I mean, he there's
times that's I'm not selling him short. But but he's busy, right,
so there's times when he's not available.

Speaker 2 (09:00):
Thirteen to twenty two. I get it. I was that
person too there.

Speaker 3 (09:03):
So and I know that I was busy. I didn't
want to abandon my mother, but there was a lot
of stuff that I had to experiment with and she
understood and now I think I understand. So, but I
you know, we're touring. It's the season, and so that's

(09:23):
what I'm doing, and I'm happily here and happy to
very happy to finally talk to you. I just have
to say, I'm a man. You know, you know that
I'm an insane fan so of yours and of the roots,
but also likewise, so when when I heard when I
heard that you were thinking that I would be an
interesting guest, I commonly said affirmative, thank you, and.

Speaker 4 (09:45):
I appreciate that the love is mutual. Wait, can I ask,
does touring at this level for you ever get tiring?

Speaker 2 (09:53):
Because at least for me.

Speaker 4 (09:56):
I will say there's probably two X that I've learned
the most from in terms of touring, and that is
the Beastie Boys when we really first started touring, and
then you were pivotal and when we really got established,
and just the small things that we didn't know that
could happen on a tour, like you were the first

(10:19):
band that we saw that had like communication microphones on
stage so you could talk to each other.

Speaker 2 (10:24):
And I was like, wait, I don't have to yell
anymore like gods in the next part skip the star first, Like.

Speaker 3 (10:29):
I have to address this because this is serious stuff.
This is serious. I was on the side of the stage.
We were up. It was a rainy day. I can't remember,
but we were both there. We just talked backstage just
quickly as you were going. But I have to say this,
I'd never been on in ears with you guys. I
mean I heard you guys talking to each other like that, right,

(10:53):
hear you shouting the changing arrangement. It was my head.
I was just crazy. First of all, I will never
take that much responsibility for anything spontaneously. That's terrifying to
me because it was you. No, well, I mean, but

(11:14):
I mean, we do say, let's change this, let's do this,
what about it? We go and we let things happen.
But you're actually turning Yeah, he's all over.

Speaker 2 (11:23):
You did something even better than that.

Speaker 4 (11:26):
You were cracking jokes, and I was like, wait a minute, we.

Speaker 2 (11:33):
Can actually crack jokes.

Speaker 4 (11:34):
And you know, there there there was a turnaround or
a shift where for us it was like the same grind,
the same.

Speaker 2 (11:46):
You know, just riga morale or whatever.

Speaker 4 (11:49):
And after we got done touring with you, I was like, yo,
I want I want to do the same thing. Dave
Matthews does the whole communication thing and then suddenly our
ability to oak with each other in one microphone while
still doing like the show, the audience is getting to
show that they're getting but it's also like, yo, third row,

(12:11):
third row, far left, he just fell down, he spilled
he spilt wine all over.

Speaker 3 (12:16):
Ooh, y'all see that, Like that is a very sad
it is. I do think that this, I have to
say this. I think that being able to talk to
each other is it opens up. When we figured out
that that was possible, it did suddenly create this sense

(12:37):
of we've we were worried a little bit some of
the time that there was gonna be times when you know,
people would zap in and they could pull someone was
gonna get on our wavelength and they're gonna hear, and
then I'd be like, oh no, god, it would it
would come out, you know, right right right, you know,
like uh, glaces, Yes, So I mean that happened to

(13:00):
Glaces and that's that. And I hear about those things.
I mean, I I I'll you know, often I'll say
something to the audience and even if it's earnest and
I mean it sincerely and it's something about whatever something's happened,
I'll turn around and look at the band and then
say something that is totally oh, just just so everyone breaks,

(13:21):
just so you know, so it's something you have you
turn around and say something that I don't until you know,
we've been on this podcast for a long time, right
right completely at home, I'm not gonna I'm not going
to go. But it does feel like there's It does
has a weird thing of uh connects to the music

(13:43):
in a way that I think may have happened in time,
would have been easier for it to happen in smaller
venues when when we were starting out or in a
different band. You know, you're sitting around all playing there,
then you can say you can show things or play
the bridge, or let's do this, or what about those

(14:03):
titties or whatever it is, which.

Speaker 5 (14:06):
Which conversation earlier? Sorry you heard it, Yes.

Speaker 2 (14:09):
Yeah, that got to so so.

Speaker 3 (14:11):
But once once we were it was loud and you
couldn't and we couldn't really communicate that that whole spontaneity
that that happens, it goes sort of goes away, and
the conversation is only in the music. And so I
do think that was a I know what you mean.
But then that it flipped around. And then when I
saw you up in wherever and then watched you doing

(14:32):
this conducting thing, I was like, wow, that's now that
I know rightly.

Speaker 4 (14:41):
I live for nothing more than those serious moments, those
those benefits, those really earnest quiet moments. I live for
those moments because, yes, in the communication microphone, I'm gonna
say the most my goal is to make them break
and crack up while being forced to keep a serious

(15:04):
face like that's me. I love doing that. That's my
favorite thing, especially us, especially if there's a boring guest
on the Tonight Show. That's when I'll really come alive
and and provoke them. I'll have sound effects like snoring sounds.

Speaker 2 (15:26):
And oh that's.

Speaker 3 (15:30):
Of course you would take it to the next level
because well, first of all, now I'm instantaneously paranoid, but
that uh goes not that I'm not that it's been
a while since. So if you when you when you
talk to Jimmy, say, you know, just just invite me on.
Let me be a couch guess, even if it's to

(15:51):
make a fool of me, I don't care.

Speaker 9 (15:53):
You got an album out, so that should be like
tooth sweet. Actually it's right, Yeah, let's.

Speaker 4 (16:02):
I was going to say, let's make sure that we
have a TV show to do, but yeah.

Speaker 9 (16:07):
That's then that's affected. That's affected this project a lot then, right.

Speaker 3 (16:10):
Because we're talking about you were crazy like it did
sound sort of like the pandemic with when you.

Speaker 2 (16:17):
Got without when you can go outside.

Speaker 3 (16:19):
Yeah, but you can go outside, it's like the pandemic
if you lived in the woods.

Speaker 4 (16:26):
Yeah, Well, I mean, what does that basically mean that
you'll just have to double up in radio promotions or
just do creative things like stuff on YouTube or like
what is it? What does it mean to have a
new album and not be able to promote it on
the medium television.

Speaker 5 (16:46):
Unless you do the View?

Speaker 3 (16:48):
Well, I will, oh, really.

Speaker 5 (16:50):
View, they're still working.

Speaker 3 (16:52):
What did they do?

Speaker 9 (16:54):
The View is still working? Yeah, they tell you before
every show. Whoop, You'll be like, just so y'all know
we don't have writers, So don't be coming to us
about what we're asking because this is all us. Yeah, yeah, yeah,
they're spontaneous.

Speaker 3 (17:06):
Oh I didn't realize that. Well that it shows sometimes,
but I haven't watched the View very often, and so
any judgment I passed is unfair. I got it, but
I but I do. Yeah, we were supposed to do
some shows and they were canceled. But at this at
the same time, I sometimes think this, people are still

(17:29):
coming to the shows and and so, and you know,
adding more music into it. We're not only playing the
record and and so. So. It's you know, just I
don't pay enough attention to anything. That's what's That's a.

Speaker 9 (17:47):
Good answer too, Dave Matthews band, Do they need the
same machine and everybody? At this point, You're right, like
people know when the music is coming out. Your people
know and does, it probably doesn't make a huge effect
that you don't have to do it TV.

Speaker 3 (17:58):
Like that, Yeah, we're lucky, and then we'll I am
a bunch of TV and when nobody cares.

Speaker 4 (18:02):
You know something though, Speaking of which, I'm working on
a project of which your musical performances from like ninety
three to about ninety six are included in this project.

Speaker 2 (18:16):
And I wanted to know, especially for.

Speaker 4 (18:22):
Your your your song structures, how limiting is it to
do television if you only have a four minute and
thirty second window, Because you know, from my experiences of
being at Dave Matthew shows, like you guys cook for
six to eight minutes on songs, but you know, like

(18:43):
the solos are the best part of both.

Speaker 3 (18:46):
I think that that's true. Like the best part, it is.
My favorite part is when everything gets gets cracked open
and then and then we can you know, be spontaneous
and when the when the even vote, when things when
melodies change. But uh, I don't know, it's it is
a it's a weird. It's a weird.

Speaker 9 (19:08):
Uh.

Speaker 3 (19:09):
Television is very stressful when you do and a half
three minutes, I don't know, you know, I was worried
the mix is gonna sound as bad as it might,
and then I'm worried, uh that I'm going to suck,
And then I'm worried it's too How can you do
anything in two and a half minutes? It depends.

Speaker 2 (19:29):
It is nice.

Speaker 3 (19:29):
So anytime there's an opportunity to mock myself, which is
you know, I often, I like that. That's what I'm
I'm glad that fell. And when I come on that show,
then I can.

Speaker 2 (19:44):
Remember a little fun.

Speaker 3 (19:45):
Yeah, when I came on that show and did the.

Speaker 4 (19:49):
Trap thing, yes, and you guys were singing yes, I
do remember that, so I.

Speaker 3 (19:53):
Got it to But I have to tell you I
worked so hard on that CARDI b tune to make
sure that that even though I was just goofing off
on the guitar, I wanted to get every single, every
single of because I didn't want to I didn't want
people to think, think what song is. I wanted very

(20:16):
specifically we knew someone to know what it was because
it is. I'm very loose about sticking to the script.
That instance. I felt like the script was the only
thing that would make it work, so I had to
at least be otherwise it would have been I could

(20:38):
have if being the normal me, I could have just
I could have phoned it in and and people have
been like, I have no idea what he's doing, We
have no idea what music he's singing. I had to
be much more strict than I am with my normal music.
Which is which is you know? I mean, I don't
I don't even know if I get my lyrics right.

Speaker 9 (20:59):
Wait when you did, when you did that that that
piece with card, is that your sixteen year old is
your is your oldest kid.

Speaker 3 (21:06):
He's my baby.

Speaker 5 (21:08):
He's your baby. So this is good. So what did
your kids say about you doing that?

Speaker 3 (21:12):
And they had he left, He thought it was pretty fun.
He actually did. He even was nice enough to say,
you know, it sounded it didn't sound right, but you know,
he said it sounded pretty good. Dad.

Speaker 2 (21:28):
All right, your children are they musicians?

Speaker 3 (21:32):
My son plays the piano and he plays the guitar,
but and he enjoys it, but he doesn't like to
do it as far as I know. One time, all
the kids there's a party and all the kids were
playing there. There were their pianos. Some kids were better
than other kids. Stay, I said, I said to him,

(21:53):
I wish I wish you got up and played the piano.
And he looked at me and he said, Dad, I
will never ever do what I was like, but it
was just it was kind of interesting, but it was
I understand where he's coming from. That is, I understand
what he's saying. He's saying, there's this there's a different world,

(22:13):
and I'm not I'm not I'm not jumping in it
right now.

Speaker 5 (22:16):
So you don't even expect that, don't even see.

Speaker 3 (22:18):
It, Joan even well, I'm going to play football.

