The Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament will take place in Atlanta next month. Event organizers have just announced a three-day music fest called The 2013 NCAA Big Dance Concert Series which will be held during The Final Four in Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park on April 5 – 7. While many of the performers expected to play will be announced later, the three bands that will perform at the final day, which is being billed as “Capital One JamFest,” have been revealed.

Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Sting and the Dave Matthews Band will headline the Capital One JamFest on Sunday, April 7th. Muse will headline the Coke Zero Countdown on Saturday, April 6th. Flo Rida, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Ludacris are the other acts that have been announced thus far. Keep your eyes on the event’s website for future announcements containing additional performers.

When the Dave Matthews Band paid a visit to the Late Show with Jimmy Fallon earlier this month in support of the revitalizing new album, Away from the World, the producers had the foresight to record a live rendition of Christmas Song, the standout holiday song off Remember Two Things, which eventually aired on the show this past Monday night.

Hard to believe it’s been almost twenty years since this album came out. Pay attention to the lyrics of this song if you’ve never done so before. They tell the story of Christmas straight away, albeit with a unique perspective. Here’s Dave, Carter Beauford and Tim Reynolds performing Christmas Song…

In February ATO Records will release an album entitled The Music Is You: A Tribute To John Denver that features HT faves My Morning Jacket, Dave Matthews, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Old Crow Medicine Show and more covering songs from John Denver’s impressive catalog.

The tribute is due 15 years after Denver’s tragic death and 40 years after the release of Rocky Mountain High. A portion of the proceeds will be benefit environmental initiatives in John’s name.

Here’s the tracklist for the tribute…

“Take Me To Tomorrow” by Dave Matthews
“Leaving, on a Jet Plane” by My Morning Jacket
“Sunshine On My Shoulders” by Train
“Wooden Indian” by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
“Some Days are Diamonds” by Amos Lee
(Song selection TBA) by Lucinda Williams
“Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Brandi Carlile
“Back Home Again” by Old Crow Medicine Show
“Darcy Farrow” by Josh Ritter and Barnstar
“All of My Memories” by Kathleen Edwards
“Prisoners” by J Mascis and Sharon Van Etten
“Annie’s Song” by Brett Dennen and Milow
“Looking For Space” by Evan Dando
“Eagle and the Hawk” by Blind Pilot
“I Guess He’d Rather Be In Colorado” by Mary Chapin Carpenter

Life is good Festival, September 23rd and 24th - Canton, MA

In its third year, the Life is good Festival was once again graced with absolutely perfect weather. The beautiful concert fields at the foot of Blue Hill in Canton, Mass. were filled with sunshine and temperatures in the mid 70′s each day. As was the case the previous two years, the festival ran extremely smoothly with ample staff, volunteers, concessions, restrooms, and good vibes to keep the throngs of festival goers extremely happy. Sets alternated nicely between the two main stages and ran pretty well on time all weekend making it possible that you didn’t need to miss a single note of music. Despite being sold out, thanks to the large draw of Dave Matthews, there was ample space to enjoy the vast festival grounds and the shows without feeling crowded.

Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds were certainly the largest draw and biggest names the festival has booked in the past three years and helped the event sell out completely for the first time. Likewise, it was the longest set that the festival has featured, clocking in at two and half hours and containing 23 songs. Similar to the Ray LaMontagne set from last year’s closing performance on the main stage, the performance felt extremely intimate despite the large crowd. Wistfully sharing stories, talking to the crowd as if it was a club show, and stitching together spirited Dave Matthews Band classics with Dave and Tim favorites, the setlist flowed well from the opening notes of Everyday through the closing number in Ants Marching.

READ ON

After taking the majority of last year off, the Dave Matthews Band returned in 2012 in a big way with a massive summer tour, and with the news that they would be releasing a brand new studio album in the fall. On Tuesday, DMB will release Away From The World, reuniting with longtime friend Steve Lillywhite, who produced the band’s first three multi-platinum efforts, as well as their 2000 “lost album” affectionately known as the Lillywhite Sessions.

Last month the band put out a call to their fans asking them to help in the making of music video for the record’s lead single – Mercy – by submitting video or photos of them completing some predetermined tasks. The crowd-sourced clip features contributions from a staggering 14,344 people conveying messages of hope, love and peace. Let’s check it out..

