Stefan Interview

[SpotlightEyes]

Originally Posted by MColin28

Not just this interview.....but always. "We play what Dave wants...period"..."I have no idea what to practice, Dave doens't tell us"....."I thought we were taking 2011 off from touring...wish I had a gig" (in regards to D&T shows). It seems he's always whining. Yes, he said the end part...probably to make it politically correct. But come on, it's Stefan, he's always a downer about things so you know he "HAD" to say it.

Stefan is a fan of DMB, and happens to be actually in the band.

What else would he do besides bitch?

[ajc_1988]

well played

[SpotlightEyes]

It all kind of makes sense. Without the Winter 2012 tour, the band undoubtedly would have been all about playing AFTW come summer 2013. But the album was released too far away from that, so the "album tour" had to happen sooner. Regardless of its length, the band played the entire album, and most of the songs on it, a lot. Then had months to come off it and regroup for summer 2013.

They were long over due to freshen up the set lists, and not simply by adding AFTW tunes. The standard set had gotten way too standard. So it was indeed the perfect opportunity to bring back some old songs in place of some worn-out regulars, and also sprinkle in the new album.

I think most would agree that we wish we hearing ZERO big whiskey songs and an extra song or two from AFTW to balance out 2013 better....but we've already gotten more than we could reasonably have hoped for.

[yanks7533]

this thread is the ultimate summation of antsmarching.org...i'm going to go drink heavily now and try to erase the fact i just read the first page from my mind

If stefan was giving out HJ's to every member of the band with a smile on his face people would still think there was something wrong.

the band is in a better place on stage and with each other than ever (even if they are not writing the best music of their careers they are playing live just as good as ever and i'll listen to carter, stefan's, dave, jeff and rashawn's opinions over any of you squids)

[ajc_1988]

Originally Posted by yanks7533

this thread is the ultimate summation of antsmarching.org...i'm going to go drink heavily now and try to erase the fact i just read the first page from my mind

If stefan was giving out HJ's to every member of the band with a smile on his face people would still think there was something wrong.

the band is in a better place on stage and with each other than ever (even if they are not writing the best music of their careers they are playing live just as good as ever and i'll listen to carter, stefan's, dave, jeff and rashawn's opinions over any of you squids)

hey now

[Dankguitar]

I know people like to feel all smart by saying everyone on the first page (including myself) is overreacting or reading too far into things. But no one ever said there was an actual issue. I just simply thought it was a funny quote when Stefan said it was a "great moment" when Dave did all the writing. We all know Stefan wants to be as involved in the music as possible and that's a GOOD thing, nothing wrong with that. And he's been very professional about it, so no issues there. If I were a major member of a band like DMB I wouldn't be as excited about an album that I had little do with in terms of the writing, and I am sure Stefan feels that way. That's all

[podiumboy]

Everyday was also a DMB backed solo album, more or less. But AFTW sounds a lot more like a BAND record. It seems like although Dave wrote most of the songs, everybody was able to put their own stamp on the music.

I think of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as a precedent. For the first 10-15 years they were a real BAND, and presented themselves that way. Petty was always the star, but they put on a real band front. Then Petty started making solo albums, recording with other musicians, did the whole Traveling Wilburys thing. Then you have the Heartbreakers playing songs from Petty's solo albums, and they more or less became his backing band. Some members didn't like it and quit, and some were smart and realized that if they just hitched their wagon to Tom Petty, they'd have successful and lucrative carries.

Without Dave Matthews, all the band members would've probably had careers in music, but would not have accomplished anything like they have with DMB.

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by yanks7533

this thread is the ultimate summation of antsmarching.org...i'm going to go drink heavily now and try to erase the fact i just read the first page from my mind

If stefan was giving out HJ's to every member of the band with a smile on his face people would still think there was something wrong.

the band is in a better place on stage and with each other than ever (even if they are not writing the best music of their careers they are playing live just as good as ever and i'll listen to carter, stefan's, dave, jeff and rashawn's opinions over any of you squids)

We are Hammerheads

[zajDmB1]

Originally Posted by MColin28

No I appreciate him saying this...but it was forced, as discussed. He did not genuinely mean that. He had to be politically correct in putting that part in there. He's always so whiny, aside from this, as I also said above. IN addition, he's always airing out his shit on Twitter/FB, then deleting them because one of his managers or close acquaintence probably advises him to.