Speaker 2 (22:22):
I was.

Speaker 4 (22:22):
I was forcing the family business, like I would just
naturally think that you know, any progeny or whatever, like
you just automatically I figured at least by ten or twelve,
like he's going to sit in and sit on the
high chair and start playing with you and eventually, I mean,
in your mind.

Speaker 2 (22:40):
Would you like that or is that like no, just
me Carter.

Speaker 4 (22:45):
And and and and like Stefan, like this is our
thing and our thing only or.

Speaker 3 (22:51):
I don't know if I'd want my son to come
and uh, I mean I would love it if he
wanted to, but it's not something that I think about.
I'd love him to find he has his own musical
he likes is a pretty wide perspective of the kind
of music he enjoys, and he always surprises me. But
that's what I want him to find music the way

(23:12):
I did. I guess I came from a family there
were no musicians, but my mom, you know, listened to
a lot of classical music. My parents did, and and
then also some folk music, and and then I found
my way. My brother turned me on the music. I
think I found a Beatles record or something, and and
and so I kind of felt that's kind of the

(23:32):
way I found music. And so there's been music around
my kids and in our house all those Snap.

Speaker 9 (23:39):
But yeah, he answered it, asking wait wait.

Speaker 4 (23:42):
I was like, snap, wait a minute, we're doing a podcast.
Wait a minute, Wait a minute.

Speaker 5 (23:45):
Then you and Dave were just talking and catching up.

Speaker 2 (23:51):
Wait what, oh my god, twenty eight minutes yo, he wait.

Speaker 7 (23:58):
Can we each have one word of the question?

Speaker 5 (24:01):
What go ahead? You go go ahead?

Speaker 6 (24:05):
Okay, what was your first musical memory?

Speaker 2 (24:15):
Wait a minute? Time out?

Speaker 5 (24:17):
The first question we asked.

Speaker 4 (24:20):
This is the level of comfort I have with Dave Matthews.
I legit, I forgot I was doing a podcast. I
was totally I let a half hour go by it.
I didn't even start the process.

Speaker 9 (24:32):
I was like, maybe he's doing his Remax remix and
start from the beginning.

Speaker 3 (24:37):
I'm here, so, uh, you know, if we have to
start again, I'm happy, no, no again, but I will
I will say this.

Speaker 2 (24:47):
But the question was what was your first musical memory.

Speaker 3 (24:50):
I would like to say my first live music that
I remember, Like, I think it was my first memory
because I think I was sitting between my mom's knees.
I was a little kid, you know, sort of, and
on the back of a flat bed truck. Pete Seeger
was playing the band really and I remember thinking that

(25:17):
guy's awesome and he was so weird. He was such
a weird, but he was so he had he was
so friendly, and so that's my first Like I.

Speaker 9 (25:26):
Feel like the country was this, Dave, because you've lived
in a lot of places.

Speaker 5 (25:29):
Where were you when you saw.

Speaker 3 (25:32):
Up upstate not upstate New York, but you know, north
of New York City. So he was in Croaton quite a bit,
and uh in that area and uh was it turn
Turn Turn or I can't remember what song I don't
think he was. I can't remember what songs he was playing.
I just remember thinking this, and people were you know,
it was relaxed and everything. But then I think, my
when I was five years old, I remember liking the

(25:54):
Jackson five, So I'm not entirely sure whether that was
because why I fell in love with him was because
they had a fire i've, you know, right, But then
I really did love them, and then i've I've fell
in love with the Beatles, and I became, I would say,
a bore until my brother opened my brain when I

(26:16):
was about ten, and my brother was turned me onto
other kinds of music, and and then I and then
it was the seventies, so I could listen to the
radio and you could hear you know, in the seventies,
you could have the radio on and it could be
like at least well PLJ or whatever it was. You know,
it was like, uh, it could be it would be
like John Denver and then Marvin Gay and then Paul

(26:39):
and then uh, you know, Donna Summers and then you know,
I remember my mom would always go to the radio
when Donna Summers came on, and she'd be going, ah,
love to love you baby, My mom like I don't
like this song right right, and then she waits for
it to be over, but I married my mom always
running to the radio and turning off the and that

(27:00):
was the only song I can remember her response. I
think it was just it was too much. There was
too much love making in that song for my mom.

Speaker 4 (27:12):
Back when we scheduled this interview weeks ago, I watched
about three interviews of yours, and.

Speaker 2 (27:19):
They're pretty much they're pretty much the same format.

Speaker 4 (27:23):
Like they talk about, you know, your beginnings of South Africa,
moving to the States, and then putting the band together.

Speaker 2 (27:28):
They talk about, So I'm actually gonna.

Speaker 4 (27:34):
Go back to where we were just tip five minutes ago.
I'm gonna talk to you like a friend, not as
a music expert.

Speaker 3 (27:41):
Thank you.

Speaker 4 (27:44):
So wait, no, no, no, I'm gonna ask you random things.
So I totally put I put my script away. All right,
So this is what I want to know. This is
I'm asking you just your everyday life questions. Okay for
our listeners, I feel like you know a lot about
a person based on a Starbucks order.

Speaker 2 (28:01):
What is your main order at Starbucks? U?

Speaker 3 (28:04):
Uh an Americana with cream? All right?

Speaker 2 (28:09):
What's that in English?

Speaker 3 (28:10):
Steve?

Speaker 2 (28:10):
Because you know that you got to translate.

Speaker 3 (28:12):
From espresso espresso with water in it.

Speaker 4 (28:16):
Steve is our resident Starbucks at it.

Speaker 3 (28:22):
I have. I have a coffee shop in Seattle that
you know, everyone has the best coffee shop in the world,
but this actually is the best coffee shop. And it's
called Lighthouse. And well, there's a there's some there's a
lot of great coffee shops here, as there are as
much as there are everywhere. But this, this particular one,
I call it that, and it's a small, little one,
and so I hope that it doesn't piss them off

(28:43):
that I just uh told everyone. But I get more
cappuccinos and lattes and achato's not the one that you
get at Starbucks, but the original sort of simple foam
and espresso when I go there, because everything they make,
even if I just get a shot of espresso, everything
they make there is delicious. But if I go to Starbucks,

(29:06):
I know it's gonna be the if I get a
four shot Americano, it's going to taste exactly the same
in Des Moines as it will taste in Tokyo or
Yorktown Heights, New York. It's not going to be any
because they.

Speaker 4 (29:24):
Wait, what part of what part of the world do
you live. Do you what part of the world are
you living in now?

Speaker 2 (29:28):
Are you?

Speaker 3 (29:29):
I live in Seattle, so I'm between. I sort of
live between Virginia and Seattle. But my children, because my
wife studied medicine here, my children were born in Seattle.
I bored. He just he just he just got up
and left. He always.

Speaker 6 (29:47):
People talk about their children and where they're from. I
just have to have to take a break. I had
to take a break.

Speaker 3 (29:53):
I know it. I know what you mean. It's where.
It's where I just and I did it all and
I'm and I keep doing it. Where do you live? Seattle? Anyway?
So we ended up being here, and we like it
in Seattle a lot. And we also so those.

Speaker 5 (30:07):
Are opposite towns, by the way.

Speaker 9 (30:09):
That's that's some interesting duality of worlds that you got
going on in Charlottesville and then Seattle.

Speaker 3 (30:14):
That's right, and it is true, but it's it's also
funny because there's assumptions we make about both which are true,
which are but which are also but are also very
not true at all. Right, right, very often they're not monoliths.

Speaker 5 (30:32):
They're not monoliths.

Speaker 3 (30:33):
No, And maybe Charlottesville is I guess it's a wonderful place,
but every place could be a little more aware of
its self than it is. I imagine.

Speaker 9 (30:44):
I bet your kids are hell around well rounded for
those reasons though. That's what I was thinking too, Like
they get they know all the things.

Speaker 3 (30:51):
I think that I think I have nice I think
I have kind children. That's the main children. Yeah, you absolutely,
and I've and and I also think that my children
are well round enough that they they act polite and
well put together when they when they when they see
you quest but they are very excited. I have one

(31:12):
great story made me really proud of my kids. So
one of my favorite musicians is Danny Barnes. He's a
banjo player out of Austin. He lives up in this man. Yeah,
all fuck it, I had enough. I had enough of that.
My pole barn fell into my peaches.

Speaker 5 (31:31):
I'm looking at him up right now.

Speaker 3 (31:33):
You know it's it's so it's he's so funky. All
fuck it.

Speaker 8 (31:37):
Last time we were together one hundred years ago at
Sesame Street, you brought up Danny Barnes. I feel like
he's a common common love him.

Speaker 2 (31:43):
But I love you because wait, he was on Sesame
Street Bill.

Speaker 8 (31:47):
David Danny Barnes was not on sesame streets. That would
be amazing show Dave, Dave Matthews, this person he was
on Sesame Street.

Speaker 3 (31:55):
Okay, great, I brought im up. I was. I was
very happy to be on Sesame Street. But anyway, my thing,
someone someone, some kid asked my kids if they knew
Bob Marley, and I think they were they were asking
them if they had ever heard of Bob Marley. But
my kids were spoiled, and I remember my daughter said

(32:17):
they were little, and my daughter said, I don't know
Bob Marley, but we know we know Danny Barnes.

Speaker 4 (32:29):
All right, My next everyday question is.

Speaker 2 (32:36):
What television show are you currently binging?

Speaker 3 (32:42):
So I'm I am mad that I do like that. Uh,
the last of Us thing okay, but and the last
two episodes were my favorite, and because they were just
so man, I'm just.

Speaker 2 (33:03):
Didn't finish it. I didn't finish it, and I finished
it ruthless.

Speaker 3 (33:06):
I just ruthless. I'm excited, So I'm sad that I
got to the end. Anyway, they were ruthless. A lot
of people were like, I don't like the last two.
I was like, I love them, but also I wanted
to tell you I think people should watch this funny.
I think it's Australian show. I don't know if they
haven't made it anymore, but it's called Mister in Between.

(33:28):
Is anybody here that sounds familiar?

Speaker 5 (33:29):
Way way?

Speaker 3 (33:29):
Wait?

Speaker 5 (33:30):
What's what's what service? What is this one?

Speaker 3 (33:32):
I think it's Mister in Between. I really liked this show.

Speaker 9 (33:35):
Oh, I just meant I could be on you know,
but sometimes you just fall onto you fall into things.

Speaker 3 (33:46):
I know that there's gonna be a show that I'm
watching that I have that I've forgotten.

Speaker 2 (33:53):
Okay, and then.

Speaker 3 (33:54):
There's uh, I just finished that. Res Dogs, It's cool.

Speaker 2 (34:01):
Reservation Docs, Indigenous Kids. Yes Dogs.

Speaker 3 (34:06):
Yes, it's a really good show because.

Speaker 9 (34:09):
A lot of dope indigenous shows on like on streaming
right now, like they didn't include the community.

Speaker 5 (34:14):
Is really cool.

Speaker 4 (34:15):
Really, all of the non musical jobs that you've had.

Speaker 8 (34:24):
This's my favorite episode of Questlove Supreme ever. It's because
I just want to I want to know them as
a human being instead.