Dave Matthews Band – Mercy

Dave Matthews Band will wrap up their summer tour with a four-show California run, that will culminate with a record release show at the famed Hollywood Bowl on September 12.

SiriusXM continues their strategy of branding artist-specific channels with the launch of the limited-run Dave Matthews Band Radio on September 1st. Set to last one month, Dave Matthews Band Radio will be available as a 24/7 channel online on channel 714 and through the SiriusXM Internet Radio App for smartphones and mobile devices. It’s set to feature exclusive broadcasts, interviews and music from Dave Matthews’ side projects.

The channel will launch with an exclusive live broadcast of the band’s Sept. 1 show at The Gorge at 11PM ET which will be rebroadcast throughout the month. DMB Radio will also present music from the group’s new album, Away From The World, with the band members personally introducing each song on the new album and sharing their stories about the songs, each other and their 21-year career on the road. You can hear Dave Matthews Band Radio on Sirius channel 142 and XM channel 43.

The long-running annual benefit concert Farm Aid will come to Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Penn. on Sept. 22. This year’s event will feature board members Dave Matthews (performing with Tim Reynolds), Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Willie Nelson. In addition, Jack Johnson, ALO, Pegi Young & the Survivors and Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real will round out the lineup.

The first Farm Aid took place in 1985 and over the years the foundation has raised over $40 million to benefit family farmers across the country. Tickets for Farm Aid 2012 will go on sale Friday, July 13, at 10 AM EDT and will be available at www.livenation.com, www.ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster outlets, GIANT Center Box Office, or by phone at 800-745-3000.

The Dave Matthews Band will put out their latest studio album, Away From The World, which was produced by longtime collaborator Steve Lillywhite, on September 11. Lillywhite produced the band’s first three studio albums, each of which sold a shitload of copies. A pre-order has just started with options to purchase the album in CD, digital and vinyl formats. Deluxe versions of the CD and digital editions – containing three exclusive new live tracks – will also be available. A super-deluxe edition will include the deluxe CD, a DVD, a 2012 tour photo book and more.

DMB has been previewing certain songs from the album such as Gaucho and Mercy on their massive summer tour, which hits the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, New Jersey tonight.

Here’s the track listing for Away From The World…

1. Broken Things
2. Belly Belly
3. Mercy
4. Gaucho
5. Sweet
6. The Riff
7. Belly Full
8. If Only
9. Rooftop
10. Snow Outside
11. Drunken Soldier

Dave Matthews Band with the Carolina Chocolate Drops @ Riverbend, May 29

In a society that discards and disregards anything popular faster than expired dairy products, the staying power and popularity of Dave Matthews is remarkable and well earned. One of the saddest aspects of internet reviews is to talk down on the popular, to appear above the rabble and shower disdain on your subject matter. I have read dozens of reviews on Dave Matthews making fun of his supposed blandness, his fans and his place as a “Gateway” act, as if you need to move past his brand of happy, energetic music to be accepted into the realms of higher fandom. Yet, night in and night out, Dave Matthews and his stellar band play to sold out shows packed with smiling faces and sing-a-long voices, having the time of their lives.

[All DMB Photos by Rex Thomson]

The fans themselves don’t care what these elitist writers and listeners say, they just wanna hear Ants Marching. They don’t care if you listened to Dave a year ago and have moved past his sound, they care that it makes them happy, and that’s all Matthews is shooting for as well. Over the years he has not only delighted millions of fans, he has introduced his audience to hundreds of supporting acts, helping far more artists than I could easily name. On this night in Cincinnati, he brought the Carolina Chocolate Drops along and let them have a solid 45 minutes to share their old timey Americana/Roots style with the 15,ooo attendees. The CCD combine an earthy, authentic blend of styles, from ragtime, to spirituls, proto jazz and smiling soul that charms and entertains all at once. Mixing a variety of instruments, from cello, violin, guitar, drums and more, the trio from the Carolina mountains bring a humanity and humor to music that seems old as the hills and fresh at the same time.

READ ON

Seattle resident and rock superstar Dave Matthews has been a supporter of President Barack Obama since the American head of state defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primary season. Yesterday, Matthews helped the President in his bid for re-election by playing a 30-minute set at an Obama fundraiser, which was held at the Paramount Theater in Dave’s current hometown.

