Virginia Tech announcement due tomorrow

Virginia Tech will announce tomorrow the details of a September benefit concert, according to WDBJ in Roanoke, Va.

School news site BigLickU has previously confirmed that John Mayer is playing a Sept. 6 benefit show at Virginia Tech, and other rumored artists include Dave Matthews Band, Rascal Flatts and Metallica. But now BigLickU is quoting a university spokesman as saying the concert will not be a charity event. (Virginia Tech has a $7 million Hokie Spirit Memorial Fund in memory of the victims of April's campus shootings.) Clarification should some with the official announcement tomorrow morning.

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Dave Matthews plays drums, records "Eh Hee"

Dave Matthews has recorded a studio version of the new song "Eh Hee," he says in the new issue of Rolling Stone.

Dave tells the magazine he played drums on the track and also recruited a dance troupe for a video that he will leak on MySpace. He says that "we" recorded it, but the fact that he played drums suggests the recording is not a Dave Matthews Band effort but a solo one. Dave and Tim Reynolds perform "Eh Hee" on their Live at Radio City CD and DVD that come out Aug. 14.

In the interview, Dave also talks about the lack of progress on the new DMB album -- "let's not try and take a shit when we haven't got any crap inside us" -- as well as living in Seattle and playing at Live Earth. Also, Dave's funny quote in this Blog-Eyed Fish entry actually comes from the Rolling Stone Q&A.

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Dave Matthews' funny quote on home birthing

Dave Matthews' wife Ashley gave birth to their new son, August Oliver, at home in Seattle. When asked about the experience, Dave said, "We had him at home, which was nice, because I knew where the beer was," according to the World Entertainment News Network.

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Starbucks releases Dave Matthews Band "Trax" list

Starbucks has released the track listing for Live Trax, a Dave Matthews Band CD that will only be available in the coffee shops.

As expected, the CD is a compilation of songs, one from each of DMB's mail-order Live Trax volumes. Here's the track listing:

1. "Dancing Nancies" (Volume 7)
2. "When the World Ends" (Volume 8)
3. "Where Are You Going" (Volume 2)
4. "You Might Die Trying" (Volume 9)
5. "#41" (Volume 4)
6. "Don't Drink the Water" (Volume 6)
7. "Grace Is Gone" (Volume 3)
8. "Pantala Naga Pampa/Rapunzel" (Volume 1)
9. "Tripping Billies" (Volume 5)

The CD will be available in stores tomorrow. To promote the release, customers who sign up for a free trial subscription of XM Radio Online will be entered to win DMB-related prizes, including a meet-and-greet with Dave Matthews. Contest details will be available starting tomorrow.

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Stefan Lessard responds to song requests

Stefan Lessard has responded to fans' requests for old and rare Dave Matthews Band songs.

Lessard asked users of his Web site, IZStyle.com, what songs they'd like to hear on DMB's upcoming summer tour. According to the results, "Blue Water" was fans' most popular choice. And now Stefan has posted his reaction to the results on his MySpace page.

"I loved the responses and am with you on Blue Water.... One of my all time favorites," he wrote. "The solo section bass line from that song was inspired from listening to Pink Floyd all the time when I was 18. The lyrics...beautifully dark...we were a young band when that song was written..."

Stefan's survey and reaction are fueling speculation that DMB will play "Blue Water" this tour. DMB has not played the song in full since Feb. 25, 1995 -- although Dave Matthews has teased and played it off and on since then, sometimes with Tim Reynolds.

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Dave Matthews teams with Greenpeace, guitar cos.

Dave Matthews, Sting, Greenpeace and four leading guitar manufacturers are pushing for new logging practices, according to Mental Floss magazine.

They are focusing on protecting the Sitka spruce tree, as well as mahogany, ebony and rosewood -- all trees popular among guitar makers. Mental Floss says their proposal would require loggers to become certified by an environmental organization, which would presumably limit their activities. The guitar companies involved are Fender, Martin, Taylor and Gibson.

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Dave Matthews Band, Reverb partner for tour

Dave Matthews Band and the music/environmental organization Reverb are joining forces for another eco-friendly summer tour.

The partnership is called "Stand Up Against Global Warming" and is in its third year. This year's features include BioDiesel tour buses and trucks, carbon offsets, backstage recycling and an Eco-Village at every tour stop. DMB and Reverb are also encouraging fans to "Remember Two Things": support eco-friendly companies and offset the carbon dioxide emissions of your ride to the concert by promoting clean, renewable energy sources.

