Dave Matthews/ Rob Cavallo Interview

[levyhit]

Tonights interview with Dave and his producer was a great insight on why/how albums are made they way they are. Not just for the audience or fan but how the it becomes a therapy of life. Even though Rob and Dave mentioned how they were pressured to make the album quickly and Dave mentioned how in summer 08 he was pressured by people to play new tracks during the tour. Dave discussed watching alot of odd movies, he said there should be a "over 40 rating" for these type of movies, odd Japanese films..apparently thats how squirm was born.....A favorite part for me was Dave was asked how did Stella respond to Alligator Pie...he said he only listens to his music in the car and stella always smiles when its played in the car, but that Grace always says shes in the bridge...obviously Dave said it in a more humorous way...After the show everyone was kicked out...and Dave came out and was nice enough to sign and take photos with about 10-15 of us....I got my Dave and Tim Skull signed next to Tim and Scranton guitar signed....in pencil !!

[justse07]

So when/where will we be able to see this interview?

Thanks

[richie2017]

This will be interesting to watch.

[420th jimi]

Originally Posted by justse07

So when/where will we be able to see this interview?

Thanks

Originally Posted by richie2017

This will be interesting to watch.

That's the thing. They told us that it would only be available in the Grammy Museum Archives and not for about a year. So I am guessing that this won't see the light of day from my understanding. Unless you roll up to the Grammy Museum in a year or more and go through their Archives and look for it, which I plan to do.

It was pretty cool and very insightful. Such a treat to be there. A lot of the things said have been said in other interviews and if you have followed the band pretty religiously, then some of it you had heard before. But there quite a bit of nuggets of goodness that the night was just awesome and I feel very lucky to have been a part of an audience of 200 total.



Here is what I wrote when I got back. Please keep in mind I might of mixed up a song or two but I did my best. I also compiled some more too add:

I just returned from the Interview at the Grammy Museum with Rob Cavallo and Dave. Awesome to say the least. I just wanted to stop by and send some Chula LOVE to all of you and say what a great time I had meeting everyone and hanging out at the TG. I am sorry some of you didn't make it but there is always next year. The Irvine show was awesome as well. Reviews coming but probably not until the weekend. I am beat, as usual.

I will also write up my experience on the Interview. I didn't see a thread on it, wondering if anyone had posted any info yet? Dave just played bits and pieces of Baby Blue, Seven, and Dive In. He was showing us the difficulties he had in some of the songs and why he chooses to play Dive In so little bit...because it has 3 major chord progressions and it makes it hard for him to play.
He explained that they shelved 30 songs right off the bat when Rob joined them at Rob's request. Rob talked about the "honesty" in Dave's lyrics and how much he digs that.
He mentioned that the Squirm lyrics sort of came from movies they were watching with no sound on while they were in the recording process.
They both said they would all sit and write down one word that they would like the album to be like such as: country, soft, hard. You get the idea. They said they never went back to look at the list until the recording process ended and realized that what they had written was what the album ended up being.
Rob said that LeRoi was a genius musically and he was in the bathroom one day taking a leak when he heard Leroi talking to Carter. LeRoi laid it down what music was all about and Rob said he came outta the bathroom and said something like "You get it man!"
Dave talked about how Roi could light a room up and also how he could take a room down, depending on which Roi you got.
Dave mentioned that the lyrics to LITHOG were done at like 7 AM and that is why he sounds so tired in the song.
Dave said his 2 year old impresses the shit outta him because he plays "air drums" and makes noises like "shish, boom, bash". He plays air guitar with a little toy, whatever he wants, he makes into an "air instrument." He mentioned that he would tap out beats on the corner of the table and how much music his son has in him, a lot of music!
Some of the movies mentioned were Cannibal Holicaust(sp) and another called "Visitor Q" or is it Cue?

Off the top of my head, that is what I remember about last night. There was so much more but I am tired so it is difficult for me to think straight, sorry.

Peace and Chula LOVE to all, Adam

[dmb9howell]

Adam, thanks for taking the time to give us a little insight on the interview. Very cool.

[420th jimi]

Originally Posted by dmb9howell

Adam, thanks for taking the time to give us a little insight on the interview. Very cool.

