Dave Matthews fans, rejoice! Not only does the band’s spring tour kick off this evening at Madison Square Garden (I’ll be there, et tu?), the first single from their upcoming June 2 release Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King is now available for free download on the band’s official website.
The questioning, socially-conscious anthem "Funny the Way It Is" is fairly familiar DMB stuff. (Sample lines: "Somebody’s goin’ hungry / And someone else is eatin’ out / Funny the way it is /Not right or wrong/ Somebody’s heart is broken/ And it becomes your favorite song.")
It’s a pretty Dave-heavy song, not just in the lyrics, but in the prominent electric guitar work as well. And though I’m partial to acoustic, "Funny" feels right with the electric (here’s to hoping GrooGrux has a nice mix of both.)
Sadly, Dave aside, by far the most noticeable thing about the song is the absence of saxophonist and original member LeRoi Moore, who passed away in August of 2008. Bela Fleck and the Flecktones’ Jeff Coffin and trumpet player Rashawn Ross will be filling in on tour and on the album (and both have done outstanding jobs on the road with the band), but it’s still an adjustment not hearing Moore’s signature sound.
In addition to the download, you can also check out the YouTube clip below, and try your hardest to not find yourself singing that catchy little chorus all day. What do you think, Music Mixers? Was it worth the wait? Are you counting down the days until the June 2 release of Big Whiskey?
More from EW’s Music Mix:
Jamie Foxx’s Miley Cyrus tirade on Sirius: Too much?
‘Pride and Prejudice’ and Rob Zombie?
Eminem to play the MTV Movie Awards: Will you be watching?
as usual…CRAP
This just made me more excited! Love it.
awesome…glad to have new dmb music
always excited for new dave matthews — love the son
but I like this song!
Oh man! Wish I had tix for tonight! DMB shows are the best – will download the new single – look forward to hearing the sounds of Jeff Coffin and Rashawn Ross. Still weird to think of DMB without LeRoi Moore. Look forward to Aly’s blog tomorrow about the show!
I don’t think there is any single band in the history of music that I despise more than Dave Matthews Band. It’s music for college kids who haven’t learned what good music is yet.
The “prominent electric guitar work” is by Tim Reynolds, not Dave.
I will see them on Friday in the bands hometown of Charlottesville! I cannot wait
DMB is amazing, and not just college music… Ramo please explain to me what good music is? Best Dave set ever was the Obama rally at VCU this past fall… two hour acoustic set with Tim Reynolds.. amazing. Cannot wait for the new cd.
RIP LeRoi
unbiased and informative.
thank you for giving a clear perspective. i can honestly say i’m intrigued now.
I went to see DMB at Madison Square Garden (my husband got free tix, and I must say I was looking forward to it as I liked his radio-play tunes I knew). We were in our mid-30′s. Here’s where I have to start agreeing with Rand…1) the overwhelming majority of the crowd were not only college kids, but they were college kids who didn’t know how to hold down their beer and the garden became one big barf-fest. 2) While the musicians were very talented, I didn’t appreciate the fact that every song turned into a 25 minute jam-session and he never played one hit. To me, that is a selfish performer.
I’m not a “college kid who hasn’t learned what good music is” (What an insulting and arrogant comment by the way). I’m a 30+ female who considers herself a music fanatic and has an extremely ecclectic library of music. DMB is superb-one of my all time favorite bands. And unless you’ve ever seen them in concert (I’ve seen them at least 15 times) you shouldn’t really say a word. The band draws crowds of all ages and is electric live.
its like sun-drip regrettable instance, but not atrocious like the whole polar bear fiasco.
I actually think it sounds different than past DMB stuff. I like it and I am very interested in hearing what the rest of the album sounds like- I also hope that there will be a mix of both electric and acoustic. Hopefully it will be well worth the wait.
cgator: That’s not Tim Reynolds doing the solo–it’s Dave. That’s from the horse’s mouth.