Speaker 3 (34:30):
Of as I did. I was a bartender, which is
I think, uh not unusual for musicians, but I but
I worked my way up to bartending. I started off
as the salad guy, and they used to call me
the nacho guy because I made more nachos than salads.
And then I waited tables. I hated. That's the worst.

(34:52):
That's the hardest job in the world. I think it's
the hardest job.

Speaker 2 (34:58):
Do you have the ability to carry that train like
way above your head?

Speaker 3 (35:02):
I was. I was good. I'm good at carrying trays.
But I'm also really good when i'm overwhelmed, because I'm
easily overwhelmed. I'm really good at pretending that someone's not
in my section until they leave.

Speaker 2 (35:15):
Wait, so you got passive aggressively?

Speaker 3 (35:18):
Yeah, excuse me? Uh can can? Uh? We haven't been
served yet. I'm sorry you're not in my section. I'm
just going to but I'll let your waiter know. I
didn't but I did do it, and I will and
I and I tell you that the one of the weird.
I was working on the patio and there's a lot
of rats in this particular underneath this mall, but I

(35:39):
there was they used.

Speaker 2 (35:40):
To rats, but restaurants. Okay.

Speaker 3 (35:43):
I walked onto the patio where I where I was waiting,
and I looked and there was this There was a
group of women and they were a little bit fancy.
Were not too fancy because they were at our restaurant,
but they were a little bit fancy, and there was
a rat at their feet. So I didn't want to say,

(36:04):
excuse me, there's a rat at your feet because that
would cause mayhem. I love the way anyway, So I
waited for the rat to walk away from under their table.
And it took so long. They would move their feet
like the rat would be standing on their shoe, and

(36:25):
then it would they'd move their feet and then the
rat would just walk over. I mean, it was so
bananas in Charlottesville. It was the most comfortable rat in
the world. It walked out onto an open area. And

(36:46):
then the ladies spotted it when it was in an
open area outside the restaurant, and and one of the
ladies said, a rat. And then and then they all
were like and then and then the dude came out
of its long clothes. Now this dude came out of
a Walmart and he had a And I was at

(37:07):
this story. Now I was like, oh, I've been I
must say, I must stop the run.

Speaker 5 (37:11):
Now you care? Now you care?

Speaker 3 (37:14):
Now I can acknowledge that the rats that if it
was I was just I was so happy it made
it away anyway, it wasn't in my section. And then
and this dude came out of the Walmart with a
broom handle and a box and then just right in
front of everyone, just beat this rat to death. People

(37:38):
were like, all right, oh no Ah, what a rat.
And this dude just walked out just as if nothing
was just was like people were like, and I was
kind of stunned too. And then he just smacked it
into the box and just walked away back dropped the
box next to the Walmart and just walked in not Walmart.

(38:01):
What am I talking about? Woolworths? I said, wodn't come
out of a giant mega store. He came out of
the old, the little old Woolworths. I I ruined the story.

Speaker 4 (38:13):
By so you didn't know, Dave Matthews. You literally, yo, guys.
This might have to be my new format. I love
this which weeks? That's one job? What's the other?

Speaker 3 (38:24):
Four? Oh? Ship? So I worked in a record store
and and it was in South Africa, and it was when,
oh my god, I can't believe Anita Baker's like smash
album came out and she was.

Speaker 4 (38:39):
Wait time out out, Time out, time out, Tell hi
about Wait, why do we get triggered?

Speaker 5 (38:44):
You was sorry, it's not a game. It's not a game.
It's not a game. Go ahead, I'm sorry.

Speaker 2 (38:53):
Inside heard her name, it got stared like what the fuck?

Speaker 3 (38:59):
Trigger? This was a long time ago. Anyways, I apologize
if I if I haven't been reading the paper. But anyway,
she was. That album was just that was NonStop and
that was what everyone was. It was and the thing was,
it was. It was in the it was in the
city in Jannisburg, and it's and it's It was an

(39:20):
interesting time because it's when like Hillbrow in Johannesburg and
Joville and Johannesburg and downtown Johannesburg where they were starting
to call them gray areas, because although apartheid was still
like holding on with its claws, it was it was
everyone everyone knew it was at this It was when

(39:41):
the clerk was about to he was gonna the President
of South Africa was about to what they you know
what what much of the country, uh, the white part
of the country considered the great betrayal because he was
hardline apartheid guy. And then suddenly he just did But
I think he got the reports from people and and

(40:04):
and it was essentially you know, let go or it's
or you know there's going to be get out. So anyway,
it was right around that time, so there were these
gray areas where people like where it was essentially you know,

(40:24):
already integrated, and you know, the police was still horrifying,
and it was all that was still going on. But
it was like these certain areas like they're sort of
the hip to be college students and Orthodox Jews and
then anyone else that want to live there. It's just
And what one Polish guy once said to me when
I was in his cab in New York going to Brooklyn,

(40:46):
he says, you know why the Jews don't leave here.
The Jews don't leave here because the Jews don't take
ship from every Bobby. And I was so interesting this.
I don't know, I did a weird not good.

Speaker 5 (41:01):
No, that was I thought that was kind of good.
I don't know, Steve Bill, but I.

Speaker 8 (41:05):
Feel like that Polish was nailed. That was I felt
like b minus I was minus.

Speaker 3 (41:11):
Is exactly right. But anyway, it was a fucking accent.
Oh but anyway, it wasn't me. I didn't say it
so then, but I just thought that was so. I
just thought it was interesting because then I ended up
living years later, uh in an area or with a
friend in an area that was it was like had
been very much uh like sort of a Jewish area

(41:33):
in in Johannesburg that had now become this sort of
gray area, but it was still very Jewish, but it
was also college kids and it was also it was
a really interesting time. And that's when I worked at
this record store. I wish I could Hillbrow Records is
what it was called. And and then what else ship
That was a long it's a long story. And I

(41:54):
drew some pictures of I did some illustrations for for
magazines like uh brochures for like insurance companies for a
little while. That was that's just like a small like
a local like coming, you know, get your you're an illustrator,
like a really like like like come and get a
thermometer put in your butthole at this start, you write

(42:15):
a cartoon of it, or yeah, you draw a little picture. Now.
I wish it was that interesting. It was much more
like you know.

Speaker 2 (42:24):
Wait, can I ask does your publicist approve of this? Interview.

Speaker 5 (42:27):
I feel like they're here.

Speaker 3 (42:29):
They they're right there. They just some random dude giving
you two thumbs up.

Speaker 2 (42:40):
That's amazing.

Speaker 9 (42:40):
Can I ask a random acting question real quick, because
I'm sorry, but your one of your favorite characters of
mine was from Blenda and I'm just so curious if
you're like an improv dude or yeah, I'm just that's
my first question about acting. But I'm just curious if
you're an improv due because it seems like you'd be
amazing at it.

Speaker 3 (42:57):
Well, I haven't done too much much of it, but
I would. I'm I'm but I'm willing to learn.

Speaker 9 (43:04):
Really, So what's your acting? So as far as your training,
what do you what do you consider you?

Speaker 3 (43:09):
Just when I was when I was bartending a bunch
of a bunch of English grads who worked in bars
in Charlottesville and other people that started there's two there
was one called off stage theater and one uh there,
and there was another one that was that wasn't in

(43:30):
random places that I've forgotten it now and they'll get
mad at me when they if any of them hear this.
But and then so we I used to do when
I was twenty in my early twenties. I used to
do little acting things there and you know, try to
figure out what the hell I was doing with myself.
I wanted to do something right. I think the last

(43:52):
thing I did with off stage theater was the band
was already together. I think a couple of guys came
to something I did in in the bars, Leroy and Carter.
I think they came to one of them. And then now,
I you know, you know, if Sandler calls me, I'll
do his movie.

Speaker 5 (44:10):
Say, y'all got a nice relationship.

Speaker 9 (44:12):
What's your most fun Adam Sandler experience of all the
movies that you've done again?

Speaker 3 (44:16):
So so one time, and he'll he might not verify
this because but but it's mildly x rated. But he
called me up and he said, he said, hey, buddy,
I got this one thing. I got this thing for you.
He says, you go, you gotta read this. And it
was actually for the part that I think Woody Harrelson

(44:37):
ended up playing, so he obviously Adam got a better option.
But it was when wood he played the trans woman
or something in.

Speaker 5 (44:50):
Management.

Speaker 3 (44:50):
Yeah, but wood he was would he was great anyway,
So he was I think he was calling me about that.
I'm not one hundred percent sure, but but he said,
I got I got this pop with you and I said,
I said, uh, I'll do anything for you said, I said,
you could dress. I said, you could do anything. You're amazing,

(45:11):
you could put a dress on. And I probably, you know,
want to make love to you. And he goes, whoa,
and he goes and he goes, whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy,
you could, you could, you could never you can never
ever make love to me. Like I'm sorry. He goes,
you could even maybe you could titty fuck my ass,
but you can never go inside. And I was like,

(45:33):
that's my that's my greatest memmory memory of Adam. That is.

Speaker 5 (45:38):
Tell us he was a jack of jail or whatever.

Speaker 3 (45:39):
And I was like, no, never go inside me. Also,
that question is point on.

Speaker 5 (45:46):
It is point on.

Speaker 2 (45:47):
That is spot on. Sand Man.

Speaker 9 (45:50):
Okay, I'm sorry to be heady about this, but so
everything that happened between you and Nicole Hittman was scripted.

Speaker 3 (45:55):
Yeah, I mean for the most I mean, for the
most of the stumbling was it was all pretty pretty scripted.
She's pretty shot, and Keith was Keith was around quite
a bit too, or.

Speaker 2 (46:07):
Okay, tar players making a weird.

Speaker 5 (46:09):
Awkward it's the funnyest she's ever been that.

Speaker 3 (46:13):
She's but she you know, what what's interesting is is
how much she adores Adam Sammler, because she said when
she was first coming up, she said she was on
Saturday Night Live and she was terrified and Adam was
just the nicest man. And that's kind of it's kind
of a thing that's interesting about He's like, like, you know,

(46:36):
he says he works as hard as anybody, but that
guy is absolutely one of the nicest people in the world.

Speaker 2 (46:43):
He is he is, He absolutely is.

Speaker 8 (46:50):
David, I've been asked, I've been wanted to ask you
this my entire life. We talked about we've talked about
this before us. She talked to the Beatles, the simplicity
of melody, the simplicity of music writing, and yet when
I listen to your songs, there's the time signatures are complex,
the thoughts are complex, the harmonics are complex. It feels
like like one thought and then a different practice.

Speaker 3 (47:13):
Yeah, I've I have, I have learned nothing.

Speaker 8 (47:18):
But like but like we've worked together for a long
time and like it's like it's a I think in
your head and in my head, and I guess in song,
Wanders says, you want, you want to present the most
simple thing, the most beautiful, simple, perfect thing. But yet
for whatever reason, you get caught up in the musicality
of it, all right, and then and then you try
to fall still right and then but but for whatever reason,

(47:40):
you're very successful at finding that in the end, finding
the most beautiful thing regardless, right, And so that has
always been my like number one Dave Matthews thing your
entire career as a fan, as a person who knows
you that just like I don't know how you do that.
I really don't. And it's like, it's really fantastic. That's
I don't know how better to say?