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Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds debut new song

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds played a new song at their East Hampton, N.Y. show last night. Dave called the song "#27" (download), but that is likely a temporary name that has nothing to do with his former practice of numbering every song he wrote (which gave us "#34," "#36," "#40" and "#41").

Dave also said that the song is a new Dave Matthews Band tune, according to fans in attendance. DMB's summer tour kicks off Wednesday in Mansfield, Mass.

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Dave and Tim cut Hamptons show ticket prices

Seeing Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds in the Hamptons this weekend just got a lot cheaper.

The Warehouse has announced that $250 tickets for the Hampton Social at Ross are now available by calling 800-803-6644 and using the password "Trax," according to music blog Idolator. And now the Ross School, one of the beneficiaries of the concert, is holding a Dutch auction for 100 pairs of tickets, which could drive prices even lower, according to another blog, The Beach.

Before this news, the only way you could go to this exclusive show was to pay $15,000, which also included tickets to shows by Prince, Billy Joel, James Taylor and Tom Petty. Both Idolator and The Beach are insinuating that much cheaper tickets are on sale now only because very few people wanted to pay $15,000.

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Dave Matthews and son spotted in public

Dave Matthews' son has made his first somewhat-public appearance, according to the Celebrity Baby Blog.

The gossip site reports that Dave brought 5-week-old August Oliver Matthews into a consignment shop in Seattle recently. The person who saw them said Dave was carrying August in a fleece pouch and doing an "awesome slinging" job.

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John Mayer to play Virginia Tech benefit

Virginia Tech will host a benefit concert Sept. 6 in memory of the victims of April's campus shootings, according to BigLickU, a student news site.

Blog-Eyed Fish is quoted in the story and helped BigLickU uncover the news that John Mayer will play the concert. Mayer is the only confirmed artist so far, but Dave Matthews Band, Metallica and Rascal Flatts are all rumored to be participating as well. DMB and Rascal Flatts' tours have them in the Southeast with open dates on Sept. 6, while Metallica's concert schedule is clear for the rest of the year.

There's no word yet on what venue will host the concert or who will be able to attend.

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Blog-Eyed Fish will now feature Digg and Facebook buttons at the bottom of every story, which look like this:



If you use either site, you can use these links to post Blog-Eyed Fish stories for others to read. Just click them, and you'll be taken to a page where you can easily submit the stories for sharing. If you have any questions, feel free to email Blog-Eyed Fish.

Stefan Lessard taking song requests

Stefan Lessard has posted on the message board at his Web site, IZStyle.com, asking fans what song they'd most like to hear Dave Matthews Band play on its upcoming summer tour.

Fans are seizing the opportunity, offering up nearly 300 responses as of this morning. Most are clamoring for old songs the band hasn't played in years, like "Blue Water" and "Spotlight," and some want more recent tunes that have disappeared, like "Sugar Will," "Crazy Easy" and "Good Good Time."

The post comes on the heels of Dave Matthews telling Billboard magazine that DMB members sometimes go online to find out what songs fans want to hear. So it could signal the dawn of a new era of DMB listening to fans more. Or, it could just be a way for Stefan to drum up membership for IZStyle, which recently relaunched. We'll find out a week from today, when the summer tour starts in Mansfield, Mass.

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Dave Matthews Band to host food drives

Dave Matthews Band will run a food drive before almost every concert on its summer tour.

DMB has teamed up with Rock For A Remedy to host the drives starting with the Aug. 7 show in Camden, N.J. Fans are encouraged to donate nonperishable food items or money at a table at each venue, where they can also send postcards to Congress requesting help for U.S. farmers.

Rock For A Remedy is seeking volunteers to work the food drives. If interested, send an email by Aug. 1 to iwill@rockforaremedy.com and put "DMB Volunteer: (venue name)" in the subject line. Volunteers will receive a pass letting them watch the concert from the lawn once the food drive is over.

Dave Matthews Band moves up on ticket list

As Dave Matthews Band's summer tour grows nearer, demand for tickets is getting larger.

DMB is the second-most-wanted act on TicketNews.com's Top Concerts list this week, moving up from No. 5 last week. The band is also No. 7 on this week's Top Events list, which includes concerts, Broadway and Las Vegas shows and sports games.

Rascal Flatts is No. 1 on the Top Concerts list, and "Wicked" is the top event overall.

Dave and Tim Radio City Blu-Ray delayed

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds have announced that the Blu-Ray version of their Live at Radio City release will not hit shelves Aug. 28 as planned.

The new date is one week later, Sept. 4. Dave and Tim did not give a reason for the delay. The CD and DVD will still come out Aug. 14.