[Photo of Dave Matthews @ DMB Caravan AC by Jeremy Gordon]

The event, which saw 1,800 guests pony up at least a thousand dollars a piece, was billed as “Lunch With President Obama.” Matthews opened with Don’t Drink The Water, complete with a few This Land Is Your Land lyrics. From there, the DMB front man tackled Dive In, Save Me, Where Are You Going, Sweet (featuring Matthews on uke), Woody Guthrie’s Rye Whiskey and his newest tune – Mercy. You can watch video of the whole set thanks to YouTuber caprisonne327…

Dave Matthews – Lunch With President Obama Set

Set: Don’t Drink The Water, Dive In, Save Me, Where Are You Going, Sweet, Rye Whiskey Mercy

Dave Matthews visited the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill last night for a special episode of Late Night with Jimmy Fallon that also featured President Barack Obama. Matthews debuted a new tune called Mercy, along with Roots guitarist Captain Kirk Douglas. Check it out…

Dave and his band recently recorded a new album with producer Steve Lillywhite in Matthews’ current hometown of Seattle. Lillywhite tweeted that the track isn’t acoustic on the album. Matthews also helped the host out with a comedic song called Walk of Shame.

After finishing a crazy year of touring in 2010, the Dave Matthews Band announced they would take 2011 off. That didn’t quite happen as the group reformed for a series of four festivals called the DMB Caravan, but they didn’t actually tour. This summer Matthews and his band will hit the road hard as they have just announced a lengthy tour that kicks off in Woodlands, Texas on May 18 and finishes at Shoreline on September 9. Along the way, DMB has invited a few of our faves to open for them including Lettuce, The Avett Brothers, The Head and the Heart, Blind Pilot and Gary Clark Jr.

Lettuce will open a pair of DMB shows at SPAC on June 8 and 9, while The Head and the Heart have signed on for the support slot at a few shows down south. Here’s the full list of dates and openers…

DAVE MATTHEWS BAND 2012 SUMMER TOUR DATES
5/18 Woodlands, TX Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion w/ Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
5/19 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion w/ Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
5/20 Gulf Shores, AL Hangout Music Fest
5/22 Atlanta, GA Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood w/ The Head and the Heart
5/23 Charlotte, NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/ The Head and the Heart
5/25 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre w/ Mariachi El Bronx
5/26 Hartford, CT Comcast Theatre w/ Carolina Chocolate Drops
5/28 Scranton, PA Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain w/ Carolina Chocolate Drops
5/29 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center w/ Carolina Chocolate Drops
6/2 Toronto, ON Molson Amphitheatre w/ Blind Pilot
6/3 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center w/ Blind Pilot
6/5 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center w/ Carolina Chocolate Drops
6/6 Mansfield, MA Comcast Center w/ Carolina Chocolate Drops
6/8 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center w/ Lettuce
6/9 Saratoga Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center w/ Lettuce
6/12 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre w/ Fitz and the Tantrums
6/13 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre w/ Fitz and the Tantrums
6/16 Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live w/ Gary Clark Jr.
6/17 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach w/ Gary Clark Jr.
6/22 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center w/ Gary Clark Jr.
6/23 Noblesville, IN Klipsch Music Center w/ Delta Spirit
6/26 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center w/ Brandi Carlile
6/27 Camden, NJ Susquehanna Bank Center
6/29 Hershey, PA Hersheypark Stadium
6/30 Bethel, NY Bethel Woods Center for the Arts w/ Delta Spirit
7/3 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center w/ Brandi Carlile
7/6 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Center
7/7 East Troy, WI Alpine Valley Music Center w/ Brandi Carlile
7/10 Clarkston, MI DTE Ene rgy Music Center w/ Brandi Carlile
7/11 Maryland Heights, MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/ Brandi Carlile
7/13 Burgettstown, PA First Niagara Pavilion w/ SOJA
7/14 Burgettstown, PA First Niagara Pavilion w/ SOJA
7/18 Tampa, FL 1-800-Ask-Gary Amphitheatre w/ Tower of Power
7/20 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre w/ Tower of Power
7/21 West Palm Beach, FL Cruzan Amphitheatre w/ Tower of Power
8/31 George, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre w/ The Avett Brothers
9/1 George, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre w/ The Avett Brothers
9/2 George, WA The Gorge Amphitheatre w/ The Avett Brothers
9/7 Chula Vista, WA Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre w/ The Allen Stone
9/8 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre w/ The Allen Stone
9/9 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre w/ The Allen Stone

