http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3r7T7gLMwI

Channel 4 is a funk-rock band from Erie, Pa. that lists Dave Matthews, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 311 and a lot of other artists as influences on its MySpace page. It features one new song and three from an earlier demo.

The newest song, "Same Time, Same Mind," at different times sounds like The Doors, Audioslave and a jam band. And Channel 4 blends them together perfectly, building from one to the other with great suspense. It's by far the best song on the band's site.

When I first listened to "Long Day," I wasn't that impressed. Then I couldn't get the chorus out of my head. It seems a little outdated, like it would have fit perfectly on the radio in 1998, but it's still a solid pop-rock song.

"Dying Tree" features a pounding acoustic guitar riff and a raucous chorus, but the slow, dark verses don't really fit with the rest of the song -- and neither does the cowbell outro. I hate to knock the cowbell, but this is one instance where I do not gotta have more of it. The best parts of this song are great, but it's not consistent.

It takes more than two minutes for the chorus to roll around in "Wasted,"and it sounds pretty much the same as the verses. The song was pretty boring until the end jam swooped in and saved the day at about the four-minute mark.

Although some of the songs are unremarkable, they all give the impression that Channel 4 is more than an average college band (the members all attend the University of Pittsburgh). They get 3.5 STARS (out of five).

If you'd like to suggest an act for the New Band Review, e-mail Blog-Eyed Fish.

posted by Colin @ 9:54 AM 0 comments

Willie Nelson's next studio album will include a Dave Matthews song, AOL Music reports. The article does not say if Dave wrote a song specifically for Willie or if Willie is covering a Dave song. Kenny Chesney will produce the album, which does not yet have a release date.

Dave and Willie are members of the Farm Aid board of directors, along with Neil Young and John Mellencamp. Dave has covered Willie's "Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away" during concerts in the past.

posted by Colin @ 5:38 PM 0 comments

"Before the Music Dies," a documentary criticizing the music industry, is out on DVD this week, and it features a performance of "Bartender" by Dave Matthews Band. Dave is also one of many interviewees in the film, along with Les Paul, Elvis Costello, Erykah Badu and others.

Directors Andrew Shapter and Joel Rasmussen made the documentary to "understand why mainstream music seems so packaged and repetitive, and whether corporations really had the power to silence musical innovation," the film's Web site says. In the documentary, according to this review, Dave makes these comments about the industry's focus on profits: "It may be successful for a while, but ... it inevitably fails because it sort of eats itself."

posted by Colin @ 4:03 PM 0 comments

Dave Matthews Band had the ninth highest-grossing tour this year, Billboard Boxscore reported today. The 53-show trek began May 30 in Maryland Heights, Mo. and ended with a two-night stand Sept. 22-23 in the band's hometown of Charlottesville, Va. -- an average of almost $1.1 million a show. The Rolling Stones topped the list, making an all-time record $437 million on their "A Bigger Bang" tour.

posted by Colin @ 6:18 PM 0 comments

Coran Capshaw, Dave Matthews Band's manager, today received a nomination for Personal Manager of the Year in the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. He is up against Bob McLynn (Fall Out Boy, Panic! at the Disco), John Silva (Beastie Boys, Beck, Foo Fighters), Jordan Kurland (Death Cab for Cutie), Pat Magnarella (Green Day) and Paul Korzilius (Bon Jovi).

Capshaw also manages O.A.R., Trey Anastasio and other acts, but his nomination is specifically for his work with DMB. He is the CEO of Musictoday, which runs the Warehouse and other fan clubs, and co-founder of ATO Records. The Pollstar awards are Feb. 8 in Los Angeles.

Here's a good, but old, article with more information on Capshaw.

posted by Colin @ 9:53 PM 0 comments

Dave Matthews Band's "The Best of What's Around Vol. 1" is one of the most wanted albums this season, according to VH1's fourth annual Holiday CD Poll. The 2-CD greatest hits compilation came in at No. 6 in the nationwide poll, including No. 1 among Northeast voters. U2's new greatest hits album, "U218 Singles," topped the nationwide poll, and albums by The Beatles, Johnny Cash, Nickelback and Mary J. Blige rounded out the Top 5.

posted by Colin @ 7:12 PM 2 comments

Stefan Lessard has posted his third MySpace Friends interview on his Web site, IZStyle.com. He doesn't shed much light on any big Dave Matthews Band mysteries, and most of the questions -- all of which come from fellow MySpace users -- focus on his family life and hobbies. But it's still a decent read.

posted by Colin @ 10:59 PM 0 comments

The e-mail announcing Dave Matthews Band's new tour dates said the band was playing Wembley Stadium, but the official site says the much smaller Wembley Arena. That makes more sense, because DMB isn't that big in England, and it's probably safe to assume that's where DMB will be playing when the band stops in London in May.

posted by Colin @ 7:53 AM 0 comments

Dave Matthews Band announced today it will play a quick mini-tour of Europe in May, including its biggest across-the-pond headlining show ever at Wembley Stadium in London on May 30. The three other stops are May 23 in Dublin, May 25 in Lisbon and May 27 in Brussels. Dave has also added a solo show to his March tour of Europe, March 14 in Copenhagen. Looks like past efforts to promote DMB in Europe are working, as the band and Dave alone are playing there more frequently and playing in larger venues. Ticketing info for the shows is available at the Warehouse.

posted by Colin @ 10:43 PM 2 comments