I will do my best to post more this weekend. I was able to dig up some more things they said from the depths of my brain and will share more over the weekend. I wish I would have taken notes and feel stupid for not taking any.

[420th jimi]

Okay so I messed up and said the song with the three major chord was Dive In and it was actually Baby Blue. He said that is why he doesn't play it as much and also said that Roi had told him to keep the lyrics small because the song was so big, or something like that. That was the tune he showed us the three major parts to. Sorry for the erroneous information.

[cswright]

cool info. how do the grammy archives work as I live right down the street (Fig)

[420th jimi]

Originally Posted by cswright

cool info. how do the grammy archives work as I live right down the street (Fig)

Fig, lol. That is right down the street, no doubt.

That's the thing. They told us that it would only be available in the Grammy Museum Archives and not for about a year. So I am guessing that this won't see the light of day from my understanding. Unless you roll up to the Grammy Museum in a year or more and go through their Archives and look for it, which I plan to do.

[420th jimi]

So, after reading the info in dmbalmanac, I now change the song with the three major chord progressions to Seven. Figures I would get it wrong. That is the song where he played the three parts and explained how different each part was and the difficulty in playing it. Like I said, sorry for the erroneous info. One more thing about Seven, Dave had said he had shelved it and it was Ashley, his wife, who asked him to give it a try again.

I plan on calling my friend I went to this with and chatting with her so I can get some of what she remembers along with myself. Maybe the two of us together can figure out some more things they talked about.

Let's see if I can get a few more things down. Some of this a few of you (or a lot) have heard but I will put them down anyways just in case.

Dave talked about the album title and how it was going to be called "Groo Grux King". He explained that Grux was a nickname for Roi and then he said that King was added because when he met LeRoi, LeRoi told him his name was LeRoi, like the King; not Leroy. So Dave went into the album with that name until they got down to New Orleans. They were out on the street one night, a few band members, and there was this street musician who was playing some wonderful harmonica and saying he needed a big whiskey. So Stefan pulled out a 20 dollar bill, handed it to Dave, Dave rolled it up real tight and tossed it in the guy's hat on the ground. The guy, not thinking it was anything but a dollar says: "I said I needed a Big Whiskey!". He then unfurled the bill to see it was a twenty and said: "Now that's a Big Whiskey" in a very gravelly voice. They left and I think Dave said it was Rashawn who suggested that Big Whiskey was a good name for the album...so they added it to the GGK. Born was BWATGGK. Dave explained that Groo Grux was a mouthful for anyone to say and he has resorted to calling it Big Whiskey.

Dave said that Rob suggested doing the album cover after seeing Dave's doodles and his great artwork all over the lyric sheets he had written. Obviously he said the influence of New Orleans rubbed off in the artwork and in the music as well.

When explaining the recording process, Rob mentioned them going to Studio X, maybe Matt Cameron's studio up in Seattle and how it was so small that it forced the eight of them to sit in a confined space and talk about the album. This was early on in the process and they were all asked to write down one word that they would like the album to be. When they went back to look at the list of words they had compiled, they found that they had accomplished a lot of what they wanted. They didn't look back at that piece of paper until they were done. Some of the words were: country, hard, and maybe a few others I don't remember.

I think the first F-ck Dave dropped was when he was talking about the great lyric his daughter had just come up with: "Daddy, When you gonna put me in a song?". He said that Stella was always complaining that Grace was in a lot of songs and she wanted to know when she was going to be in one. Dave said something like, F+ck that is a good line to a song she just came up with. This happened in New Orleans and that is why the song has the New Orleans problems tied into the tune. Dave spoke about the beautiful music that emanates from the city and talked about how the 9th Ward was still reeling and still a long way from recovering. Dave spoke about the heavy influence that New Orleans played on the album and that going there was Rob's idea I believe.

I am tired so this is it for now. I will try to recall more for you tomorrow or Saturday.

Peace, Adam

[bva816]

Thanks for sharing all that you can Adam! It's appreciated! I'm so mad I couldn't go to this!

