There's a reason why few musicians or bands, if any, imitate the Dave Matthews Band.
They can't.
Performing Saturday at PNC Park, Matthews and his bandmates have developed a unique, almost inimitable sound, according to Jeff Schmutz, the lead singer for the local band Good Brother Earl.
"There's some sort of African rhythm influence going on in a lot of the songs," says Schmutz, noting Matthews' South African heritage. "He just met the right band at the right time and created his own style."
What makes Matthews' music so unique is his approach to the guitar. Schmutz says he has never seen the musician use a capo to raise the pitch of the instrument. Instead, Matthews tends to use "different voicings all up and down the neck of his guitar."
Matthews also tends to employ wildly divergent time changes that go against the grain of typical rock music.
"He'll do the first half of a song in four, and the second half in six, and that's really hard to do," Schmutz says. "To do a time signature change in the middle of song like that is almost impossible. Most rock is in four/four time, but for Dave Matthews it's not unusual to do four/six, or even four/seven."
Even musicians who aren't hardcore fans admire Matthews on some level. Liz Adams, a musician in the bands Lohio and Small Cities, credits him with spawning "the whole Ben Harper-Jason Mraz thing, but maybe that's me being short-sighted. I loved DMB when I was a tween, and he inspired me to write a song called 'China Town' when I was 11, so I think that counts."
Bill Deasy, who performs as a solo artist and in the band Thomas Jefferson's Aeroplane, admits he's mostly indifferent to Matthews' music.
"I guess a couple of his songs have made it into my consciousness in some deeper way, but I really haven't listened to him much," Deasy says. "I just have a generic admiration for his business sense, intelligence and integrity. And he seems like a cool guy."
Additional Information:Dave Matthews Band
With: Zac Brown Band
When: 7 p.m. Saturday
Admission: $49.50-$75
Where: PNC Park, North Shore
Details: 877-848-4099 or website
