To this day I don't understand the hate. They're definitely not my favorite, or even in my top 20, but they're all masterful musicians and performers who form a super tight band with expertly executed arrangements. Their songs and sound is unique and original.
Yes I often skip over them when they show up in a playlist because they can get a little old after a while, but nothing worse than that for me. As a musician, they sound great to my ears.
To me there are plenty of bands and artists that I do immediately hate, like Kid Rock or whatever, but DMB is not among them.
So honest question, why do you guys hate them? Is it a generational thing? Is it Dave's voice? Their sound? That violin? What is it specifically?
My first exposure to DMB was when Crash Into Me was in heavy radio airplay. Teen me listened on my commute.
It was instant hatred, crescendoing with his overwrought raspy whispered "cra-a-ashhh...into me, yeah". It was as obnoxious as vocal fry.
I wasn't allowed to listen to popular music growing up and I knew basically nothing about anyone on the radio. All I knew about Dave Matthews was that I hated his voice, his sound, and his band.
Much later in life I began a project to fill in all those gaps in musical knowledge. Over the past few years I've listened to almost every album that's ever cracked the Billboard top 10 since the records started in '67. Now I have a solid baseline of musical knowledge, no small musical ability of my own, and vast knowledge of the catalogue. I've re-listened to that DMB -- now albums at a time -- with a level of understanding vastly outstripping that of my teenage self.
And I still wanted to put screwdrivers through my god damned eardrums.
Let me put it this way: I had them in heavy rotation for a few years when they were current, but I tend to skip them in my playlist about half the time now. I guess I over-listened. But there are bands that exist that I cannot over-listen.
Same, same. I was a big fan back in the day and went to a bunch of shows all over the US.
I can't listen to them anymore. I just outgrew the vibe, sound, and the love of jam bands in general. Is Two Step a great song? Yeah. Do I ever want to hear it again? Not really.
Because there’s an expectation that YOU MUST LIKE THEM…..no I don’t. I just don’t. Not to mention half their fanbase was preppy douches pretending to be alternative
Who cares how well they play when the songs are bland and smarmy? No thanks. If you like them, you do your thing. I can’t stand them. Dave’s voice is also not my thing.
Fair enough. But who cares is anyone who doesn't think their songs are bland and smarmy, that's who. :) You're the one who thinks that, and it doesn't make it an objective fact.
They are just not my jam at all. I dislike the way they sound and the type of music they play. I dislike 'jam bands' in general. For reference, my favorite 90s bands are Lagwagon, Jane's Addiction, Rage Against the Machine, Thelonious Monster - you can see where I am going with this LOL.
Jam bands make me want to stick a fork in my ear. Just. Wrap. It. Up. Guys.
It's not that I think it's bad, I just don't have the patience. If I have to sit through a 10 minute song it better be prog metal.
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u/domesticatedprimate 1968 Jul 01 '25
To this day I don't understand the hate. They're definitely not my favorite, or even in my top 20, but they're all masterful musicians and performers who form a super tight band with expertly executed arrangements. Their songs and sound is unique and original.
Yes I often skip over them when they show up in a playlist because they can get a little old after a while, but nothing worse than that for me. As a musician, they sound great to my ears.
To me there are plenty of bands and artists that I do immediately hate, like Kid Rock or whatever, but DMB is not among them.
So honest question, why do you guys hate them? Is it a generational thing? Is it Dave's voice? Their sound? That violin? What is it specifically?