Tickets for Warehouse fan club members go on sale tomorrow, February 16, at 10AM ET, while the general public get a crack on Friday, March 9. In other DMB news, the band also announced that they are currently in the studio working on a new album with producer Steve Lillywhite who produced the group’s first three LPs.

Last year, the Dave Matthews Band announced it would take 2011 off from touring. Then, the group changed course and said they would throw their own multi-band festivals that they’d headline.  All in all, there were five DMB Caravan events this summer – one in Atlantic City, one in Chicago, one at The Gorge, an ill-fated one-day affair at Governor’s Island and this month’s full three-day shebang on Randall’s Island. The Caravan events went so well that the band’s management is in talks to bring back at least the Atlantic City stop according to a report in the Atlantic City Press.

In an article about the future of Bader Field, the venue where the Atlantic City stop was held, George Lynn, a member of the city’s Strategic Planning Committee told the press that “Caravan promoter Starr Hill Presents is expected to finalize the event’s return after an upcoming meeting between company representatives and the city’s Strategic Planning Committee.” The article also mentions that the city is going after other music-related events and details the fees paid by DMB’s management.

As of now, there are no dates currently scheduled for the Dave Matthews Band. It is expected that the band will mount a full tour next year, but it remains to be seen how they will fit an Atlantic City Caravan and other possible Caravans into their schedule. We’ll keep you posted as more information becomes available. [via @HeadCountOrg]

Next Thursday, we’ll publish the indie rock edition of Wade “Wyllys” Wilby’s favorite fall albums list. This week, we wanted to share his original list of classic autumn LPs that was first published on August 24, 2008…

The fall beckons the romantic in all of us. Most any music fan you talk to will have a list of albums that remind them of the fall. There is an emotional attachment to the scenery around you, the climate change, and the music you were listening to that time of year. I’m not going to wax poetic about the autumn, as we all know the myriad of emotions the fall conjures. Rather, I would love to have your list of fall albums speak for those emotions. Sound off in the comments if you are feeling inspired and if your team is hunting for the Wild Card spot as well, god bless ‘em.

10. John Mayer – Heavier Things

On his second major label outing, Mayer sounds composed, more mature, and well produced. With Jack Joseph Puig at the helm and Matt Chamberlain and Steve Jordan sharing time behind the kit, you can hardly go wrong. This sonic milkshake pours from loop to horn line without spoiling the stomach and is just sweet enough to please the ladies, while maintaining an aura of professional gloss the guys can get behind. Kudos, John. Unfortunately, his next best accomplishment would be Jennifer Aniston. Fall Mix Disc Track: Something’s Missing

READ ON for the rest of Wade’s list of favorite albums for the fall…

DMB Caravan @ Randall’s Island – September 18

Photos: Jeremy Smith

After the threat from Hurricane Irene turned the DMB Caravan stop at Governor’s Island into a one-day affair from its original three-day schedule, the Dave Matthews-curated event returned to New York City last weekend for a full three days that seemingly went off without a hitch. The weather was beautiful and the crowds increased as each day went by.

[All photos by Jeremy Smith]

Elew threw down a soulful set filled with jazzy overtones. From Good Homes made their first appearance within city limits in over a decade and impressed a small crowd during a short set that ended with a cover of Velvet Underground’s Rock and Roll. Dave and Tim were up next and mixed classics with new material as Matthews kept the crowd entertained with one funny story after another. Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue brought a taste of New Orleans to the Big Apple, while Josh Ritter showed why he’s so highly respected among the singer/songwriter crowd. Finally, the Dave Matthews Band capped off their own festival by performing some of their most well-known tunes and offering riveting covers of Sly’s Thank You and Burning Down The House by Talking Heads.

HT staff photographer Jeremy Smith was on hand to capture the action. READ ON for more of Jeremy’s shots from DMB Caravan…