In related news, the Sony Music Store has released the chapter names for the 46-minute documentary on the DVD and Blu-Ray. They are: "Mondays at Miller's," "Gravitating Towards the Basement," "Playing the Mistakes," "antsmarching.org," "Out of My Hands," "Facemasks," "It Feels Invincible," "Try Not to Understand Anything I'm Saying," "Khoisan," "You Don't Get a Lot Done When You're a Tree," "Sister," "This is All Cherry," "The Ephemeral Nature of Consciousness" and "Photo Montage."

Dave Matthews Band to sell live CD at Starbucks

Dave Matthews Band will sell a live compilation album exclusively at Starbucks this summer, according to Weekly Davespeak.

"Don't Drink the Water" and "Tripping Billies" are the only songs confirmed for the CD, which is only described as "featuring live songs from past tours." Starbucks' official site has labeled the album Live Trax, which likely means it is a compilation of songs from DMB's Live Trax series -- and not the latest volume of the series.

Starbucks' summer CD promotion will also feature music by Ella Fitzgerald, the Grateful Dead and others, according to the official Starbucks announcement.

Dave Matthews speaks on troop benefits

Dave Matthews appeared on ABC News last night, speaking about his crusade against the U.S. military denying medical benefits to soldiers on the basis that they had pre-existing psychological conditions.

The interview featured clips from the upcoming Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds DVD, Live at Radio City, where Dave talked about the story of one of those soldiers, Jonathan Town. It also shows Dave and Tim playing "Gravedigger."

Dave Matthews Band has started a petition calling for full medical benefits for all troops, which you can sign here.

Dave Matthews' "The Fly" video posted

Dave Matthews' "The Fly," a song he wrote for the new movie "Joshua," plays in this video by Fox Searchlight:



"Joshua" was produced by Matthews' ATO Pictures.

Dave and Tim bonus CDs announced

Fans who pre-order Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds' Live at Radio City CD and DVD will receive a free bonus CD, Europe 07.

Pre-ordered purchases of either the CD, DVD or Blu-Ray will receive a four-song version of the bonus disc. Anyone who pre-orders a package of at least two of those products will get an eight-song version.

Dave and Tim have not announced the track listings for either bonus CD, and it's not even clear if the songs are from their 2007 tour of Europe or Dave Matthews Band's -- or a combination of both. The only word from the official announcement that came out today is that the bonus CDs will feature all "never-before-released live songs."

Live at Radio City comes out Aug. 14 on CD and DVD and Aug. 18 on Blu-Ray.

NFL preview, Dave Matthews Band style

Sports blog Rev's World has come out with its predictions for the NFL season, using a different Dave Matthews Band song to describe each team. Some of the best include:

• Buffalo Bills:"#40"
  This song is rare to hear live. It's rare to go to 4 consecutive Super Bowls. But much like hearing this song live, the Bills are mostly a tease.
• Cleveland Browns: "Dreams of Our Fathers"
  This is the only album recorded song that DMB has never played live. They have sound checked it but that does not count. The Browns have never played in a Super Bowl, let alone won one except for way back in the day when the NFL didn't even exist. That also does not count.
• Atlanta Falcons: "Too Much"
  Mike Vick drinks too much. He smokes too much. He fights dogs too much. Tooooooo muuuuuuuch! This team is headed for a disaster.

Dave Matthews dresses son in cloth diapers

Dave Matthews is getting his newborn son off to an ecologically-friendly start: by dressing him in cloth diapers.

Dave said at a post-Live Earth press conference that son August Oliver Matthews wears the reusable diapers because the disposable kind are a big cause of environmental damage, according to People magazine. Dave apparently focuses a lot of his planet-saving energy on bathroom activities; he has previously said that you should not flush the toilet "unless there's a turd."

Billboard posts full Dave Matthews interview

Billboard.com has posted the full version of its Q&A with Dave Matthews. Here are some highlights that weren't in the previously reported version of the interview:

• Dave says he was "really reluctant" about releasing "American Baby" as a single in 2005, because he was afraid listeners would misinterpret its lyrics. He also criticizes that song's production, saying, "The smallness of the guitar and voice and the irony that was so thick in it, was lost."
• Dave Matthews Band's favorite venues to play are Red Rocks in Colorado, the Gorge in Washington and Alpine Valley in Wisconsin. Dave also describes Giants Stadium as "very cool" and Madison Square Garden as "awesome."
• When asked if there will be a time when DMB stops touring, Dave says: "I don't see it. But I don't know what the world has in store."

