Live At Luther College

About

By the start of 1996, Tim Reynolds was nearing a first-name basis with fans of the Dave Matthews Band. A longtime friend and collaborator with DMB, the dazzling guitarist had offered accompaniment, and occasionally taken lead dutie, on the group’s 1994 debut, <i>Under the Table and Dreaming</i>. He’d sometimes sit in with the band, as well, and in the early 1990s Reynolds launched a sporadic string of two-guitar sets with Matthew, limited mostly to local benefits and regional theater. After sessions wrapped for <i>Crash</i>, Matthews and Reynolds embarked on a 20-date run of little college rooms across the Midwest and New England, essentially launching a second touring career for both (they now have their own music festival). Their February 1996 set in the Center for Faith and Life at Iowa’s Luther College was a 23-song marathon, one that found Matthews and Reynolds gliding between miniature arrangements of hits like “Satellite” and “What Would You Say,” and charmingly inchoate versions of songs that would soon <i>become</i> hit, including “Crash Into Me” and “Tripping Billie.” Throughout the set, Matthews plays the part of stand-up comedian, his banter full of impression, self-deprecation, and <i>bons mots</i>. Reynold, meanwhile, plays the part of silently virtuosic friend: His kinetic solo during “Jimi Thing” rises like endless smoke ring, while his purring harmonies during “Lover Lay Down” land as soft as a ki. Matthews and Reynolds try new songs and segue, invent tunes out of whole cloth, and dig into Matthews’ archive of earliest stunner, like the pensive and gorgeous “Seek Up,” or the tormented and anxious “Minaret.” .

via Apple Music

The Clerk says

Start your shelf to read the full take →