The 29 April show in Alpharetta, Georgia saw the debut of a new song named Beach Ball. This song isn;t part of the Big Whiskey album, but is one of the 4 tracks named as being on the bonus disc available with super deluxe preorders.
Fan response has been positive so far, with many people being reminded of songs such as You Never Know and Stay or Leave (probably because they all feature the raised B guitar that Dave occasionally uses). On first impressions, there’s a lot to like about this song. Carter’s drumming is intricate but not too overpowering, the lyrics are on the whole quite good, and the rest of the band add just enough to keep the song on a levelthat is balanced and not too overpowering. Also, I can’t help but hear Dave’s vocal delivery and think of Neil Diamond…that’s not bad, by the way – the vocal styling he employs sounds quite precise.
A download link is included below so you can listen for yourself (credit to taper Jeff Brock):
The Warehouse have indicated to me that 2 June is the global release date for the album. Even still, check with your local music stores to see if they know anything about the release.
It seems that there may be more to the Super Deluxe package than DMB’s management has revealed already.
In the midst of other speculative information, antsmarching.org suggests that there are other parts of the $59.99US Super Deluxe package that are yet to be revealed. As Jake indicates in the article, an official statement from management will surely help in settling the uncertainty that is clogging up the message boards right now.
I wouldn’t be surprised if some of this extra material is part of a Warehouse members only deal, which is something else that people have questioned as the release details have leaked (since at the moment there’s no extra incentive for members of the DMB fan club). But at the same time I’d be just as happy to suggest you ignore the speculation and simply wait for official confirmation.
Also, there have been postings of rumoured lyrics for a few of the songs, which can be taken as you wish. Read through them and let us know what you think.
Well, the US iTunes store in this instance, so it seems…
The latest DMB email tells of a special “iTunes pass” available for $19.99 US. Here’s a summary of what’s included, pasted from the email with some added info from me in bold type:
Individuals who purchase the Dave Matthews Band iTunes Pass ($19.99) beginning today will receive an instant download of the band’s latest single, "Funny the Way It Is," (reportedly a much better quality download than the free version) and the new album, Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, as soon as it’s released on June 2nd. They’ll receive additional content from now through September, including Scenes from Big Whiskey, a documentary on the making of the record (most likely what is on the pre-order DVD), exclusive bonus music (including b-sides and live music from the band’s Spring and Summer 2009 tours), two tracks in advance of the album’s release ("Shake Me Like A Monkey" and "Lying In the Hands of God"), a download of the "Funny the Way It Is" music video, a deluxe digital booklet of the album artwork, which was drawn by Matthews (and will be part of the Super Deluxe package), and additional exclusive video clips.
There are supposedly workarounds that you can do in order to buy stuff from the US store, however I’m not sure what these are. In any case, if it were available outside of the US store, it would be in my opinion a far more attractive package than the Super Deluxe one, especially if some of the added extras like the lithographs don’t interest you.
In further news, I’ll be in touch with the Warehouse to see whether they are aware of details regarding release info in Australia, because getting info out of Sony Music seems to be near impossible at this point.
An announcement on the DMB site reveals that the pre-order for Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King is now available, with several options ranging from just the album itself to a super deluxe edition with a range of tantalising products. With approximations of Australian pricing to the nearest dollar in bold, the costs are as follows (excluding shipping)
CD – 13 tracks ($14.99/$21) or Digital Download ($9.99/$14)
CD + documentary DVD entitled Scenes from Big Whiskey $19.99/$28
Big Whiskey on Vinyl! Double gatefold 180 gram 2 discs $17.99/$25
Super Deluxe edition in a special box which includes the 13 track CD + extra tracks, Scenes from Big Whiskey DVD, Photo book, and Lithographs featuring the artwork by Dave Matthews $59.99/$83
A Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King t-shirt can be added to the package for an extra $15/$21.
Whilst the details of the extra tracks in the Super Deluxe Edition is not yet known, I would say that the package would be appealing for the most diehard DMB fans, and would be a good investment. International shipping is not revealed until you place your order, since shipping varies depending on what you order. For example, with my intended order (the Super Deluxe package and Live Trax 7 to 14), the shipping ranges from about $40 for standard to $110 for rapid (prices in Aussie dollars). If you are tempted to buy the vinyl as well as a CD copy, I’d probably recommend that you order it as part of your pre-order in case it is not released to retail outlets here.