[420th jimi]

It really was such an intimate place to see this and it was much more insightful then I ever could have imagined. I really do feel lucky that Warehouse confirmed me...I guess that is why I keep coming back. I will try to post more after I talk with my friend or after I listen to the album. Either way, I should be able to get some more down on here sometime soon.

I wish you could have made it too, it was such a cool experience. Wasn't much music being played but the explanations were tremendous. Maybe 3 or 3 and a half minutes total of music but he talked about what he was playing sometimes.

[bs022]

no talk about the ep? studio sugar will?

[420th jimi]

Originally Posted by bs022

no talk about the ep? studio sugar will?

None, and they would not let us ask any questions either. I will try to sit down and write more things I remember this weekend.

I do remember that Dave was telling us that LeRoi had this awesome look when he was listening to a good jam, then Dave mimicked the look to show us what LeRoi's face would look like when he was listening to a jam. Dave said it was a "bad-ass" look and that the guy just had this perfect facial expressions and mannerisms toward jamming music.

Another thing I remember and I might need help on the story but I will give it a shot. Dave said that Roi told him Baby Blue was such a big song that he needed to keep the lyrics small, so that the music doesn't get lost in the lyrics. He said it was this huge song already so it needed real small lyrics because of how big the song was. I also think this is why Dave plays this song so rarely, although it seems to be getting a little more setlist Love as of lately. I hope I got that story straight for you all.

[420th jimi]

Here is a 2:14 minute clip of Baby Blue from the Dave Matthews/Rob Cavallo Interview at the Grammy Museum on Tuesday, September 15th. Hope you enjoy and thanks go out to "FunkyTeaParty41" for sharing:

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bUv6JJSYhw

[420th jimi]

Here is a short review written on one of the main movies Dave talked about watching on the wall with the sound turned down, during the recording process. This film and this director was one that Dave singled out as being a heavy influence on the song 'Squirm'.

The film is called "Visitor Q" and was directed by cult Japanese Director Takashi Miike. Dave made sure to get this guy Takashi Miike in the interview because it seemed very profound and who Dave was referring to when he said there should be ratings of "Over 40" in the movie theatres. People under 40 years old should not be able to view it.

Here is one review, without giving away too much:

Takashi Miike's disturbing film centers on an out-of-work television reporter who decides to use his insanely dysfunctional family as the subject of a documentary about sex and violence. Among the topics covered are his necrophilia and incestuous relationship with his prostitute daughter, his son's cruel attacks on his own mother and the house guest in the middle of it all. Kenichi Endo, Fujiko, Jun Muto, Shoko Nakahara star. 84 min.

A whole bunch more than this occurs in the film but I don't want to give anything away. It is pure creepy, that's for sure.




The other movie I remember Dave mentioning during the interview is "Cannibal Holocaust". "Cannibal Holocaust" is a controversial exploitation film directed by Ruggero Deodato from a screenplay by Gianfranco Clerici. A short review on the plot:

There are two timelines in the film, one that depicts Monroe's trip into the jungle to determine the fate of the American explorers, and the other that involves Monroe's subsequent analysis of the recovered films made by the missing explorers. Much of the film is the depiction of the recovered film's content, which functions similarly to a flashback and grows increasingly disturbing as the film progresses.

Just trying to give you some info on it too. Dave seemed real taken by the director Mikke though.

[420th jimi]

Topping this and hope that someone who went will add to what is down in the thread. Bueller? Bueller?

[loverlaydown24]

Originally Posted by 420th jimi

None, and they would not let us ask any questions either. I will try to sit down and write more things I remember this weekend.

I do remember that Dave was telling us that LeRoi had this awesome look when he was listening to a good jam, then Dave mimicked the look to show us what LeRoi's face would look like when he was listening to a jam. Dave said it was a "bad-ass" look and that the guy just had this perfect facial expressions and mannerisms toward jamming music.

Another thing I remember and I might need help on the story but I will give it a shot. Dave said that Roi told him Baby Blue was such a big song that he needed to keep the lyrics small, so that the music doesn't get lost in the lyrics. He said it was this huge song already so it needed real small lyrics because of how big the song was. I also think this is why Dave plays this song so rarely, although it seems to be getting a little more setlist Love as of lately. I hope I got that story straight for you all.