Speaker 3 (48:00):
That works? Well, that's that's that's that's very kind. I
do I have to say that I do. I want
to say, stop there and don't fuck it up, don't
change it to five, don't put it in for no
reason and then switch it to four. What do you do?
Why do I have to be so confusing? But then
I but then sometimes I can't stop myself, and then

(48:23):
I just end up going in circles until it's too complicated.
So I either throw it away or something. But I
also have to say something that some There have been
specific times in my life when I've said, when I've
come up with something that's that's weird, a weird time signature,
it's unusual, but I feel like it, and it's I
think a lot of it is sort of listening to

(48:44):
some sort of Central African West African grooves and how
it sounds like it's here but then it's actually over here,
and and and and and I don't know if I
understand it, but I but I still get inspired by it.
And and then I'll come up with something and and
and I think to myself, I think this will sound
really good if Carter plays it, you know, because Carter
will come in and make something it's really unusual sound

(49:06):
like it makes sense, and I think it's a remarkable gift.
So sometimes I even go on tangents just to play
for Carter. Who oood If anyone that's listening doesn't know
is the drummer that I've been lucky enough to work
with for.

Speaker 2 (49:21):
To trust me, they we all know quarter View.

Speaker 3 (49:24):
I know, you guys know, but a.

Speaker 8 (49:26):
Mirror like, how do you feel about a drummer like Carter?
Because essentially, your philosophies are completely and utterly polite opposite.
So you want to know something because also like and
I respect you both in so different ways, but it's
a completely different thing, and that's fascinating to me.

Speaker 2 (49:41):
Here's the funny thing. So the project I'm working on
right now right.

Speaker 4 (49:47):
Is it was me looking at these guys like a.

Speaker 2 (49:52):
Period between ninety four to.

Speaker 4 (49:57):
Ninety six, and it just hit me when I saw
them like this is like when the second album Verse
came out and I saw them. So basically, what Bill
is explaining is that I have a very bare bones,
straight pocket. And it wasn't until I saw you Cold Blood.

(50:19):
But it wasn't until I saw the earliest performance of
an unmentioned secret project I'm working on that it finally
hit me. I was like, yo, now I saw this
with at the Drive In. I saw this with and
then when I saw this also when they morphed into
Mars Volta, and now I'm seeing it with Dave Matthews.

(50:42):
I now know where the true creative home, where what
I call gospel chop jumping belongs. Carter is the perfect
musical specimen of a drummer for this particular ensemble situation

(51:02):
where if fit's like a hand and glove. The problem
I have is, all right, if you were to take Carter.

Speaker 5 (51:08):
He is gospel chops.

Speaker 8 (51:09):
You're saying it's transcendent gospel shops. Like it's He's on
a whole other level, right.

Speaker 2 (51:13):
He's the honest But that's the thing.

Speaker 4 (51:14):
And but the only reason why that level of drumming
would be jarring for me is if say a tribe
called Quest asked for the same sort of drummer, you
know what I'm saying, Yeah, then it would be different.
But I now, like when I when I saw it,
then I went on an instant rabbit hole and only

(51:35):
watched pre ninety nine Dave Matthews to see them at
their very beginners, and I'm like, oh shit, you guys
are actually the blueprint for where black music is today
as far as rhythmically and structurally.

Speaker 2 (51:52):
And I don't think you guys know that.

Speaker 4 (51:53):
And I don't think that's for sure that we know that.

Speaker 2 (51:59):
No, I don't think we know that.

Speaker 4 (52:00):
And it's just like, only in Mars Volta and in
the Dave Matthews band is that level of insane drumming
like music to my ears where it's just.

Speaker 3 (52:11):
Perfect makes all the sense. Don't get me wrong. I
mean right again, I'll just sit here and I'll just
lie in that that sounds good to me.

Speaker 2 (52:23):
Wait did I not make that clear?

Speaker 3 (52:25):
It was just it was kind of meant, yes, I
have a way to go.

Speaker 4 (52:28):
Around the scenic route to get to the point. Yes,
But okay, So what is your preferred method of songwriting?

Speaker 2 (52:37):
So do you do it alone or do you guys
get together or.

Speaker 3 (52:41):
There's been times when, like the the I think sometimes
the best of what we do is when we're all
together in the room and and you know, I'll have
I'll find an idea and and and we'll like I
one of my favorite songs that I think we've ever
ever put out called it's called Virginia in the Rain,
and actually it only came out a couple of albums ago.

(53:04):
It's just this swimming kind of feel and it's crazy,
and it's so comfortable, and everyone sounds exactly like everyone
sounds and it but it's kind of a magical thing.
And the way that the timing kind of has this
upside down thing. And when we were first doing it,
I think we all kind of almost had different ones,
you know, it's like this, but the writing on that

(53:25):
was all of us, you know, in the same space.
And then there's times when I'll come in with a
sort of almost finished song and then also I have
a I don't it's not maybe traditional, but I have
a I think it's probably more common now, but there's
a song like on the new record, to walk around
the Moon. And obviously it was harder for all of

(53:45):
us to get into a room together in the pandemic
because we're all everyone's losing their minds and so that
was sort of a restrictive situation. But you know, in
traditional terms, I'd finished the song walk around the Moon,
and then Carter came in. He was the first person
to come in because the producer Rob said we should

(54:06):
get Carter to play on this. We hadn't planned to
making a record, and but when Carter first he listened
to that and he did his funny sort of writing
down the arrangement, and then he went out and what
he played over it was so bananas and so beautiful,
so straightforward, but so bananas. It's like it like wrote

(54:29):
it like here was the song was written here. And
then what he did like change the song, but it didn't.
It just made it way more what it was. And
I think in a traditional sense someone would say, you know,
i'd say like, oh, I wrote that song, and you know,
maybe there have been times when I had, but I
had to say Carter wrote the song with me, because

(54:51):
just you know, just the way he came in. And
so there's that that time. So some songs come out
of jams. Ninety nine percent of the time, I write
the lyrics afterwards, which is why maybe it's so often
they're gobbledygop trying of I can figure out a way
I how to screw a lyric onto something that's jumping
all over the place. So whether I write a musical

(55:14):
thing or form or song by myself, or the band
gets together and we jam something, or or it's a
mixture of each thing, the writing of the lyrics sort
of comes at the end. So that is so the process,
that part of it doesn't change. I love when we're
all free and I you know, there's times when I'll

(55:37):
you know, say to Carter, play something like play this,
you know, or but there's also times where where I
don't say anything, you know, and and I would expect
to same from him too, you know, I do feel
like a very fortunate that we've managed to like keep
this process. I've managed to keep this process a little

(55:58):
bit of an exchange rather than getting into a place
where you know, I'm telling everyone what to do, because
I think so much more power in at least in
this band. We've all been together so much that you know,
there's more noise to be had from other people. That
make things surprising.

Speaker 4 (56:15):
For you, is is there? What what is your idea
of musical happiness?

Speaker 2 (56:21):
Like do you prefer.

Speaker 4 (56:24):
Small, small, intimate jamming situations with your band or actually,
when's the last time you guys played in you know,
like Toads Up, Yeah, like Toad's up in the Yale Like.

Speaker 3 (56:36):
But we you know, often when we play outside of
the country, outside of the US, you know, we play
in smaller places. It depends, you know, we do. There's
you know, parts of Europe where we do better. But
we're more in a weird way, we're more of a
like a cult band in the rest of the world
than we are definitely than we are in the States.
I mean some you know, so.

Speaker 4 (56:57):
Germany where you playing Like how many people are you
playing to in Fank for Germany?

Speaker 3 (57:02):
Like two thousand or five. You know, maybe maybe I
don't know, five to to five somewhere we bounce around
like Portugal, they they like us there, so we do
a little more, right, we do a little more. We
get a little more action in Portugal and Spain we
do alright. The UK is a little bigger, but then
you know, once we get but then it's a different

(57:23):
it's very The vibe is it's so much fun to
play to, you know, a different audience, an audience that
we don't get to play in front of very much,
you know, because we had this funny thing in the
States that that you know, we kind of came up.
You know, even though we have this we we've been
lucky at times more than others to sell out big places,

(57:45):
we still kind of came up this way from our
shows and sort of word of mouth, and so that
we haven't had that opportunity as much in other places.
And so our audience is sort of similar, but a
little more. We're excited about listening to us in other
parts of the world than it States.

Speaker 4 (58:07):
How can you plan a tour in which every territory
varies in size and I know that at your peak,
your maximum, you guys are a fully operational like you know,
thirteen fourteen.

Speaker 2 (58:26):
Eighteen wheeler truck.

Speaker 4 (58:28):
Maybe I would assume at seven to ten tour bus
or private plane operation. Like but then you're saying that,
like if you go to Glasgow, Scotland or something, then
you might have to small scale it. So how do
you route and plan that out where some places you're

(58:49):
you can play ninety thousand.

Speaker 3 (58:51):
I guess we do them separate. So you know, we're
gonna go to Europe in the spring, and so then
we'll think of it, like what can we do and
you know, new designs, our stages and uh and uh
does our lights and has for a long time, but
you know, since like the first year that we were together.
But so like then he'll design a stage for for

(59:13):
if we're in Europe and we'll be much and you know,
and and then our we'll take our core crew. We
won't need the biggest So it's just like a you know,
logistical change and and a lot of it's it's not
And thank god it has nothing to do with me
because that would be a shit show. I love playing
in the smaller, different venues. We were down in Mexico,
you know, Mexico City a few places at the beginning

(59:35):
of the tour, and it's so much fun to play
in places we don't go all the time. And uh,
you know, it's one thing to play in Cantcon where
it'll probably all be Americans, but if you go to
Mexico City or Monterey or Guadalajara or whatever, then it's
the audience is all Mexican people and and it and

(59:56):
it's just it's so much fun to play for a
really different audience. And when we were down there, we
had like a week or so, maybe a little more
than that somewhere around there when we were just all
rehearsing together and that was that was fun. Actually, I
think a lot hopefully some new music will come out
of that. I think it's very fortunate, especially now. I

(01:00:18):
mean there's ups and downs, right but the way the
band is right now, I feel like it's as much
fun playing with these guys as I've ever had.

Speaker 8 (01:00:28):
So, you know, I was gonna ask about that, like
the band has morphed so much in the past I
don't know ten years, Like how do you where do
you find the happiness and where do you find the
right thing?

Speaker 4 (01:00:39):
Yeah, and adjusting I'm gonna add that to your question, Bill,
Like and adjusting to life after LeRoy's transition, Yeah, like.

Speaker 3 (01:00:47):
How do you Roy was like Roy? And Carter Roy
is like the first person that I It's like, you know,
you don't have better friends than him. He's a difficult friend,
but you don't, you know, And and musically he's just
there's no one like him. He is so unique. And
Jeff Coffin put it beautifully, one one who plays sax
with us now. But but Jeff said, what Roy had

(01:01:11):
and didn't realize much of the time was he had
his own voice. And that's like what every horn player
dreams about. And and it's true, like Roy just had
this like I get to hear a recording, like just
to hear one note and it just and it just
like Roy, just the memory of him. But I think,
you know, so we go, we really miss him, but

(01:01:35):
you know, and you go, you go up and down.
But right now, the way the band is, you know,
there's lots of gratitude and you know, because you know,
we still we're still paying for our own toothpaste and
so so that's good and we're living, uh, living well.
And it seems like the audiences are still enjoying it.