Were you there? Did you hear his tone of voice? There is absolutely nothing in that sentence or string of sentences that says that was forced. We've seen how passive aggressive and whiney Stefan can be, that was not passive aggressive or whiney. Maybe he thought past songs were forced and these seemed more natural? There's any number of reasons Stefan could genuinely like this batch of songs.

Originally Posted by Dankguitar

You must not be a musician or songwriter if you think Dave was the weakest on the album. He constructed the songs from scratch which takes A LOT more than any other band member's contribution. And stand up and big whiskey were written more by the band as a unit and AFTW is much better.

The act of doing something doesn't make it good. This is something way too many people in my (our?) generation fail to understand when it comes to music. Any of us can write a very personal, deep song right now, in the next 5 minutes. Most, if not all, will be terrible. With 5 other guys responsible for adding to the composition of music, it could fall apart at any given time. Or not even get there due to complacency, as we've seen in past records.

[Dankguitar]

Originally Posted by zajDmB1

Were you there? Did you hear his tone of voice? There is absolutely nothing in that sentence or string of sentences that says that was forced. We've seen how passive aggressive and whiney Stefan can be, that was not passive aggressive or whiney. Maybe he thought past songs were forced and these seemed more natural? There's any number of reasons Stefan could genuinely like this batch of songs.



The act of doing something doesn't make it good. This is something way too many people in my (our?) generation fail to understand when it comes to music. Any of us can write a very personal, deep song right now, in the next 5 minutes. Most, if not all, will be terrible. With 5 other guys responsible for adding to the composition of music, it could fall apart at any given time. Or not even get there due to complacency, as we've seen in past records.

I never said Dave deserves props just for making songs. These songs actually happen to be pretty strong compositions for someone who has been writing for over 2 decades now. That is hard to come by. Writing good music becomes increasingly difficult over time. I don't understand how anyone could have the knowledge that Dave basically wrote this album and still think he's the weakest link. If the songs were complete shit then I'd understand.

[grilldanmo]

New interview from Bass Player:

https://www.bassplayer.com/artists/t...f-whats-around

I'm a woulda been musician, so I love this type of interview, but it might still be interesting to folks to read about his playing and process for the latest album and the tour.

[ToySoldier#34]

Three and a half hour sets huh?

[Cptn. Monkeyman]

Originally Posted by grilldanmo

New interview from Bass Player:

https://www.bassplayer.com/artists/t...f-whats-around

I'm a woulda been musician, so I love this type of interview, but it might still be interesting to folks to read about his playing and process for the latest album and the tour.

Thanks for sharing this, grilldanmo, I love his bass playing (amateur bassist myself)

It’s so cool to hear that he played my favorite bass of all time (his Warwick Thumb 6) on my favorite songs from the past decade (Hands of God, and Virginia in the Rain)

[Cptn. Monkeyman]

Originally Posted by ToySoldier#34

Three and a half hour sets huh?

Lol, I think they mean 3+ hour concerts, not necessarily set time. They “start” at 8 and usually go well past 11

[Cptn. Monkeyman]

I think there’s only a handful of sets with actual run time over three hours

[grilldanmo]

Originally Posted by Cptn. Monkeyman

Thanks for sharing this, grilldanmo, I love his bass playing (amateur bassist myself)

It’s so cool to hear that he played my favorite bass of all time (his Warwick Thumb 6) on my favorite songs from the past decade (Hands of God, and Virginia in the Rain)

I find what he says about his playing on the early stuff to be quite interesting. I've always loved his playing and sound, but apparently he hasn't. But that's not uncommon for artists that are always looking to evolve and grow...unlike to an unnamed four-string player that is no longer with the band.