I believe Dave was actually referring to Carter and how his face "dances" when he listens to a beat. Because Carter was really digging the beat for seven. Dave did a great impression. I was cracking up.

Dave was explaining how Baby Blue had a big orchestra sound and how those simple notes that go with "you and me for- ever" were so emotional that the big orchestra made it so powerful, but it didn't need that because it was powerful just they way it was. Which is what LeRoi was trying to say. This is hard to explain without seeing Dave perform the orchestra part, which was also quite humorous, but I hope this helped.

[420th jimi]

Originally Posted by loverlaydown24

I believe Dave was actually referring to Carter and how his face "dances" when he listens to a beat. Because Carter was really digging the beat for seven. Dave did a great impression. I was cracking up.

Dave was explaining how Baby Blue had a big orchestra sound and how those simple notes that go with "you and me for- ever" were so emotional that the big orchestra made it so powerful, but it didn't need that because it was powerful just they way it was. Which is what LeRoi was trying to say. This is hard to explain without seeing Dave perform the orchestra part, which was also quite humorous, but I hope this helped.

If you scroll up a bit, I posted a link to a 2:16 min clip from the interview. It is the Baby Blue part where he explains it pretty much how you explained it. Here it is again for you to relive the experience:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bUv6JJSYhw



This interview was great to see and I thank you for sharing. I finally talked with my friend Pam about it and will be able to post a few things later on.

[420th jimi]

I talked to my friend who I went with and we brainstormed about this, so I have more to share. Please understand that I might have a song wrong or some info wrong, that is why we talked. To make sure we are on the same page.

The process of finding a producer was difficult and Dave said that he felt like most of the candidates were trying to bullshit him and he said that Rob came in and said he didn't have any real plans, just what they could do for each other. That they would need to talk and find out what the band wanted. Dave said that a lot of the people who he interviewed didn't have a shot because they came in with all these ideas on how they were going to record the band. He said he appreciated Rob's laid-back, no bull-shit approach in the interview, not in those exact words.

The first day of recording with Rob resulted in over 12 hours of music. Rob then broke those up into little fragmented jams of 10 minutes or so. I think this resulted in over 80 different ideas out of this first day of work.

Dave mentioned that "Shake Me" was one of the hardest songs he ever wrote because he is so self-deprecating, thus it was hard to write lyrics that were sexy and he had a hard time seeing himself as sexy. So he also mentioned it took over 6 weeks to write. But he believes it to be the most honest song he has ever written. I think this is where Rob talked about the honesty in Dave's music and his lyrics. Rob said that he doesn't know another artist who is so hard on himself about keeping the honesty in the music, always making sure that the lyrics are real...if that makes sense?

I believe a Warehouse member submitted a question about dancing. Dave replied that a lot of the dancing evolved from the Dave and friends Tour where they played the tune "Thank You". He said he started grooving on that tune more than any others and it got him to dance and let loose. He also mentioned 40 years old getting here and that he feels loose enough to do it onstage. He also cited the song Cornbread as one he digs dancing to.

Now I am not sure on the tune and I have heard this before. I believe the tune to be "Lying In The Hands", the tune where Dave thought he had written the perfect lyrics and was all psyched to hear them with the music. He found the lyrics were too fast and didn't sync up well so they sped up the music. I think this led to the mention of Carter playing like a beast on this album and how driven Carter was. Dave said Carter had "gusto" in his playing. Carter always wanted to do another take, even though the other band members were telling him he was killing it. This demand for greatness from Carter rubbed off on all of them.

The original plan for the album cover called for a photo of the 4 of them. When Rob saw it, that was what made him suggest that Dave should do the artistic work on the album cover. Rob had seen what he described as these fantastic doodles and sketches on lyric sheets, music, everywhere. Rob mentioned that he took a lot of those sketches and doodles home with him.

Dave said he has become more outspoken since having children. I think the question came from a Warehouse person and was something like this: Are you more reserved with everything now that you have children? Dave said that the opposite was probably true, he was more outspoken. He said that he wants to leave a good place with trees and oceans for his kids. He also said that he always saying to his girls to "Beware of the man in wolf's clothing, all men have bad intentions", so to speak, and then the next minute he is telling his son "Just wait until the girls go off to college and bring home their girlfriends for you, it's going to be great!". This was just another funny story he shared about his kids.