(01:01:57):
So you know, this is this it feels like right now,
the last five years or so, it's been a really good,
a really good period for us. I really feel grateful
about it. I also love playing, you know, by myself.
I also love playing with just me and Tim. I
don't know, any opportunity to the change is good too,

(01:02:18):
you know.

Speaker 2 (01:02:18):
To scale down.

Speaker 4 (01:02:19):
Okay, I'm thinking of life with Steve and Jonas back
when we were in the house together.

Speaker 5 (01:02:25):
Oh God, memories day.

Speaker 2 (01:02:29):
Yeah, peanut butter in the fridge or outside the fridge.

Speaker 3 (01:02:35):
Outside the fridge, outside the fridge, agreed after it's open, Yeah,
yess always.

Speaker 9 (01:02:42):
Y'all probably do the same thing with ketchup and mustad.
Y'all lead that outside defrigerator, but you.

Speaker 4 (01:02:46):
Lead peanut butter inside the fridge if you opened it.

Speaker 7 (01:02:51):
Yeah, anything that's open should go in the fridge.

Speaker 5 (01:02:53):
That's what y'all. Don't read the label.

Speaker 2 (01:02:55):
I don't read.

Speaker 3 (01:02:56):
If you're gonna lead on the shelf for a couple
of months, maybe, yeah, but but I you know, we
go through our peanut butter. It's just it's a and
and we get the you know, we get the crunchy,
all natural, but I think it's the same with the
other ones. It turns into it's it's impossible. It's like
spread cerator the fridge, so you have to take it

(01:03:21):
out and leave it there.

Speaker 6 (01:03:21):
Anyway, if we're really going to ask questions, this random
I got. I got a few questions in my own.

Speaker 3 (01:03:30):
So dogic his head. Here we go.

Speaker 6 (01:03:33):
My first random question is there's a famous piano player
slash a ranger that did a lot of work on
my favorite jazz label called CTI. His name's David Matthews.
He's been heavily sampled as well, so of course I
might know who he is. And I was just wondering if,
because of the name, did you ever meet him or
crossover with him, or have publishing issues with him in
any way, because or have you ever heard of David Matthews?

Speaker 3 (01:03:55):
And we've had some but but it's been more amusing
than anything I think there was. I think once he
we ran into each other in and I do know him,
but I think he may have he had to call
the I R s And say this is definitely not mine, not.

Speaker 2 (01:04:16):
Mine.

Speaker 3 (01:04:17):
Oh wow, his estimates it's got blown up. I think
may have been like no, no, no, no, that's the
other guy that sounds sounds a little like Kermit the Frog.
He doesn't do any arrangements. Okay, we had an amusing
exchange in an airport. Okay, did it a bunt of

(01:04:38):
arranging too?

Speaker 2 (01:04:38):
Right?

Speaker 3 (01:04:39):
Yeah?

Speaker 6 (01:04:39):
Yeah, I think he's most known for his his arrangement ranging.
So I have a second random question. Do you remember
being at Electric Ladies studios in the late nineties must
have been ninety seven, ninety eight, some ninety nine maybe,
and smoking a joint with di'angelo?

Speaker 7 (01:04:59):
Yes, with two other random guys. I was one of
the other random.

Speaker 2 (01:05:05):
To forget and I didn't know about this.

Speaker 3 (01:05:08):
No, but listen it before you down. So then so
now i'm you know, I'm excited first of all to
be uh visiting d Angelo in the studio, but now
I'm fucking so fucking high. And then that's which is fine,
that's fine. And he turns on he starts playing the

(01:05:30):
most insane you'll agree with me, right, I mean, the
music was so beautiful, was so insane. I mean, I
hadn't heard any of it, so maybe you've been, you know,
going listening to it again. But it was early, but
it wasn't, but it was not what I heard. I
mean maybe it.

Speaker 2 (01:05:48):
Took us four years to make that record.

Speaker 3 (01:05:49):
Yes, I'm telling you it was so banana the music
he played. I left, like you know, you know when
you experienced something when it's so beautiful that you know
you're partly inspired, and then you're also just like what
am I? What am I doing? Wow? What am I doing?
I should? I need to just go back yourself the

(01:06:13):
rock where I where I you came from? And the
fuck up?

Speaker 6 (01:06:18):
Yeah, make sure to raise your game is what it
does when you hear music.

Speaker 3 (01:06:22):
Because it's like you sort of see possibilities. It was, Yeah,
that was I absolutely remember. It was so exciting.

Speaker 7 (01:06:28):
The root. Yeah, I think it was the.

Speaker 2 (01:06:30):
Song of the route.

Speaker 5 (01:06:31):
That's a good one.

Speaker 6 (01:06:32):
The reason weren't you weren't there? This was like after
this was like vocals, vocal sessions that just went on
for a year.

Speaker 4 (01:06:38):
So you want to know that, But tell me, how
does Dave Matthews wind up at electric shows up?

Speaker 6 (01:06:44):
Well, that's that's my no, that's my actual question is
what album were you working on?

Speaker 7 (01:06:48):
Because you were there for a session.

Speaker 3 (01:06:50):
Well, I leave, I wonder because I've done a few
different things.

Speaker 7 (01:06:55):
I think you were in your own I think you
were down in the b room.

Speaker 3 (01:06:58):
Could we have been doing the sad Tana Uh oh yeah,
yeah he might, which I've which I I have to
tell you we planned that for a long time. I
have to say. My son, uh put on the song
that I sang on that Santana record, and then I
hadn't heard it a long time, and I have to say,

(01:07:19):
I'm not sure what was wrong with me. I was,
I was a little soft on that song. Kind of
irritates me when I hear it. I'm a little soft,
I'm a little like, I don't know, I'm a little
airy a little bit. I mean, it's even it's like
Kermit the Frog, like we really tired.

Speaker 2 (01:07:39):
None of us' is like, oh we do ten years
twenty years ago.

Speaker 3 (01:07:42):
Ever on Santana Robbers, my son and I was, he's
been getting into some Santana and he listened to that
and he goes, he goes, it's it's I said, oh,
I sound terrible, and he goes and my son have
affirm he confronted by going, it's not your best, dad, He's.

Speaker 5 (01:07:59):
The best, He's the best.

Speaker 8 (01:08:02):
August August is like takes you right to the right,
right to your heart.

Speaker 3 (01:08:05):
Huh yeah, he said, it's not your best.

Speaker 4 (01:08:12):
Speaking of Santana. Okay, so where did you get the idea?
So the thing is is that we're doing our first
stadium show, and you know, the stadium holds like seventy
thousand people, but I think an accumulation of it because
we're the opening act. It's the Roots Santana and then
Dave Matthew's band, and you know there there might be

(01:08:35):
there might be five thousand people. Now, I just came
from an arena show last week. I went, I went
to Witness or what I call Swiftville or and no, no, no,
it was something to behold, especially as an outsider.

Speaker 3 (01:08:52):
Yeah it was.

Speaker 2 (01:08:53):
It was something to be whole. But the thing is
is that.

Speaker 3 (01:08:56):
A lot of people who I know, a lot of
kids who went down to that you know, yeah, just
friends of friends and said we're going to Pittsburgh.

Speaker 4 (01:09:04):
So the town was so packed. I had to get
a hotel in Cleveland, Ohio. Like any anywhere she goes,
she's going to bring at least at least two billion.

Speaker 2 (01:09:17):
Dollars worth of business.

Speaker 4 (01:09:18):
So I want to science study just on that alone.

Speaker 2 (01:09:22):
But my whole point was that. So, you know, we're about.

Speaker 4 (01:09:26):
To go out on stage and then you come and
you're like, I'm going to introduce you guys, and I'm like,
wait a minute, this doesn't happen. The opening the headliner
of the place isn't supposed to come out, you know,
the bride's not supposed to see the groom on the
wedding day. And you came out and it was as

(01:09:46):
if the audience knows that you do that, because instantly,
like within ten seconds, that shit went to like fourteen
thousand people.

Speaker 2 (01:09:57):
Sure, and you not.

Speaker 4 (01:10:01):
Only introduced us, but then you stood on stage and
watched us because you knew that your fan base would
come from their tailgate parties outside to watch you watch us.
So where where did you get that idea from? Because
that's that's you didn't have to do that. But where

(01:10:22):
did you get that idea from?

Speaker 3 (01:10:23):
Well, you know, it's probably pretty simple. So I I
had a few, you know, experiences when we were coming up.
You know, we had a few experiences where where you know,
the where the audience was coming for the main right
and and and so, and that was always it was.
It was quite often it was humbling and sometimes it

(01:10:43):
was Sometimes things turned out well. I mean, we had
a great time. We opened up for the Dead one
time in Vegas, and and and everyone had warned us
that the Dead audience is not into the opening act. Yeah. Man.
And then the funniest thing is they loved us, which
maybe says something about us. They were all they were

(01:11:03):
all dancing and spinning around the having a blast. But
but it wasn't always like that. And I but I
remember one specific time it was I think Carter and
I went to I think we were actually playing between
this uh Blues Traveler had two sets. They were playing

(01:11:24):
two sets, and we were playing between them. Oh wow,
and there's these two dudes right in front of me
in the audience, and so my monitors there, and then
there's these two dudes and they were just at the
top of their lungs. They were screaming like essentially.

Speaker 4 (01:11:45):
Like fuck you, you fucking suckuck.

Speaker 3 (01:11:53):
And it was like they would have taken a break anyway,
they were so furious, and they didn't start. They were realless.
And then I kept like it's I could I could barely,
I mean, that's all I can hear. And then I
kept turning around to Carter because he's, you know, he's
a he's a great drummer, but he's also quite often
my therapist. And I'm like, these dudes are these guys

(01:12:13):
are really fucking wearing me out? And Carter's like, just
play the fucking song because they were wearing it d
We had a few, but I always remember that, and
I always remembered like, like I wanted to say, they
invited us to come and play in between their fucking set,
right and right right, So I guess that that was
the The motivation was just that, like I was really

(01:12:38):
excited that you guys were opening the start of the show, like,
so I was, I want to make sure that the
that they'll you know, like it's the whole show, right,
So that's how I felt about it. It was the same.
It was selfish, all.

Speaker 2 (01:12:53):
Right, So second second check it.

Speaker 4 (01:12:55):
You just reminded me one of the most hilarious moments
open for you. Okay, So we did Philadelphia with you first,
Then we did aforementioned giant in New York where you
know I had to fire oh yeah, and then and
then okay, so we get to Boston, right, and now

(01:13:19):
we're kind of feeling ourselves like, Okay, this is not intimidating.
We got this, you know, because even we were you know,
we just started going to the next level.

Speaker 2 (01:13:31):
So this is all very new to us.

