History

1991-1993

The first in-studio Demo done by Dave Matthews Band consisted of "The Song That Jane Likes," "Recently," and "Tripping Billies." The band consisted of Dave, Leroi, Stefan, and Carter. Boyd was not yet a member, and Boyd only performed on "Tripping Billies." This was recorded in February or March, 1991, before the first live performance by the band.

1994-1996

In 1994, the DMB released their first LP, Under the Table and Dreaming, with hits "What Would You Say" and "Ants Marching." Under the Table and Dreaming and follow-up album, Crash brought the band national attention, culminating in a Grammy Award for Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for "So Much To Say," as well as four other nominations between the years 1996 and 1997. The band also achieved smash hits in "Crash Into Me", "Too Much" and a cult hit in "Tripping Billies".

1997-1999

By 1997, DMB reached amazing levels of popularity across the country and, to some degree, the world. To combat an increasingly profitable bootleg market, the band released a live album, Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95. This album featured popular songs from DMB's three previous albums and included longtime collaborator and guitarist Tim Reynolds. In late 1997, the band returned to the studio with producer Steve Lillywhite and an array of collaborators, including banjoist Béla Fleck, vocalist Alanis Morissette, guitarist Tim Reynolds, keyboardist Butch Taylor, and the Kronos Quartet, to compose and record Before These Crowded Streets, their third album with RCA. Before These Crowded Streets represented a great change in direction. Instead of relying on upbeat hit singles, the album as a whole stunned many with its layers and complexity.

2000-2003

During the year 2000, DMB set up their own recording studio at a large countryside home outside Charlottesville, Virginia. With longtime producer Steve Lillywhite at the helm, the band began work on a fourth studio album. Heavily influenced by personal conflicts, notably the death of Matthews' uncle from alcoholism, the songs recorded with Lillywhite rank as some of the darkest he has ever written. The band's attentions wandered during the seemingly never-ending recording sessions; they spent more time riding four-wheelers through the countryside and playing video games than writing or recording music. In the end, the studio sessions were a failure. In August 2000, the sessions were scrapped and the band's seven-year relationship with Lillywhite was over. Some believe DMB was unhappy with the atmosphere of the songs and frustrated with Lillywhite's often perfectionist style of production, while others believe Lillywhite was made into a scapegoat for the band's lack of professionalism during the recording sessions.

2004-2006

2004 saw DMB release more music than any previous year. In June, The Gorge, a combination 2-CD/1-DVD set with highlights from their 3-night tour closer at The Gorge in George, WA from 2002, was sold in stores. The Band also exclusively released a 6-disc CD set from the same run featuring all three nights, with each night spanning across two CDs. Later in the year it was announced that highlights from the Band's extensive live archives would be available for purchase via the official website. The first such release, Live Trax Vol. 1, featured guests Tim Reynolds, Béla Fleck, and Jeff Coffin and had been nearly universally accepted as one of the greatest shows in DMB's history. The second release, Live Trax Vol. 2, included guitarist Carlos Santana and gave fans previews of newly-penned songs "Joy Ride", "Hello Again," and "Sugar Will," all at the time presumed to be destined for release on a new studio album in 2005, though only "Hello Again" was actually included on the album's subsequent release. The other songs that debuted during the summer of 2004—"Crazy-Easy," "Good Good Time," "Joy Ride," and "Sugar Will"—were all absent during the duration of the 2005 touring season.

Taping and bootlegs

DMB occupies a somewhat unique place in music history. On the one hand, the band allows audience members to record their live shows, permits not-for-profit trading of the recordings, and cites college students trading these tapes in the early 1990s as a key reason for their current fame. On the other hand, the band and its management worked with the US federal government in 1996 to launch a crackdown on bootleggers, which resulted in large-scale arrests of those responsible for illegally manufacturing and selling copies of DMB material. To further combat bootleggers, the band released Live at Red Rocks 8.15.95, which was an unexpected success and became the first in a regular series of official live releases, all of which have debuted in the top 20 of Billboard's Top 200 albums.

Warehouse Fan Association

Another fan-friendly trend of DMB (in the tradition of The Grateful Dead, Phish, and Barenaked Ladies) is allowing their fans to purchase concert tickets before being sold to the general public. This, however, does not mean that Warehouse tickets will always be the best seats. Seat locations are not disclosed until approximately one month prior to the show date. Their Warehouse Fan Association pioneered the internet-based ticket pre-sales used by many artists today. DMB Manager Coran Capshaw founded and ran Musictoday, a company which runs Warehouse and other online fan clubs. In August, 2006, it was acquired by major concert promoter Live Nation, a spinoff of Clear Channel.

Notes

1. ^ Waldo Jaquith (2000). "Interview with Peter Griesar" nancies.org (accessed July 18, 2006)
2. ^ http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/local_story_237190538.html
3. ^ CBS staff writer (2004). "Dave Matthews Band Blamed For Human Waste" CBStoChicago.com (accessed May 29, 2006).
4. ^ http://www.rcarecords.com/
5. ^ Press Release (2004). "The Dave Matthews Band to Receive Special NAACP Image Award" NAACP.org (accessed June 20, 2006)