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Dave Matthews Band’s Away from the World : A Preview

On September 18, 2011, the last night of a three day musical caravan, hosted by The Dave Matthews Band, on Randall’s Island, New York, lead singer Dave Matthews told the crowd the band was going into the studio and he hoped to have some new music to share by 2012. Creating a frenzy among fans for new music after the success of their 2009 album Big Whiskey and The Groo Grux King, there was little news from the band until now. On September 11, the group will release their new album titled, Away from the World, produced by Steve Lillywhite.

The first glimpse of the new album was on April 24th of this year, when Matthews went on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to debut a new song, “Mercy.” The song immediately became a hit among fans, and provided much anticipation for the Lillywhite-produced album. Lillywhite has worked with the band in the past on the albums, producing the celebrated Big Three : Under the Table and Dreaming, Crash, and Before These Crowded Streets. Favorites like “Ants Marching,” “What Would You Say” and “Two Step” all stem from these core albums. Now, according to Steve Lillywhite via Twitter, “the big three will soon become the big four” once this album is released.

But, the anticipation doesn’t end with just the fans. Members of the band were excited at the chance to work with Lillywhite again. Boyd Tinsley, violin player and founding member of the group explains, “Steve is an amazing producer and an amazing person. This is our fourth or fifth, if you count the ‘Lillywhite Sessions,” album with him. He has a way of making everyone comfortable. He has always brought music out of us, that we didn’t even know we possessed. I love working with Steve. He knows how to create magic.” Tinsley goes on to explain that although this album has a certain “classic” Dave Matthews Band feel, each member has grown as a musician and this album is proof of their evolution over time as musicians, adding, “This album just came from a good place and the band is having fun learning the new songs before each show and then getting to go out and play them for the fans.”

Tinsley explained the group was ready to get back into the studio to make more music, stating, “We were ready to get back together and play again after a long break, so there was this fresh excitement to play to be in the studio again. It felt like a new beginning. Everybody reached for, as Roi [LeRoi Moore founding saxophonist who passed away in 2008 following to an ATV accident] would always say, the next level. It was one of my favorite sessions.”

Tinsley also acknowledges some surprise at the speed with which it came together. “All the music just seemed to flow out of us. We could not believe how quickly we finished the music and how great it was. Of course, Dave worked long after everyone else left, to write and record the lyrics, but, still, relatively speaking this album just flowed. None of the Lillywhite records took a great deal of time. Sometimes, the best music happens right out of the gate.”