THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, June 3, 1996 TAG: 9606030001
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY CRAIG SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 96 lines
THERE ARE lots of ways for a culturally inclined out-of-towner to spend a spring day in Florence.
Marvel at Brunelleschi's Duomo. Take in the masterpieces by Botticelli and Leonardo da Vinci at the sprawling Uffizi. Shop at the Ponte Vecchio.
But on this afternoon, Dave Matthews, almost fresh from an overnight drive from Germany, is in his hotel room beginning another round of phone interviews on behalf of his very hot Dave Matthews Band.
``When you're touring, there's not really a chance to soak up the culture,'' he said. ``We'll see a quick flash of Florence. We won't have a chance to see a show because we're doing a show. We won't have a chance to see the museums because we'll be doing a sound check.''
About the most you can do, he said, is remember those places you'd like to come back and visit. The Netherlands and Belgium rate high on Matthews' list. Italy tops it.
``I have a real fondness for Italy. Italy is very passionate. And the food here is great. You can go to a restaurant and get a dinner for the price of a Big Mac, and it will be good - really good, high to low. I like that.''
Matthews, who was wrapping up a brief, two-week European swing last week, isn't griping about his schedule. If he and his band mates weren't riding such a high, time wouldn't be so tight.
``Crash,'' the followup to 1994's triple-platinum ``Under the Table and Dreaming,'' has settled into Billboard's Top 10 since its late-April release. The band did a handful of domestic dates, including one for the home folks in Charlottesville, toured Canada for 10 days, then went on the David Letterman show May 17. The next morning, they were off to Europe.
Tuesday's concert at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater will be their first since returning to the States. They'll tour the Northeast and Midwest for three weeks before flying back to Europe for another month.
When Matthews, violinst Boyd Tinsley, saxophonist LeRoi Moore, bassist Stefan Lessard and drummer Carter Beauford get back to the U.S. - again - they'll join this summer's H.O.R.D.E. Tour out West then headline their own gigs.
Except for a three-week break in August, while Lessard awaits the birth of his baby, ``they'll tour like mad guys through the end of the year,'' said publicist Ambrosia Healy.
Sounds like business as usual.
Long before 1993's self-released ``Remember Two Things,'' the band built a rabid East Coast fan base with its lilting rock-jazz mix, eventually catching the ear of RCA Records. ``Under the Table and Dreaming'' catapulted them into the bigtime. They ended 1995 with two near-sellouts at Hampton Coliseum, the second - on New Year's Eve - carried live on radio stations coast to coast.
Matthews, whom The Boston Globe described as playing ``the hardest-driving acoustic guitar this side of Peter Townshend,'' said when it came time to record ``Crash,'' the band had one thing in mind.
``We wanted to make it really different. `Let's record differently.' `Let's use different tricks,' '' he said. ``We played the basic tracks live, which was different from the last album. Everyone tried to stretch; it's more natural for us to do that. I think we were more hesitant'' last time.
``Natural'' describes the Dave Matthews Band in concert, too.
The current European dates have been festivals shared with a variety of artists, among them Sting, Bush, Blur and The Presidents of the United States of America.
``That's the way festivals work over here,'' he said. ``They're not so stiffly (booked) that you have to stick with some clique. Like, the last three days we had Joan Baez, the Pogues and Joe Cocker on the same stage, or Bob Dylan and Metallica.
``It's funny, but at the same time it's kind of cool. There's a more open view of music.''
And while it isn't Matthews' first time in front of Continental audiences, the reception has been different. Three-million albums sold will do that.
``More people know us, and because more people are familiar, we get better slots. It's the same thing we had to go through in the United States. The culture and languages are different, but basically we're playing in front of new people.
``It's not anymore different than picking up the mail,'' Matthews said. ``We don't work beyond our capabilities; we have in the past, maybe a little bit here and there, but I'm not that often overworked. It's not on the grand scale of a U.S. tour, but we're doing our damnedest.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color photo by John Falls
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KEYWORDS: PROFILE INTERVIEW by CNB