Dave Matthews: Band working on 15 songs for new album, LeRoi's absence 'tough'

Dave Matthews Band has 15 prospective songs for its new album, Dave Matthews tells the Rocky Mountain News in a wide-ranging interview.

Dave describes the songwriting process as very casual, with one band member picking up an instrument and everyone else joining in. Producer Rob Cavallo then picked 15 songs and told the band to refine and record them, which is where DMB left off to start its summer tour. (The band is supposed to go back into the studio in October, but there's been no word if LeRoi Moore's injury will affect that schedule.) Dave said he has been listening to the recorded songs and trying to come up with lyrics during days off from the tour.

On the subject of LeRoi's injury, Dave said the first show without him was "a tough one" and that his absence is a "challenge." Dave didn't say what injuries LeRoi suffered, but he did say "there's the possibility of him being out for a while."

Dave also spoke about Butch Taylor's departure from the band. Dave said, "Butch of his own decision decided he didn't want to be here, wanted to pursue something else in his life. We honor that."

Dave spoke to the Rocky Mountain News in advance of DMB's July 20 performance at the Mile High Music Festival in Denver. The AT&T Blue Room will present a live webcast of the festival.

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Dave Matthews Band leaks second studio video

The second video of Dave Matthews Band working on its new album in the studio has leaked online. The video picks up where the first one left off, with band members and producer Rob Cavallo talking about the structure of a new song. It then ends with a 10-second clip of Dave singing "Sweet Up and Down."

To check out the video, click here.

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Dave Matthews Band news recap

Here's a recap of everything that happened in the world of Dave Matthews Band while DMBnews.net was down:

• Fans got their first glimpse of DMB working on its new album, thanks to a video posted on the band's iLike page. The video shows DMB in the studio with producer Rob Cavallo and guest guitarist Tim Reynolds. It features clips of two new songs as well as a fairly finished studio version of "Shotgun." For what it's worth, longtime DMB keyboard player Butch Taylor and recent guest trumpeter Rashawn Ross aren't in the video.


• Everyone who buys tickets to DMB's summer tour through Ticketmaster.com will receive a free six-song digital album featuring recordings from the tour. Fans who bought tickets through the Warehouse will also be able to download the album.
  


• Denver's Mile High Music Festival announced that DMB will headline the show's second night, July 20 at Dick's Sporting Goods Park. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers will close out the first night.


• DMB and environmental group Reverb announced they will start a carpool service for fans traveling to this summer's concerts. The move is aimed at saving fuel and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Initiatives like that helped DMB land on Billboard's Top 10 list of green musicians.
  


• Jambands.com posted an interview with Stefan Lessard, focusing on the music he composed for the new 3D IMAX film, "MacGillivray Freeman's Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk." Carter Beauford and Tim Reynolds helped record the score, and the movie also features Dave Matthews Band songs.


• A documentary about the New York concert venue Wetlands Preserve debuted. DMB played there in the 1990s and is featured in the film.
  

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Tim Reynolds to play on, Rob Cavallo to produce Dave Matthews Band's new 2008 studio album

Dave Matthews Band's new studio album will feature Tim Reynolds on guitar for the first time since Before These Crowded Streets in 1998.

DMB is in the studio now, working with producer Rob Cavallo. He is best known for his work with Green Day, having produced Dookie, American Idiot and other of the band's albums. Cavallo has also worked with Fleetwood Mac, Alanis Morissette, My Chemical Romance, Goo Goo Dolls, Kid Rock, Avril Lavigne and Jewel. In addition, he produced Rent: The Motion Picture Soundtrack.

The next DMB album does not yet have a title or release date. The band said it will play songs from the new album on its 2008 summer tour.

Here's a good, recent interview with Rob Cavallo, where he talks about his experience and philosophy as a producer.

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Report: Dave Matthews Band set to announce summer tour dates, new album producer

Dave Matthews Band has picked a producer for its new album and will announce his identity this week -- along with 2008 summer tour dates -- according to AntsMarching.org.

This week's AntsMarching.org podcast reported that Steve Lillywhite will not produce the album, as many fans had hoped. Lillywhite produced DMB's first three studio albums as well as the aborted Lillywhite Sessions in 2000. The band is scheduled to begin recording its new album this month in Seattle.

The announcements of the producer and the tour dates should come by Thursday, AntsMarching.org said.

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Dave Matthews Band to record new album in Seattle, pre-produce in Charlottesville

Dave Matthews Band will start pre-production on its next studio album this week in Charlottesville, Va., then head to Seattle for recording sessions, according to Stefan Lessard.

There is still no information about who will produce the album or what songs will appear, although Stefan has mentioned "Corn Bread" and "#27" as likely candidates in the past. AntsMarching.org also reported that DMB played "Loving Wings," "Sweet Up and Down" and "Shotgun" during a brief November studio session.