Don’t forget that each order is shipped with a free copy of Live Trax 15, and makes the value for money even greater. Also, maximise the worth of your order by considering other Live Trax releases in the DMB online store, which are not available in Australia. Also, if you are a Warehouse member, place your order through the Warehouse store and receive a 5% discount on any other items you may decide to by (discount doesn’t apply to the Big Whiskey pre-order though).
The preorder page can be found at http://davematthewsband.shop.musictoday.com/Dept.aspx?cp=1_16550 and you have until 29 May to get your pre-order in.
The pre-order for Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King is due at the end of this week, according to an email sent to those on DMB’s mailing list. As an added incentive, all per-orders will receive a free copy of the forthcoming Live Trax Volume 15 recording of the band’s 9 August 2008 show at the famed Alpine Valley Music Theatre, a venue often regarded as the band’s favourite to play. This particular incentive is the main reason why I would encourage you to take up the pre-order offer, since you are going to receive a soundboard copy of one of the finest shows of the 2008 US Summer Tour as well as the anticipated studio release.
The Live Trax series is generally not available for sale in retail outlets in Australia, with the exception of Live Trax 6, which is a recording of the 2 night stand at Boston’s Fenway Park in 2006. This release is occasionally available in store at outlets such as JB Hi-Fi, and was available for sale at the venues that DMB performed at during their 2007 Australian tour. JB Hi-Fi’s online store also indicates that Live Trax 13 (Busch Stadium, St Louis, 7 June 2008) may be available for purchase. DMBLive offers the series in the form of digital downloads in either MP3 or FLAC formats, however for some people (myself included), it’s good to have a physical hard copy of the release with the proper packaging and such.
As a teaser, one of the antsmarching.org members has found pictures that appear to depict what will be available in the preoorder, including t-shirts, CD and vinyl copies of Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, and the abovementioned Live Trax 15. Click on the following link to find links to the images:
As evidence of why I’d recommend you pre-order, here is a video clip of the Anyone Seen the Bridge >> Too Much tease >> Halloween from the Alpine Valley show.
An article on the former Sony BMG Australia website to promote the availability of Funny the Way It Is as a free download seems to reveal a more pertinent piece of information. It indicates that Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King will make its way onto Australia retail shelves on 29th May, some 5 days before the scheduled US release of 2nd June.
If this is true, then it will be a great pleasure for Aussie fans who had to wait 2 weeks from the US release date of Stand Up (DMB’s 2005 release) before it appeared on Aussie retail shelves. However, it would be wise to wait for pre-order details from the DMB website to see if it’s going to be worth the effort in ordering and waiting for the CD to arrive (and trust me, it will be – there are extras that will arguably make your decision a no brainer).
For what it’s worth, the newer Sony Music website does not have this news article, nor any mention of the band anywhere on the site, so it remains to be seen whether this is true or not. I will be making enquiries over the weekend and will report back with news as soon as it comes to hand.
Funny the Way It Is, the first single from Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King, has been made available by RCA Records as a free download. It’s a song that I feel will be very accessible to Aussie music lovers who may never have heard of DMB, so if you haven’t yet had the chance to hear it, visit http://www.rcarecords.com/dmbfreedownload and after you download it, let us know what you think! You’ll also be able to register to find out about the album pre-order, which is expected to be available by the end of this week.
Welcome to what may well be the first Australian-made blogging site exclusively dedicated to the music of Dave Matthews Band!
Whether you are a seasoned fan of DMB, or have stumbled upon this for the first time, I hope that this site will become a place on the Internet to get your fix of DMB news, reviews and other fascinating tidbits that are especially relevant to the Australian fans of the band. As the band readies itself for the release of their long awaited seventh studio release, Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, I will provide a convenient place to sum up the goings on, and hopefully be a networking place for Aussie fans like myself.
My name is Kristian, and I am a moderator on the antsmarching.org message board, the largest DMB fansite on the Internet. There’s plenty of excitement on the boards as DMB embarks on its Spring Tour across the US, and I’ll try and capture that excitement amongst fans who may be an ocean away from the live action, but have as much passion about the band as those who have the privilege of catching the live shows.
Stay tuned as the blog expands to include links to important sites, and is given the sort of aesthetic trastment befitting a site that aims to be the #1 Australian DMB fan site.