Speaker 4 (01:13:32):
So this is this is some Daddy Warbucks meets Annie
sort of like experience for us.

Speaker 2 (01:13:37):
Where it's like, all right.

Speaker 4 (01:13:40):
So then we get to the first song, right, we
get to the first song and already this is the
first day. This is the first day that we have
the new implemented communication mics that we saw. You guys
have him right, So I'm realizing that we can play
do background vocals and crack jokes and.

Speaker 2 (01:14:02):
You know, so we're in our zone. And then the
whole audience was like saying like.

Speaker 4 (01:14:13):
And you know, by the time we got the song three,
I was like, Yo, we are killing ship.

Speaker 2 (01:14:19):
Yo.

Speaker 4 (01:14:21):
I was like, Yo, dude, fucking Dave Matthews Mike kick
us off the tour for kicking his ass so much.
We we are fucking killing in the right I said, Yo,
we're fucking killing shit, y'all. Let's keep it up. And
the monitor guy was like, actually, guys, they're saying Yankee suck,

(01:14:45):
Yankee suck.

Speaker 2 (01:14:49):
And I was like, wait, what what what are you
talking about.

Speaker 4 (01:14:53):
He's like, uh, he has a Yankees cap on and we.

Speaker 7 (01:15:05):
From Philly anyway.

Speaker 4 (01:15:09):
But that's the thing too, Trek is not he's not
a sports guy. He was just matching his outfit and no,
and like but.

Speaker 2 (01:15:19):
This was also in two thousand and four, where.

Speaker 7 (01:15:22):
Oh yeah, two thousand and four, We're.

Speaker 2 (01:15:25):
Boston asked, right, so, oh my god.

Speaker 3 (01:15:30):
We thought that's a pretty good that's a pretty good
story that.

Speaker 2 (01:15:34):
We thought he was killing it.

Speaker 4 (01:15:35):
And then and then and then suddenly the audience was like, yes.

Speaker 5 (01:15:42):
Now throw it, now throw it.

Speaker 4 (01:15:44):
No he did then literally, and then Trek was like, Yo,
I'm sorry, y'all. I was just color coordinating my outfit,
like I didn't mean any fence, and he threw.

Speaker 3 (01:15:53):
It and they just yo.

Speaker 9 (01:15:56):
Quick music questions as we on this, because Amir always
talks about Dave Atthew's band and the Dead and BC
Boys kind of being his blueprint as far as the
structure of what they did and shows and stuff. Dave,
when you were creating your band, was there other bands
that you looked at in that way, like from a
business structure or from just touring anything new You were like,

(01:16:17):
this is what we're aiming tours.

Speaker 3 (01:16:19):
I was I have to say that I was going
pretty blindly and it was really you know, I was
really excited about playing in a band, you know, and
I was really excited about Leroy and Carter and Stefan.
I was just just like A there was there was

(01:16:39):
something that was happening that was was was exciting, you know,
like playing this one gig where it was like I
think it was Earth Day and it was one of
our earliest gigs, and we were supposed to go on
like second or first, and then the band that was
supposed to go on after a said hey could you go?

(01:17:01):
We got another gig and so could you go uh later,
and we'll We're like okay, And that happened over and
over again until we were I think we were the
last band to go on. And it was an evening
show and it was on a mall, and and I
remember when we got up to play, nobody knew who
we were. We didn't even know who we were. And

(01:17:23):
then you know, there's probably of the maybe there was
a thousand people there at one point, but when we
went up there there was one hundred people or something.
And but boy went Carter when we started, they all
got up and they all started dancing, and so it
was like this funny moment of like we're just something,
we got something going on, and that sort of round Shawsville.

(01:17:47):
And then you know, we started, you know, got a
couple of odd gigs here and there, and they didn't
always work out, but there was something that pulled us.
And I think, you know, it was meeting the right
people who had had ideas about how we could get
up in front of more people, and you know, starting
to play in universities and and the words started started
going around. I think the fact that we didn't have

(01:18:08):
a lot of music and we improvised and and we
had to make shuit up and and so the shows
were varied and different. Like I think that I remember
there was a lot of colleges when we played that
where people do you know, any replacements, And we'd be like, no, no,

(01:18:29):
you guys suck. You know, so you're.

Speaker 4 (01:18:34):
Telling me that your your college presence was based on
filling in for other acts, because that's how we came up.

Speaker 3 (01:18:45):
It wasn't it was eventually it wasn't that. I mean,
it was like but I mean we went from like
sometimes being accepted because somebody in a college liked us
to like sort of like colleges were we'd go to
places we'd never played before and everyone to be singing
our and we didn't have any music out and everyone
to be singing along. It got really it. We got

(01:19:07):
this little cult thing in the in the in the
universities that was kind of crazy, you know. I remember,
uh we went up to we we had this nightmare
where we drove over these snowy mountains. We were supposed
to go around the mountains because it was the middle
of winter in Maine and it, but we didn't. Nobody
they sent us the wrong instructions and we went over
the top and it was a nightmare. We we would

(01:19:27):
slid down a mountain in a van with a trailer.
And we got there. We were pretty we were pretty
hot and were and we were two hours late. They
were like you're late, and you know, we're like, fuck you.
But then when we got on stage and we started playing,
the crowd was really excited and they were a priority,
you know, wasted it. But they all started singing all

(01:19:50):
the music so loud, all the songs to us, and
so it was kind of like, just what the hell's happening.
We haven't even been here. We never know this mountain.

Speaker 2 (01:19:58):
What year was the sea change for you?

Speaker 3 (01:20:00):
Like?

Speaker 2 (01:20:00):
What year was the year in which? And how a'timidating?
Was it to? Like wait a minute, what do you
mean we could play stadiums now like I.

Speaker 3 (01:20:07):
Mean, I remember getting to the one of the guys
who worked with us, one of our A and R guys,
when we played before we had put out an album
or anything, but we were going to put out an
album and we were playing like Irving Plaza, I think,
and it was packed, and the head of our record
company said, how much money did we have to pay
to get all these people here? And you know, so much.

(01:20:31):
It was so disconnected sort of the record industry where
we were was just that they had nothing. He couldn't
even need it, even like he had barely heard of us,
and so you know, it was it was a funny.
We were almost like chasing in a funny way. We
were working hard, but we were like chasing our chasing

(01:20:51):
the audience in a funny way. We weren't right, but
they were chasing us. I don't know what the right
analogy would be.

Speaker 9 (01:20:57):
Yeah, it seems like it's a small amount of groups
in this world that have existed that have a following
in common like you, Like I was just talking to
I have a high school girlfriend. As long as y'all
have been out, her and another girlfriend have been following
you guys, and they've done like up the coast. They
started at the top and they've gone down. These are
black girls, which is also kind of really dope too
because they say they see each other at Dave Matthew show.

(01:21:19):
This's like, that's a whole nother contingency of like black
people who were like.

Speaker 5 (01:21:23):
Really literally physically follow you. Yeah, it's really really Four.

Speaker 2 (01:21:27):
Of my staff members are true Dave heads and.

Speaker 5 (01:21:30):
Shouts the kandas Bobo and sing of parents.

Speaker 9 (01:21:32):
They wanted me to say their names in this episode.

Speaker 8 (01:21:35):
I question, in the thirty years of touring and whatever,
what's the best thing you've seen from the stage that
you say on the microphone back to Carter, the best
laugh from the band? What's the best thing?

Speaker 3 (01:21:49):
All I can think about is uh is is Teddies?
I knew it was nasty, you know, and it was
you know. There's definitely definitely jazz Fest seems like jazz Fest.
There's yes, you think I will say something that's funny

(01:22:13):
that if you just if you just look a little further,
like because usually it's on someone's shoulders. Yes, so I
think it's funny when the person that's carrying the person
that has the titties doesn't know.

Speaker 2 (01:22:31):
That that are out.

Speaker 3 (01:22:34):
And may not know, but when they sometimes when they
find out, there's a sort of like suddenly there's people
and then everyone's excited that. But so that there's there's
a there's a different there's different nuanced there's it's an
it's it can be a nuanced situation where there's different
emotional there's different input, there's different excitement and different perspectives.

Speaker 5 (01:22:56):
Not just based on alcohol content too anything.

Speaker 3 (01:23:01):
Not even any boobs nowadays, as you know, they're act
different boobs.

Speaker 6 (01:23:08):
I have a non titty question, if that's all right.
So with regards to what we're discussing with touring, and
you mentioned The Grateful Dead, and you mentioned you played
you opened up for them once, so at the time,
and I'm not sure if we're around the same age

(01:23:29):
or whatever, but I was in ninety three. Let's say
you mentioned I was twenty three, and we had in college,
we had seen a lot of Grateful Dead shows prior
to Jerry passing away, and either they were either winding
down or he had already passed and you were on

(01:23:49):
an upward trajectory or just come out in a way.
And at least in my little group, it was like,
well what now, And then it was kind of like, well,
Dave Matthews band, now you were there, you were going
to be the next saying well, not necessarily, but like
the next the next band that people could uh literally

(01:24:09):
follow around physically and travel around and tour with them
and tailgate and have that whole kind of Deadhead type
of situation.

Speaker 3 (01:24:19):
So did you.

Speaker 6 (01:24:21):
Sense any of that or was that just between me
and my friends where we heard felt that you were
the next coming of let's say that type of touring.

Speaker 3 (01:24:29):
Yeah, I think we definitely felt like some I definitely
remember feeling like some some of that was happening. But
then you know that was also think about like Fish
were you know, Peers and and and and they definitely
held that place. And then when I think about the
bands we kind of came up in this in that time,

(01:24:51):
I suppose somewhat a culture of seventies rock and a
lot of that being the Dead was like if you
think of there was like Colonel Bruce, and there were
all these sort of interesting bands that were also sort
of a crossover with jazz and stuff. So there was
there seemed like there was a sort of a a
groundswell of bands that were kind of doing that, and

(01:25:14):
and we were super lucky, obviously, and so I felt that.
I remember we were in We're in like within a
couple of days of Jerry dying, we were in San Francisco,
and I remember walking around you know, uh, and and
people were like literally in the people walking around the streets,

(01:25:37):
literally saying what do we do?

Speaker 4 (01:25:39):
Right?

Speaker 3 (01:25:40):
No, it was it was it was kind of amazing
to see these people who who's who had like there
there whatever how wherever they were in their adult lives
had really been wrapped around around that culture. And I
don't think anyone will ever replace that or take over.
But and we may certainly gotten some of that or been,

(01:26:03):
you know, in some ways similar to what they represent
and at times maybe more effective in in our spontaneity
than others. But I don't think I don't think that ever.
You know, they were so unique that I I kind
of felt even though it wasn't part of as big
a part of my my musical upbringing. When I was

(01:26:25):
in San Francisco's walking around and people were going like,
what are we gonna do? Like, I was like, Wow,
this is this is like a this is like a
different world of musical cult, musical devotion that I've never
you know that. I mean, the Beatles had Theirs, but
they never had anything like that. They never had like
people going what am I gonna do? I remember being

(01:26:45):
heartbroken when John Lennon died, but it wasn't going to
change my bus schedule.

Speaker 2 (01:26:50):
You right way?

