Home Read Albums Of The Week: Dave Matthews Band | Walk Around The Moon

Albums Of The Week: Dave Matthews Band | Walk Around The Moon

Bouncing back from the pandemic and the loss of a longtime member, the veteran jammers find their joy with an eclectic gumbo of blues, folk, psychedelia and more.

THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE:Walk Around The Moon is the 10th studio album from the Dave Matthews Band, the follow-up to their chart-topping 2018 album Come Tomorrow and their first since parting ways with longtime violinst Boyd Tinsley that same year.

Largely written throughout the pandemic, Walk Around The Moon is as much a reflection on the current times as it is an urge to find common ground. Most of the album’s 12 original songs were recorded with producer Rob Evans, including the title track. Walk Around The Moon is the third album single to be released, following Monsters and the stirring Madman’s Eyes.

The band debuted Walk Around The Moon at their July 2021 Walnut Creek Amphitheatre concert. Matthews told the audience, “This song is about taking a walk in the woods with unexpected consequences.” The psychedelic slow-burner sees Matthews playfully recount a fungus-filled adventure blurring the lines between reality and a dreamlike state:

“It’s blue, and it’s red
Found a new door inside of my head
How could I go to bed
Think I’ll walk around the moon instead.”

With a career spanning over 30 years, the Dave Matthews Band is one of the most influential bands in rock history. In 1991, singer-guitarist Matthews decided to put some songs he had written on tape and sought the assistance of drummer Carter Beauford and saxophonist LeRoi Moore, who were both accomplished jazz musicians in the local Charlottesville, Virginia music scene. Teenage bassist Stefan Lessard came on board shortly thereafter.

Their infectious, distinctive sound garnered lots of early attention and a diehard loyal fan base, catapulting the band into one of the most successful touring acts of the past three decades. They have sold more than 25 million tickets since their inception, making them the second largest ticket seller in history. To date, their studio albums and numerous live recordings have sold a collective 38 million CDs and DVDs since the 1994 release of their major label debut Under The Table And Dreaming. The Grammy-winning band’s many hits include What Would You Say, Crash Into Me, Too Much, Everyday, American Baby, Funny The Way It Is, Mercy and Samurai Cop (Oh Joy Begin).

Founding member Moore passed away in August of 2008 and the band paid tribute to him with 2009’s platinum-certified Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King. The band have since welcomed longtime collaborators/touring musicians Jeff Coffin (saxophone), Rashawn Ross (horns) and Tim Reynolds (guitar) into the lineup and — most recently — keyboardist Buddy Strong. With Come Tomorrow, Dave Matthews Band became the first group in history to have seven consecutive studio albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.”

 

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