Stefan wrote about the plans for a new DMB album today on his MySpace blog, but the locations were the only information he gave. Charlottesville is of course the band's home base, and Dave Matthews now lives in Seattle.

Stefan also said that Yukon Kornelius, the cover band he formed with Ed Robertson of Barenaked Ladies and Guster's Adam Gardner, will return.

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Dave Matthews Band new album update

AntsMarching.org has posted a brief update on the status of the new Dave Matthews Band album.

According to the report, DMB has no timetable for releasing a new album and has not chosen a producer. The band worked on some songs in the studio in November and will return in March, the article said.

DMB has played a bunch of new songs in concert over the past few years, and some will likely appear on the band's next CD. Check out the Dave Matthews Band New Album Preview, an ongoing feature on Blog-Eyed Fish, for information about the songs, videos of live performances and fan polls. The next song to be featured will be "Shotgun."

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Dave Matthews records in Pennsylvania

Dave Matthews Band's 2007 tour didn't just stop at amphitheaters, parks and stadiums. For the first time, the band also went into local studios on off days to write and record new songs. And now the location of one of those sessions is known.

Dave Matthews "did some recording" at Milkboy Studios in Ardmore, Pa. in August, according to The News Journal in Wilmington, Del. No details of the session are disclosed, because The News Journal's story is mostly about a local Delaware band that was recording at the studio at the same time. But the newspaper does say that Dave also managed to find time to visit his niece at nearby Haverford College.

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New Dave Matthews Band album sessions to begin this winter; 'Cornbread,' '#27' likely

Dave Matthews Band will start recording its new album late this winter, according to bassist Stefan Lessard.

Stefan appeared on Sirius radio's Jam On station this week and said there are no firm plans for recording the new Dave Matthews Band album. It will likely include some of the songs that the band debuted on its summer tour -- Stefan specifically mentioned "Cornbread" and "#27" -- as well as some brand new songs.

"We're excited to get something out," Stefan said. "We've been playing a lot of new songs, and we've been getting good responses."

Dave Matthews Band has not decided on a producer for the new album or where to record it, Stefan told Sirius. He mentioned Los Angeles, San Francisco, Hawaii, Grand Cayman and the band's hometown of Charlottesville, Va. as possible locations. And there's no timetable for the new album's release, he said.

"There's really no deadline to have a record out," he said. "We just want to make something that's going to be great to release."

Stefan said he will spend most of his winter working on a new snowboarding movie with "American Pie" star Jason Biggs, Ed Robertson from Barenaked Ladies and Adam Gardner from Guster. He also said a Dave Matthews Band summer tour in 2008 is "almost a guarantee."

"It would be like a summer without, you know, backyard barbecues and beach vacations," he said.

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Dave Matthews: New album "not working"

Don't expect a new Dave Matthews Band album any time soon. Dave Matthews says in the new issue of Rolling Stone that the writing and recording process is "not working now" despite the "so many ideas" the band has come up with.

"They haven't found a comfort zone," Dave tells the magazine. "None of it's bad, but there's nothing that grabs us yet."

It's disappointing news to fans who were anticipating a new album, but it's probably better in the long run. The last time DMB tried to force songs in the studio, we ended up with the whole Lillywhite Sessions debacle.

The news also helps explain why DMB has cut back on the number of new songs it has been playing this year. Last year the band debuted six songs: "The Idea of You," "Sister," "Kill the King," "Break Free," "Shotgun" and "Can't Stop." This year, the only songs remaining on set lists have been "The Idea of You" and "Sister" -- although Dave did play "Can't Stop" at a solo show and another new song, "Cornbread," at his shows with Tim Reynolds.

Dave also says in the interview that he wants to play "The Last Stop" more this year, hinting that the song's complexity is the reason DMB doesn't play it frequently. He talks about his grilling skills, scotch and touring with his family as well.

UPDATE (6/2): Rolling Stone now has the story on its Web site.

Stefan says no album any time soon

Dave Matthews Band won't seriously start recording its next album until later this year, according to Stefan Lessard in this Brisbane Times interview. Stefan characterizes the time the band has spent in the studio so far as "pre-production" and says the band is on a "creative break" right now.

The interview also features Stefan talking about joining the band when he was 16, its charitable work and what else he plans to do during DMB's current Australian tour.

DMB Heading Back to Studio

Dave Matthews Band will return to the studio in late April or early May, AntsMarching.org reports today. The article cites "multiple sources" who say DMB's last studio sessions were in January and November, where the band recorded "Shotgun," "Idea of You," "Can't Stop" and some other songs -- but not "Break Free" or "Kill the King," the other two new songs played during the 2006 tour.

Whenever DMB returns to the studio, it won't be for long. The band has an international tour scheduled with dates in Australia from May 1-5 and Europe from May 23-June 3.