[Cptn. Monkeyman]

Originally Posted by grilldanmo

I find what he says about his playing on the early stuff to be quite interesting. I've always loved his playing and sound, but apparently he hasn't. But that's not uncommon for artists that are always looking to evolve and grow...unlike to an unnamed four-string player that is no longer with the band.

Lol! Yeah I know what you mean. An artist who looks to grow and improve is always going to view their more recent work as more accomplished than their earlier efforts. We have the pleasure of viewing/listening from a somewhat unbiased perspective.

[tripeyedfish]

Originally Posted by grilldanmo

But that's not uncommon for artists that are always looking to evolve and grow...unlike to an unnamed four-string player that is no longer with the band.

Jesus...Dave’s getting there too! He’s evolved and grown so much as a guitar player, he’s starting to shed it completely

[YouNeverKnow25]

Originally Posted by Stefan

Everyday and beyond would be my favorite material to play live

...yiiiiiiikkkes

[Cptn. Monkeyman]

Originally Posted by YouNeverKnow25

...yiiiiiiikkkes

I know he likes a lot of the deep cuts, so I’m sure he enjoys playing those songs live. But I’d imagine they all have to be pretty tired of playing What Would You Say, Ants Marching, Warehouse, #41, Tripping Billies, Don’t Drink the Water, Satellite, Typical Situation, One Sweet World, So Much To Say, Rapunzel, Jimi Thing, Crush, etc. by now after 27 years.

Sadly, I think they’d be content with not playing any of their 90s material any more

[wrhslax1996]

But I think dreaming tree is a phenomenal bass song that he is pretty active throughout. He'd obviously know better than I would since he wrote the damn parts but I had always figured that had to have been one of his favorites.

[Cptn. Monkeyman]

Originally Posted by wrhslax1996

But I think dreaming tree is a phenomenal bass song that he is pretty active throughout. He'd obviously know better than I would since he wrote the damn parts but I had always figured that had to have been one of his favorites.

I think it is, I’ve seen him say things about it. And there’s a few others from that era that he’s wanted to bring back (Blue Water, etc). I think he was speaking more generally and broad, like the 90s material as a whole (like 90% of it, not all of it)

[BringBackButchT]

Originally Posted by YouNeverKnow25

...yiiiiiiikkkes

It's really not surprising that he liked material he worked on later in his career. Most artists do. Especially in his case as he was not coming into the band "fully formed" like Carter, Roi, and Boyd.

[greenpick41]

That was a very cool interview thanks for sharing!

[Climb2safety]

I sent this to my son, he’ll understand the music and bass stuff mmore now f it than I do, he’s applying to music school next year for electric bass with a major in jazz performance.

Victor Wooten is his favorite bassist, he found and learned all about him by himself too.

Thanks for sharing it.

[Dodo36]

Not a bad article. People are definitely going to be prone to read between lines that aren't there. The material after Everyday is where he became a more textured player, writing lines that weren't merely following the root or fulfilling a pattern. It may not be lyrically as ensnaring as we would like, but from a musician perspective, would you really rather play "Ants Marching" over any of the newer material?

[grilldanmo]

Originally Posted by wrhslax1996

But I think dreaming tree is a phenomenal bass song that he is pretty active throughout. He'd obviously know better than I would since he wrote the damn parts but I had always figured that had to have been one of his favorites.

According to old info, Stefan did more than write the bass parts:

https://dontburnthepig.org/archives-...ming-tree.html

Per this, it's Stef's tune...which I only just learned today.

Fucking amazing song.

[dobyblue]

I love that he mentions Shel in that '98 interview, years away from having kids.

I've always though Stefan has played bass like McCartney, loves being all over the fretboard - just listen to the intro to STJL from R2T.

[Cptn. Monkeyman]

Originally Posted by dobyblue

I love that he mentions Shel in that '98 interview, years away from having kids.

I've always though Stefan has played bass like McCartney, loves being all over the fretboard - just listen to the intro to STJL from R2T.

His bass sounds so good on Two Things

[Hilly]

Originally Posted by Cptn. Monkeyman

His bass sounds so good on Two Things

I think it sounds good on more than two things.