- Title: UNITED KINGDOM/FILE: SINGER DAVE MATTHEWS TALKS ABOUT HIS CAREER AND TOUR
- Date: 29th October 2001
- Summary: LONDON, UK, (OCTOBER 29, 2001) (REUTERS) (Music can be heard underneath part of the Soundbite) (SOUNDBITE) (English) DAVE MATTHEWS ANSWERING QUESTION - WHAT IS IT LIKE DOING THE SOLO ACOUSTIC STUFF? SAYING, "Well, it's how I started so I am very comfortable doing it, it's a little bit intimidating sometime, I have awful stage fright until the gig is done and then I can h
- Embargoed: 13th November 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Entertainment,General
- Reuters ID: LVAH3ETV7OTCXA8OH3RP0UTVGE2
- Story Text: With record sales to make Michael Jackson green with envy, the Dave Matthews is currently one of the most popular artists in the States, having developed a huge army of fans with his live gigs. Now he's set out to win himself an audience in the UK with a string of live shows and an enigmatic poster campaign posing the question - who is Dave Matthews? The secret behind Dave Matthews Band's success is great tunes, great lyrics and a great live act - and of course a lot of hard work. Eschewing media spin and headline stealing pr exercises for trekking around bringing his music to the fans, constant gigging has led to record sales in excess of 40 million in the States this year alone.
"The reason we are more successful in America is that we've spent the last 11 year driving around, first in a van, and then in a bus, and now a few more busses, but that's all we do, before we were signed, before we had a CD out we were just trucking around, playing, and it's what we love to do, it's almost as if releasing CDs is just a thing we do on the side, we just our and play, and I thing that's really why we've become accepted in America, because of our shows, and we haven't played anywhere else really, so as you leave the US you either get wet, or you creep into Canada or creep down into Mexico and sort of make inroads there, we are slipping down into South America a little more, and really haven't done anything anywhere else in the world, and I think it's just really because of not playing there."
And now its time for British music fans to get a taste of Dave Matthews. He has left his band at home, and embarked on a series of acoustic solo gigs in the UK. Although his London shows have attracted a significant proportion of American fans, the British are beginning to take note - and are a more attentive audience.
"I don't think there are as noisy an audience, I found that down in South America as well when we played in Brazil, while you're playing they may be going crazy, but they are not as noisy as an American audience, you can't hear me singing, I don't really need to at our shows in the States because the people are shouting so loud, I think the audiences are quieter here, maybe listen a little more."
Something that Matthew will appreciate, as observers have notices his apparent lack of ease with American exuberance.
"Yeah, it's a nice change, although I have to admit that the 30% or 40% of the audience that were Yanks were loud enough to shout and make their presence known at the shows, so I don't know if it was that different than it would have been, but it's just fun to come and play for different people, it's what I like to do the most, an so it's nice to see how people react, and then I just go home if they say it's crap, or go and get a beer, I hate it it's crap, okay, I'll go and get a pint and then get back on the boat."
For those in the know about Dave Matthews brand of thoughtful guitar tunes, the closest comparison they find to describe his sound is David Gray. A comparison that Matthews finds flattering.
"I think he is a lot better than me, because I like David Gray an awful lot and I can't listen to myself, and I think his lyrics are phenomenal, I think mine need a little work, it's a very nice compliment for people to make that comparison, we're very good mates actually me and David Gray."
During his current stay in London, Matthews paid a visit to the Q Awards lunch, an awards bash noted for the rowdiness of the participants.
"Definitely the most fun awards I have ever been to, although maybe people who have been to the Q Awards many times would have a different perspective, but you've all been exposed to American awards ceremonies I am sure, you probably switch the channel quickly, because there is nothing quite as tiresome as an American awards show, you know when you have to go to the Grammys it's like, oh God we've got to go to the Grammys, do we have to go? Its just so numbingly dull, there is no word strong enough to describe the boredom that is soaking the crowd, for some reason there is no ability to, although Americans talk as if they like to understand how other people feel, as soon as somebody get up there, then it's there chance to share, I don't give a damn what anybody, shut up, that's all you do the whole time at American awards, everyone is going, shut up, until they get up there and then they are blah blah. And t was so nice, it was like a ten second thing, thank you, that's what the Q Awards was like, thank you, screw you, thank you, bugger off, thank you, it was great, it was fantastic, I thought it was marvellous, at it was very casual and there was not one earnest, well there was one earnest fellow I think, brown noser, but aside from that o thought it was very casual, and nobody mentioned God, thank God." THEY DON'T AT BRITISH AWARDS "Don't you hate that, like God gives as damn who wins the superbowl, or got the last Grammy, or the idea that God is paying attention is bizarre, Americans are much more fundamentalist that we like to think we are over there, people get very wired, people are very surprised if you suggest God doesn't exist, they're like...it's that same shocked expression whether you are in the he centre of the Islamic world, or in the middle of the Midwest of the States, it's the same, horror, the horror, you mean we're alone, the horror"
One thing that Matthews has noticed is the current trend in British music for all-dancing girl and boy bands who don't play instruments and mime to their songs - but he feels that music talent will always shine through.
"I was the only one playing the last time I was on TV, I went to play and I noticed that nobody else was playing they went...so there's a lot of that going on, which is fine, just listen to the CD, but there's a lot of that going on in the States too, manufactured bands, it's easier to control, its easier to shine something that you are familiar with I guess."
"I think it will last longer, when people are playing, actually playing their instruments, that stuff stays and the other stuff just floats in a and out, its like rapping, you have to change rapping each year as fashions come and go, but there will always be music, and musicians playing it."
British audiences are certainly beginning to catch on to the phenomenon that Matthews is in is home country - but Matthews seems unfazed by the prospect.
"I don't know if I am going to conquer the UK, it sounds like that would be boring, I would prefer to come over here and just be struggling..."
But that said - if you don't know who Dave Matthews is yet, you will soon.
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