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Dave Talks Boyd on iHeartRadio Podcast
Posted by Matt Yette in Radio Appearances at 1:03pm on Tuesday, Jul 17th, 2018Image Courtesy Forbes.com
The topic currently of most interest to the not-so-casual Dave Matthews Band fan would have to be the mystery and events surrounding the exit of long-time violinist Boyd Tinsley. On that topic, Dave dives in: "I think from the beginning we've been open to improvisation, to letting things go, but everything changes. I'd been struggling a bit with the band, with the sound of the band, or where we'd been going, and I think that's what led to Boyd stepping away. I think that bringing in Buddy Strong, there's this new ingredient that has changed all of us. And everyone changes. It's like, we're all looking at each other, thinking a whole different way."
Matthews continues: "There's been apprehension for a long time. I know the guys agree that Boyd certainly was a big part of the early part of the band, and it's remained because he's been there from the beginning, his powerful personality. He was there on stage, but, in rehearsals or in the studio his focus was really, it felt like to us, not in the room. And so, he was his own whirling dervish or his own storm, but that really worked beautifully sometimes. Other times it was very disoriented or seemed disconnected, and it was a frustration, and there was a lot of confrontation. But I'm a fiercely loyal person, and it took a long time for me to say, "Look, we need more from you. We need more focus on us." In that time when we're meant to be focusing on what we're doing, I've been having a really frustrating time getting to feel like he was putting in anything more than the bare minimum, and to get him to cop to that. That frustration, in combination with his own personal things led him to follow my advice and go to look after himself."
While that may be as forthcoming as we've seen Dave with regards to the in-band dynamic with regards to Boyd, the interview also brought us some other interesting nuggets, especially as it relates to Come Tomorrow. "In a weird way, it feels like this is the best stuff I've done, and I think GrooGrux was the most focused album because in the middle of it we lost LeRoi, so it had this real purpose that was behind it too, which was to pay homage," said Matthews. We'll let the community debate whether or not they agree with Dave that the latest album is the best stuff he's done, and we've shared our own thoughts on a previous version of the Ants Podcast. Dave also talks about his political views as well as what turning 50 has meant for his songwriting. All in all, a very interesting read (or listen). Check it out at forbes.com