Speaker 6 (01:26:50):
When the but when the Beatles broke up, there were
people running around saying what are we going to do?

Speaker 4 (01:26:55):
Oh wait, let me let me ask. Like for you, though,
is jam bann a four letter word to you?

Speaker 2 (01:27:00):
Because I don't.

Speaker 3 (01:27:01):
I don't you.

Speaker 4 (01:27:02):
You guys are way more advanced than I'll say, at
least eighty percent of that circuit.

Speaker 2 (01:27:07):
I mean, there's some cats now, like Snorky Puppy that's kicking.

Speaker 3 (01:27:10):
Ass, but they're kicking ass and then you.

Speaker 2 (01:27:12):
Know they're not but they're not right, they're not.

Speaker 3 (01:27:16):
But it's interesting though, because that's that's scripted. I think
it's where we didn't decide. You don't decide where you
go where you get put, you know, in some ways.
And so I don't feel like that. I never uh,
I felt like we belonged to that. I always thought
that was a somewhat it was just a term convenient,

(01:27:36):
you know, sort of odd, uh, you know, and that
we got an audience and and we get to play
for them, and it and I, you know, in a
weird way, jam band. I don't know who came up
with it, but it's you know, obviously jamming, as people
do that. But but it seemed to be somewhat dismissive,
you know.

Speaker 4 (01:27:54):
You know, it's like, yeah, if someone's in jam band,
it's usually in a disparaging way, like a critic. Well,
the thing was, we try to avoid it because I
saw some of the bands catching flack for it. But
then you know, for us, I feel like, especially in
the state of black music, the band is dying, the

(01:28:17):
group is dying, the level of musicianship is dying. So
we're now we have this like vigorous, like purpose to
literally carry the history of like one hundred years of
black music on.

Speaker 2 (01:28:32):
Our backs in our show.

Speaker 4 (01:28:33):
So we gotta do break beats, and we got to
do hip hop and we gotta do jazz and we got.

Speaker 2 (01:28:37):
Like so I think our thing is a little different.

Speaker 4 (01:28:40):
And also in this place where I just I've learned
not to manage people's expectations anymore. So you know, if
you notice, like I, well, I don't know if you know,
it's not being at route shows.

Speaker 2 (01:28:51):
But I purposely stopped doing drum solos like.

Speaker 4 (01:28:56):
Maybe in two thousand and seven because I didn't want
to get pegged as a jam band. So it's like, oh,
I'll stop doing drum solos, but I mean now I
don't care. But it's just like I think, you know, well,
his jam band might be my Neil Soul, Like I remember, like,
I'm not Neil Soul.

Speaker 2 (01:29:16):
That's something that a carporate board made up.

Speaker 4 (01:29:19):
So that's why I wanted to know if jam band
was a four letter word.

Speaker 3 (01:29:22):
So I get where where you're coming from with that too,
because but mainly as as a dismissive thing. Because the
funny part is that, you know, when I first heard Carter,
he was playing in a band called Secrets, and it
is like this most insane fusion band and a bunch
of different you know, Tim had played with them, and
I think Roy may have sat in with them a

(01:29:44):
few times. There's I mean, they were crazy, an insane band.
Everybody was better than the other guy, you know. And
I used to watch them and then Roy, I mean
he played anything, but I'd see him. He'd be playing
jazz and and and beautiful. Just you know, the first
one of the first times I ever saw Roy, I
just could I couldn't even believe that that this this

(01:30:08):
gem lived in this town I'd moved to to be
closer to my mom, you know. I was like, oh
my god, this guy's insane, and and and and and
Stefan was like this he came suggested to us. So
the backgrounds of where everyone came from was not from
like it wasn't because everyone was listening to the Dead,

(01:30:29):
so we didn't have that connection to that that idea, right,
And I had one I had one Dead album. It
was acoustic record. And every time I start describing it
Dead fans go, oh, you had that record, so but
uh and I loved it, but I you know, but uh,
it was it was a lot. Yeah, probably it was. No,

(01:30:50):
it was a live record, it was studio.

Speaker 7 (01:30:52):
It was the acoustic and it was front a radio
City music hall.

Speaker 2 (01:30:58):
Steve, you're a deadhead.

Speaker 7 (01:30:59):
I'm dead head adjacent.

Speaker 6 (01:31:01):
All my friends, my friends in in college were deadheads,
so they dragged me to a bunch of shows.

Speaker 7 (01:31:06):
And you know, but.

Speaker 6 (01:31:07):
As you guys are talking, I mean, there's there's there's
obviously crossover between a band like The Grateful Dead and
Dave Matthews Band, even though there's no direct influences necessarily,
And then there's there's crossover in the audience between the
Roots and the Dave Matthews band. I've been at at festivals.
Absolutely the Roots fit in great with quote unquote jam bands,

(01:31:27):
the same same set.

Speaker 3 (01:31:29):
You know.

Speaker 4 (01:31:29):
Well, I think if anything, we've learned as safe zif
so you know, we we've safe shifted to any band
that we open for.

Speaker 3 (01:31:36):
So it's just like live I love it.

Speaker 7 (01:31:39):
Thank Did you ever meet Jerry that one time you
opened up for him? Did you meet him?

Speaker 3 (01:31:43):
I did not, And we had this we have this
habit and we did it with a lot of the
bands that we opened up for. Is we would just
stay out of the way. And I don't know what
it is, just like we're going to open up, like
if we're going to open up for the Stones. Just
go to your dressing room. We show the fuck and
and then and then the weird thing is that a

(01:32:04):
lot of the time then you do meet them, so
you know, you get to meet Bob or you get
to but I didn't meet Jerry that time. You know.

Speaker 4 (01:32:11):
See, you've never done a Dead End Company or Phil
Lesson Friends or none of that.

Speaker 3 (01:32:16):
I haven't, you know, maybe I have not.

Speaker 8 (01:32:20):
That's one final question. Yes, Dave, your your band has
covered a lot of tunes. Peter gabriel A, Bob Dylan.
What's the song you.

Speaker 2 (01:32:29):
Yeah, that's sledgehammer, God damn sledgehammer slamming.

Speaker 8 (01:32:32):
It always has been whatever Jesus Christ, Dave, like, what's
what's what? What's the song you wish you wrote? What's
the one song you wish that you sledgehammer? But but
it's so outside.

Speaker 3 (01:32:43):
You know, I mean, that's a that's a that's a
that's an insane that's a perfect song. You know, it's
like the whole I don't know, it's it's perfect, it's
it's impossible. There's a lot of songs I wish I wrote,
and and but I you.

Speaker 7 (01:32:58):
Know, what's your favorite Beatles song?

Speaker 3 (01:33:02):
That's that's an impossible thing to say.

Speaker 6 (01:33:04):
But uh, well, you answer the Starbucks question. You know,
Whi's your favorite drink? You can answer this.

Speaker 3 (01:33:11):
But like so quickly too, he do, like, well, I
know that if I pull over in Starbucks exactly what
I can have. It's gonna right, I know what it's
you know, But I mean my mood will change. Hay,
bull dog is pretty that's some o. There you go, man,
that's start at work.

Speaker 2 (01:33:27):
There you go.

Speaker 3 (01:33:27):
Nice.

Speaker 2 (01:33:33):
Before I close, I want to test out my rapid
fire random ten, which I think I'm gonna lean more
into that for future episodes.

Speaker 3 (01:33:42):
All right, Dave, I'm really slow at this.

Speaker 2 (01:33:46):
No, no, no, no, just rapid fire save what's on
your mind?

Speaker 3 (01:33:48):
All right?

Speaker 2 (01:33:49):
What what is your secret talent that we don't know?

Speaker 3 (01:33:52):
I think I'm a pretty good I Maybe maybe I
could have been an artist in a different life. Yeah, yeah,
it might have been a painter. Maybe if I.

Speaker 2 (01:34:02):
Wait, do you do paint in your spare time?

Speaker 3 (01:34:05):
Yeah? I'm all right.

Speaker 2 (01:34:07):
I'm a collector of artwork, so I'll be coming for you.

Speaker 3 (01:34:09):
Okay.

Speaker 2 (01:34:10):
Anyway, text call or facetiming text.

Speaker 3 (01:34:14):
And face times.

Speaker 8 (01:34:17):
No one calls anyone. That's a shitty question. No one
calls anyone who calls people over forty call.

Speaker 2 (01:34:23):
Trust.

Speaker 3 (01:34:24):
Yeah, my wife calls me and I always look at
it expecting her face turn up. But then I always
FaceTime her and then she has me in the cup
holder or wherever.

Speaker 9 (01:34:38):
Because some people think it's rude to FaceTime cold. You supposed
to text or something first?

Speaker 2 (01:34:41):
Oh yeah, I hate that.

Speaker 3 (01:34:44):
I hate Yeah, I text. I generally text.

Speaker 2 (01:34:48):
It's pizza knight, you're ordering.

Speaker 3 (01:34:51):
What do you order? Oh? This is pressure fresh veg
or a lot of meat.

Speaker 2 (01:34:58):
Wow?

Speaker 3 (01:34:59):
So wait, yeah, that's it Jake fresh beds or lots
of bead. Either way. I mean, you.

Speaker 5 (01:35:13):
Got to ask them.

Speaker 9 (01:35:13):
If you're in Philadelphia, is it a cheese steak or
is it a chicken cheese steak?

Speaker 3 (01:35:21):
I don't want to. I gotta tell you. I don't
want to cross. I always want you have to tell
me where do this is? How I answered that question.
Where should I get? Oh no, no, no.

Speaker 4 (01:35:34):
From now on, I'm sending every comrade of mine j
l just shut up like j jupiters. Yes, I don't
give them jail Jupiter's YouTube page and he will lead
them to the best.

Speaker 2 (01:35:48):
Steaks, all right? How many. How many?

Speaker 4 (01:35:51):
I got five more left and then I'll let you go. Dave,
how many unread texts are in your.

Speaker 3 (01:35:56):
Phone that that I have not read someone else has
sent me? I? Well, I suppose that's the only ones
there be right right now.

Speaker 2 (01:36:05):
There are three hundred and thirty five in my phone.

Speaker 3 (01:36:08):
None.

Speaker 2 (01:36:13):
I'm gonna text Dave Matthews and blow this.

Speaker 3 (01:36:15):
Sh it up. I don't always respond, but I always check.

Speaker 2 (01:36:25):
All right, so you least check, but you don't respond.

Speaker 5 (01:36:28):
But you're not an email person.

Speaker 3 (01:36:32):
Like a million a million about you know.

Speaker 9 (01:36:36):
Under it, Dave, you be careful of the read receipts,
the red receipts. Okay, be careful of that since you're
not answering them. You know, people can see when you're
looking at the text message.

Speaker 2 (01:36:47):
You can hide it. You can hide it now, I
don't care.

Speaker 3 (01:36:50):
Oh that does this?

Speaker 2 (01:36:53):
No?

Speaker 5 (01:36:54):
It literally said, we get a message and says he
read it.

Speaker 2 (01:36:56):
He just right, exactly know.

Speaker 4 (01:37:00):
But there's a there's a there's a switch button on
your iPhone that can take that off. I immediately did
that because everyone's like, I know you read it, because
this as you read it, and so I was like, nope,
I'm not.