In another Billboard story, the magazine predicts that DMB will be one of few current acts that will still be a top touring band in 10 years.

Dave Matthews Band debuts new song

Dave Matthews Band played a new song at last night's show in Bridgeview, Ill. It's called "Falling Off the Roof," and according to these lyrics, it's about someone contemplating suicide in the aftermath of a car accident. Only Dave Matthews and Carter Beauford played on the song.

Here's video of the performance:



The other major news from last night's show is that DMB played "Shotgun" during the pre-show soundcheck. "Shotgun" is a popular song from 2006 that fans feared would disappear this year.

DMB's summer tour kicks off Aug. 1 in Mansfield, Mass.

Dave Matthews Band plays Live Earth

Dave Matthews Band just got off the stage at Giants Stadium after playing a short but sweet set at the Live Earth concert. The band opened with "One Sweet World," then played "Don't Drink the Water" and ended with "Anyone Seen the Bridge?" into "Too Much" -- all appropriate choices, given their subject matter and the point of the concert.

Dave Matthews had some guitar trouble early on, so about half of "One Sweet World" was without a guitar. Butch Taylor filled in as much as he could on keyboards. DMB will play a full show tomorrow at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., then start its summer tour Aug. 1 in Mansfield, Mass.

Live at Radio City cover art released

Here's the cover art for Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds' Live at Radio City CD and DVD, due in stores Aug. 14:

Dave Matthews Band is "extreme green"

Dave Matthews Band has made the list of the most environmentally friendly musicians on Spinner.com, an AOL music site.

The site puts DMB at No. 10 on its Extreme Green list, recognizing band members for promoting bicycling in their hometown of Charlottesville, Va. and for offsetting all of the carbon emissions their touring has caused since 1991. Other acts on the list include Neil Young, Jack Johnson and Pearl Jam.

Dave Matthews writes song for film

Dave Matthews wrote a song that a child sings in a crucial scene of the new movie "Joshua," according to the Associated Press.

"Joshua," which won the excellence in cinematography award at this year's Sundance Film Festival, was produced by Dave's ATO Pictures and premiered in some theaters this weekend. In Dave's interview with the AP, he says he wrote the song while on tour and "wanted it to be delivered in a sweet way by the boy, but I also wanted it to be really horrifying."

Dave is also supposed to perform a new song, "Fly," on the movie soundtrack. It's not clear if "Fly" is the same song the boy sings in the movie or a different song. There's no release date yet for the soundtrack.

Billboard gives Dave and Tim CD, DVD details

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds' Live at Radio City will be available on two CDs, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs, according to Billboard.

Bonus features on the DVD include a 5.1 audio mix, a 46-minute behind-the-scenes documentary and a photo gallery, according to the article. Other news in the article: the somewhat new song that fans have been calling "Ayhee" is actually spelled "Eh Hee," and Dave Matthews Band's next studio album is now officially due in 2008.

As previously reported, the release date for Live at Radio City is Aug. 14, but Billboard says Blu-Ray buyers will have to wait until Aug. 28. Both the CDs and DVDs capture Dave and Tim's full April 22, 2007 performance at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Dave and Ashley Matthews welcome August Oliver

Dave and Ashley Matthews have officially announced the birth of their first son, August Oliver Matthews, who was born on June 19.

The announcement says August was born at home, presumably in Seattle, and that he and the family are "doing well." Dave and Ashley have twin daughters, Grace and Stella, who are 5 1/2 years old.

Congratulations to the whole Matthews clan!

Dave and Tim CD due Aug. 14

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds will release Live at Radio City on Aug. 14, according to BestBuy.com. The CD has a list price of $19.98 but will be available for $15.99 at Best Buy.

The CD captures Dave and Tim's April 22, 2007 show in New York. The official Dave Matthews Band site previously announced that a DVD of the performance will also be available, but BestBuy.com has not yet listed that item.

Dave Matthews: We listen to fans

Dave Matthews tells Billboard magazine that he and his band mates occasionally look online to see what songs fans want them to play.

"Certain songs fall out of favor with us for whatever reason and don't appear for a while, but they come back around eventually and reappear," Dave said. "We look online or hear through conversations maybe what songs fans want to hear, and if they're songs that also we don't mind playing or we start getting back into, then we try to bring those in."

Not surprisingly, Dave's comments have spurred quite a few "Bring back (insert song here)" threads on Dave Matthews Band message boards. In the interview, Dave also talks about DMB's approach to touring, its record sales vs. its live reputation, and the fact that only the Rolling Stones have sold more tickets in the past decade.