He said his son, when riding in his car seat, looks as bad as Stevie Wonder when tapping out the beats and the jams. Says it reminds him of Stevie, he just looks so cool.

He mentioned that Dive In was this really happy sounding song where it's like "Yea, we are all going to die" and he had this big smile on his face. He said this in classic Dave style I might add.

I think he mentioned that 'Seven' is "about the worship of women".

Dave said he is really impressed with his most recent Beatles rip-off and it's in the song "Dive In". It's the verse where he sings:

"One day do you think we'll wake up
In a world on its way to getting better
And if so
Can you tell me
How"

That's it. I am tapped. I know a few more things but they haven't surfaced. I will let you know when they do. Hope you enjoy it. It was great trying to remember the interview and I know a lot of the material has been covered before. I was just trying to show what was covered in the interview.

[aw625]

Thanks.

[420th jimi]

Just gonna top this.

[CPinLA41]

Hey everyone:

Sorry I didnt post this sooner...

I was lucky enough to be at the Grammy Interview also. And right before it started, it occured to me that, hey....my iPhone has a "recorder" app. I think I'll turn it on and see if it captures anything.

Sure enough, I got the whole interview. Now, obviously, the quality is nothing like we are used to from our taping community, but, if you turn up the volume, you can make out most of what they are saying.

So, please enjoy and share. Again....I know the quality is sub-par, but, hey, I figure its better than nothing.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/njx42n

take care-
CP

[bva816]

Originally Posted by CPinLA41

Hey everyone:

Sorry I didnt post this sooner...

I was lucky enough to be at the Grammy Interview also. And right before it started, it occured to me that, hey....my iPhone has a "recorder" app. I think I'll turn it on and see if it captures anything.

Sure enough, I got the whole interview. Now, obviously, the quality is nothing like we are used to from our taping community, but, if you turn up the volume, you can make out most of what they are saying.

So, please enjoy and share. Again....I know the quality is sub-par, but, hey, I figure its better than nothing.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/njx42n

take care-
CP

I'm gonna b u m p this because I'm not sure if people have seen you've posted this link! I just found it! Thank you so much!!!!!!

[Bowlanachos]

Originally Posted by CPinLA41

Hey everyone:

Sorry I didnt post this sooner...

I was lucky enough to be at the Grammy Interview also. And right before it started, it occured to me that, hey....my iPhone has a "recorder" app. I think I'll turn it on and see if it captures anything.

Sure enough, I got the whole interview. Now, obviously, the quality is nothing like we are used to from our taping community, but, if you turn up the volume, you can make out most of what they are saying.

So, please enjoy and share. Again....I know the quality is sub-par, but, hey, I figure its better than nothing.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/njx42n

take care-
CP

You are win! Thanks so much

[MsEmilyNYC]

Originally Posted by CPinLA41

Hey everyone:

Sorry I didnt post this sooner...

I was lucky enough to be at the Grammy Interview also. And right before it started, it occured to me that, hey....my iPhone has a "recorder" app. I think I'll turn it on and see if it captures anything.

Sure enough, I got the whole interview. Now, obviously, the quality is nothing like we are used to from our taping community, but, if you turn up the volume, you can make out most of what they are saying.

So, please enjoy and share. Again....I know the quality is sub-par, but, hey, I figure its better than nothing.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/njx42n

take care-
CP

I just got around to downloading this today. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[burnedpig]

Originally Posted by 420th jimi

I talked to my friend who I went with and we brainstormed about this, so I have more to share. Please understand that I might have a song wrong or some info wrong, that is why we talked. To make sure we are on the same page.

The process of finding a producer was difficult and Dave said that he felt like most of the candidates were trying to bullshit him and he said that Rob came in and said he didn't have any real plans, just what they could do for each other. That they would need to talk and find out what the band wanted. Dave said that a lot of the people who he interviewed didn't have a shot because they came in with all these ideas on how they were going to record the band. He said he appreciated Rob's laid-back, no bull-shit approach in the interview, not in those exact words.

