DMB bassist hints at a Lillywhite revise

Stefan Lessard crashes the X Games -- and ramps up to rerecord the formerly lost tunes

Dave Matthews, Dave Matthews Band
Photo: Dave Matthews Illustration: John Cuneo

X MAN In the bleachers at last month’s X Games in Philadelphia were amateur Rollerbladers, skateboarders — and, unexpectedly, a member of the Dave Matthews Band, bassist Stefan Lessard, who was seen videotaping the proceedings for helpful hints. ”I try to hide it on the road,” he admits of his passion for skating. ”People don’t like to see me skateboarding right before a show. It’s like bad insurance. My stage manager follows me in a little golf cart.” Lessard may not be lessening anyone’s anxieties soon: ESPN, which sponsors the X Games, is giving him one of the halfpipes that would otherwise be scrapped, as long as he pays to have it shipped to his house in Charlottesville, Va. Meanwhile, Lessard confirms reports that one of DMB’s upcoming shows will be taped for a live album with reworked tunes from the shelved Lillywhite sessions. ”Those were hard songs to come across in the studio right away,” Lessard says. ”As a band, we felt frustrated. When we do finally release those songs, they’ll be much better than they would have been.” Call it extreme jamming.

Related Articles