Speaker 3 (01:37:11):
I don't trust that ship. Sometimes sometimes I h if
it's like a holiday or it's my birthday, I'll just
paste like thanks love you and yeah, oh god, yes,
I like thanks love you, Thanks love you. Thanks. I mean,
but it's like that. Sometimes you just have to take it.

Speaker 9 (01:37:35):
You have like happy Father's Day, Thanks love you, Thanks.

Speaker 3 (01:37:38):
At quality one back at you?

Speaker 2 (01:37:42):
All right? Four more? What's your ice cream flavor?

Speaker 3 (01:37:45):
I love ice cream. There's a great place Molly Moon's
here in Seattle that I love. But there's I love all.
I love ice cream. But I got to tell you
there was this my most emotional response. There's uh, and
it's you know, I wish it was organic, but it's
I it's ice cream. I wish it was healthy. It's
ice cream. Is uh black raspberry chocolate ice cream from

(01:38:08):
it's a it's a specific grocery.

Speaker 5 (01:38:10):
Raspberry with chocolate.

Speaker 3 (01:38:11):
Sip sounds like.

Speaker 5 (01:38:14):
No, no, no, no, that's cherry not but.

Speaker 3 (01:38:16):
It's it's black. I think it's black chocolate. It's just
it's not there's no lumps or chunks. Oh, it's a.

Speaker 9 (01:38:26):
Great connoisseur of the ice cream. So that's that's that's different.

Speaker 3 (01:38:33):
It's from a grow. It's it's like it's made by
but I can't remember the chain. But I was really
into it, and then I was like, I can't just
that's the only time I've had.

Speaker 5 (01:38:42):
A really didn't you have your own flavor? No of
the ben and Jerry's.

Speaker 3 (01:38:45):
Never naked like fish. It didn't make ry. I think
we had cherry garcia. Jerry that cherry Garcia is good.
I did the fish food is good to fish food
is a game change.

Speaker 5 (01:39:00):
I gotta try it.

Speaker 3 (01:39:01):
I don't know what's next.

Speaker 5 (01:39:02):
Yeah, I'm sorry, we're making your questions long.

Speaker 2 (01:39:05):
Okay, Uh, what time do you wake up? And what
are the first three things you do when you wake up?
That's habitual every day?

Speaker 3 (01:39:14):
You are very good at this. Okay. So when I'm
at home, I like to wake up early and take
my boy to school, although that's going to end soon
because he's still there. But I like the process of
getting up with him. But when I'm on the road,
I don't have to do that. So and then I like,

(01:39:37):
if I get up before my wife, then I don't
do this. But if I do get up after her,
I like to make the bed and always the first
thing I do is uh, is is make myself coffee.
I like to make my wife coffee, but I don't
always know how she likes it because we're always changing.

(01:39:58):
But I like, I just like that's the first thing
I don't want to I don't want to do anything else.
That's what I want to do. That's what I do.
First on the road, I I, uh, coffee and then exercise.
But at home, coffee and then think, wish I should

(01:40:19):
be going to exercise. That's what I think. Like I've
been busy, but but it's been three If I've been
home for a few days, and every day I say
tomorrow I'm going to exercise, and then I don't.

Speaker 5 (01:40:32):
Yeah, I got a trick for that.

Speaker 9 (01:40:33):
All you got to do is put your workout clothes
on in the beginning of the day when you wake up,
and it'll be.

Speaker 3 (01:40:37):
Almost do I look. I look at I look at them,
and then I go, yeah, but I'm going to put
those other ones on and I'll put the work on later.
I don't know that I put on my and my
work got clothes involved, just so you know, also involved
like the compression knee things, which is good, and so

(01:40:59):
I put the compression knee things on sometimes I'll put
the compression knee things on and my whole workout outfit,
which is pretty amazing. And then I don't work out
sometimes because.

Speaker 9 (01:41:10):
You're tired from putting on all that compression ship.

Speaker 5 (01:41:13):
That's it will tire you out.

Speaker 2 (01:41:16):
Yeah yeah, okay. If the universe grants you a five
year extension to prolong your favorite age, this shit like,
what is happening?

Speaker 4 (01:41:33):
No, No, I'm just I threw the script away and
I'm just having the common my friend, the universe allows
you to live five years age in your favorite age?

Speaker 2 (01:41:44):
What age would it be?

Speaker 3 (01:41:46):
And why? This is what's coming to my mind, and
so I have to say it, but I would I
was going to say fifty six, which is what I am.
But i'm because I'm feeling pretty good. But though an
age that struck me was fifty, I didn't think when
I turned fifty that i'd be that I would notice something.

(01:42:08):
But I noticed something that I wish I noticed when
I was thirty, which is I didn't stop giving a fuck,
but I stopped giving a fuck about shit that I
shouldn't give too much of a fuck about.

Speaker 5 (01:42:27):
Oh teach me, great one.

Speaker 2 (01:42:31):
Because I'm managing people's expectations.

Speaker 1 (01:42:33):
Yeah, I stopped.

Speaker 3 (01:42:34):
I was like, if you know, did I do something wrong?

Speaker 2 (01:42:37):
I didn't wrong.

Speaker 3 (01:42:39):
I'm trying. I want to be I want to be present,
I want to be helpful, I want to be that.
But but I but you know, I I stopped caring.
Playing music start to be easier because I was. I
felt like people would rather see me stick my tongue
out and have a good time, then when I'm playing

(01:43:02):
on stage, then they would want to see me wondering
whether I am doing my job.

Speaker 4 (01:43:08):
Well, okay, all right. Second to last, is it existential?
Is the grass greener on the other side?

Speaker 3 (01:43:20):
I like that. Wasn't there a book in the seventies
that was that was called The Grass is Always Greener
Over the Septic Tank? Yes, Timothy Leary, Oh, Timothy Leary,
really no, really, I mean I made that up. I
made it up. I totally about it.

Speaker 8 (01:43:38):
Sound right, not at all, not at all, Like there's
a rat at dinner.

Speaker 3 (01:43:42):
I don't know what's happening. But we did actually have
a septic problem when I was a kid in New
York and uh out on the front lawn. We didn't realize,
but then the septic tank, but we had to have it,
you know, drink whatever you do. You had that won't
put in or they had to have a drain. I
don't know what happened anyway. Anyway, then tomatoes started growing

(01:44:06):
on the lawn and so my mom was like, free tomatoes.
And my brother's like, I'm not eating the tomatoes. They're
poop tomatoes. They're poop tomatoes. Yeah, they were. They went
through us and then they when they grew in the yard.

Speaker 2 (01:44:21):
Wait, that's such a thing.

Speaker 3 (01:44:22):
Yeah. I think if you poop tomatoes seeds and you know,
you turn the soil no, and then you turn the
soil no. Day with us, there's a here. My brother said,
I'm not eating those tomatoes because I don't. I don't
not eating those poop tomatoes. That's disgusting. Did he seematos

(01:44:47):
is gone?

Speaker 2 (01:44:47):
This might be my favorite interview.

Speaker 3 (01:44:52):
Like there's weird things that happened, like FI like is
it a fig? The fig is the fig that in
order for a fig to be no in order no
big to be to turn into a fruit to be furl,
it has a wasp has to have maybe have been
to another the opposite sex and then get stuck in

(01:45:14):
the flour and then the wasp gets absorbed into the fig.
So when you eat, there's been a wasp that was absorbed,
it's no longer there. There's not like a wing in there.
But I'm just there's gross things out there.

Speaker 5 (01:45:29):
It is and badly they use coffee made.

Speaker 8 (01:45:31):
From ship right, so National Graphic. Dave matt All right,
what's your last one here?

Speaker 3 (01:45:36):
Go ahead, Dave Matthews.

Speaker 2 (01:45:39):
How many push ups can you do?

Speaker 3 (01:45:42):
Go? I think I could do thirty?

Speaker 2 (01:45:47):
No? Really, yeah, that's that's impressive.

Speaker 5 (01:45:51):
Impressive, that's impressive.

Speaker 3 (01:45:53):
Really, go ahead. I'm not going to do it right now.

Speaker 2 (01:45:57):
No, no, no, no.

Speaker 9 (01:45:58):
I mean I thought she was going to the other question.
Dave yay or nay micro dos.

Speaker 3 (01:46:05):
Yes, Dave the A I knew he was with us
of course and sometimes.

Speaker 2 (01:46:13):
Macroados macroadis.

Speaker 8 (01:46:16):
Dave, did you just not do a great interview on
Howard Stern where you talked about how you wrote, uh,
the title track to your last album on mushrooms.

Speaker 3 (01:46:25):
Oh, certainly was fantastic, certainly some of it because it
was it was I mean that was I mean, it
was for my good fortune. There there there are there
are around sometimes and mushrooms and uh, and that pandemic.
Mm hmmm, elicits the mushroom seem like a good time.

(01:46:46):
I mean, why not? What the fuck?

Speaker 4 (01:46:49):
Oh my god, Dave dog Uh, this is definitely like
doing the show with with with an old friend because
I hardly asked out of your publicists and your label
ain't mad that we didn't talk more about song structure.

Speaker 3 (01:47:03):
And sorry, the record's great. Yes, sorry, we don't need
you know.

Speaker 2 (01:47:10):
Thank you, man, I appreciate it.

Speaker 3 (01:47:11):
I really enjoyed talking and this is what I want
to talk about. What we talked about exactly.

Speaker 2 (01:47:16):
Well, that was beautiful. Hopefully we'll have you back on
some more.

Speaker 3 (01:47:20):
And I'm as nice as to hang out with you all.
And I'll tell you I mean your question. It's I'm
always happy to see you.

Speaker 2 (01:47:27):
Thank you, sir.

Speaker 3 (01:47:28):
And I love you your music, and I think you're
unbelievable and I and I love the work you're doing.
And I you know that I love Mutica how much
that film meant to me, and you know, or that series.
It's just like I can't tell you, squeeze, but I

(01:47:49):
just made me so happy. Like it's like, uh, I
love looking for the truth that's in our history and
and and I just and and you did it so
eloquently and uh shared with everyone. I think is just magic.
And so thanks for having me stop.

Speaker 4 (01:48:05):
Smiling like you because she she's smiling because she knows
that you're doing good.

Speaker 2 (01:48:10):
No, I love, I love the compliment.

Speaker 9 (01:48:13):
Our He wasn't all you know, he wasn't always able
to take the flowers.

Speaker 5 (01:48:16):
So he's doing real good. He's still cutting you off slightly,
but he's this is really good. This is progress.

Speaker 2 (01:48:21):
I gotta go because I have another interview to do.
Ladies and gentlemen really awesome.

Speaker 4 (01:48:28):
They can be half on, behalf of Unpaid Bill and
Sugar Steve and like the great Dave Matthews, we will
see you next time on Quest Love Supreme.

Speaker 2 (01:48:37):
Y'all, thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:48:47):
Quest Love Supreme is a production of my Heart Radio.

Speaker 4 (01:48:54):
For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app,
Apple Podcasts

Speaker 2 (01:48:59):
Or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.