The first day of recording with Rob resulted in over 12 hours of music. Rob then broke those up into little fragmented jams of 10 minutes or so. I think this resulted in over 80 different ideas out of this first day of work.

Dave mentioned that "Shake Me" was one of the hardest songs he ever wrote because he is so self-deprecating, thus it was hard to write lyrics that were sexy and he had a hard time seeing himself as sexy. So he also mentioned it took over 6 weeks to write. But he believes it to be the most honest song he has ever written. I think this is where Rob talked about the honesty in Dave's music and his lyrics. Rob said that he doesn't know another artist who is so hard on himself about keeping the honesty in the music, always making sure that the lyrics are real...if that makes sense?

I believe a Warehouse member submitted a question about dancing. Dave replied that a lot of the dancing evolved from the Dave and friends Tour where they played the tune "Thank You". He said he started grooving on that tune more than any others and it got him to dance and let loose. He also mentioned 40 years old getting here and that he feels loose enough to do it onstage. He also cited the song Cornbread as one he digs dancing to.

Now I am not sure on the tune and I have heard this before. I believe the tune to be "Lying In The Hands", the tune where Dave thought he had written the perfect lyrics and was all psyched to hear them with the music. He found the lyrics were too fast and didn't sync up well so they sped up the music. I think this led to the mention of Carter playing like a beast on this album and how driven Carter was. Dave said Carter had "gusto" in his playing. Carter always wanted to do another take, even though the other band members were telling him he was killing it. This demand for greatness from Carter rubbed off on all of them.

The original plan for the album cover called for a photo of the 4 of them. When Rob saw it, that was what made him suggest that Dave should do the artistic work on the album cover. Rob had seen what he described as these fantastic doodles and sketches on lyric sheets, music, everywhere. Rob mentioned that he took a lot of those sketches and doodles home with him.

Dave said he has become more outspoken since having children. I think the question came from a Warehouse person and was something like this: Are you more reserved with everything now that you have children? Dave said that the opposite was probably true, he was more outspoken. He said that he wants to leave a good place with trees and oceans for his kids. He also said that he always saying to his girls to "Beware of the man in wolf's clothing, all men have bad intentions", so to speak, and then the next minute he is telling his son "Just wait until the girls go off to college and bring home their girlfriends for you, it's going to be great!". This was just another funny story he shared about his kids.

He said his son, when riding in his car seat, looks as bad as Stevie Wonder when tapping out the beats and the jams. Says it reminds him of Stevie, he just looks so cool.

He mentioned that Dive In was this really happy sounding song where it's like "Yea, we are all going to die" and he had this big smile on his face. He said this in classic Dave style I might add.

I think he mentioned that 'Seven' is "about the worship of women".

Dave said he is really impressed with his most recent Beatles rip-off and it's in the song "Dive In". It's the verse where he sings:

"One day do you think we'll wake up
In a world on its way to getting better
And if so
Can you tell me
How"

That's it. I am tapped. I know a few more things but they haven't surfaced. I will let you know when they do. Hope you enjoy it. It was great trying to remember the interview and I know a lot of the material has been covered before. I was just trying to show what was covered in the interview.

You da man Adam

[41FLADAVE]

Originally Posted by CPinLA41

Hey everyone:

Sorry I didnt post this sooner...

I was lucky enough to be at the Grammy Interview also. And right before it started, it occured to me that, hey....my iPhone has a "recorder" app. I think I'll turn it on and see if it captures anything.

Sure enough, I got the whole interview. Now, obviously, the quality is nothing like we are used to from our taping community, but, if you turn up the volume, you can make out most of what they are saying.

So, please enjoy and share. Again....I know the quality is sub-par, but, hey, I figure its better than nothing.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/njx42n

take care-
CP

Fantastic !!

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU !!!

[420th jimi]

http://www.sendspace.com/file/njx42n


This is the link that someone shared from this interview. I am working on extracting the interview vocals from this so it is a little more listenable. As it is, it is atrocious. But as the guy who upped it said, at least we have something.

So let me work on that and see if I can get a better version of it. Maybe I should get permission from him...hmmm. I think I will do that first, so I can share. I can't share it if I don't get the tapers permission. I will keep ya posted.

[crashmpm]

^ Thanks for this.