Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King

First of all, I've been addicted to this album from the moment I finished listening to it the first time. Add to that the fact that I love DMB and the result is that this review is likely going to be biased. Remember, though, I was critical of the last album so I do have it in me to dislike what Dave Matthews Band does.

Let's take a look at what I first saw when I opened the package I received containing my Dave Matthews Band's Big Whiskey and the GrooGrux King LP:


Woa. That's... different. I'm pretty sure that's the sentiment 99% people have when they first see it. I know I did. I was waiting to see what the cover would look like. For those of us following DaveJMatthews on Twitter, we knew for a while that Dave had been "scribbling" the album cover. In "The Road to Big Whiskey" Dave mentions that in the first draft, the GrooGrux King looked TOO MUCH like LeRoi Moore. I actually would like to see that, cause it was evident immediately, to me, that that's who the king was.

Each panel contains some insane drawing. The art is all very surreal and... crazy looking is the best way I can describe them:


There are a lot of visualizations of lyrics on the album, such as "the snake in the wood pile" and another cool treat is that all the lyrics were handwritten by Dave Matthews himself. Well, copies of his handwriting anyway.


So the Dave art is kinda neat. The title? Big Whiskey apparently came from a homeless man. According to the band, this guy was walking around saying "I need a big whiskey" over and over again and then Dave gave him a $20 bill. He thought it was a smaller bill and started to say "I said a BIG Whis... that IS a big whiskey!" Rashawn Ross, the sit in Trumpet player mentioned he thought "Big Whiskey" would make a good album title. The band agreed.

GrooGrux King came from a nickname that LeRoi Moore, Carter Beauford (drums), and Tim Reynolds (lead guitar) had for each other. It seems like it's hard to describe what it in fact means. What I got from Carter's description is that it means being in the zone with your music... to be playing something so great, that you need a new word for it: "Grux." Not sure where the Groo came in... myabe short for "groove"? In the album title, they're calling LeRoi Moore the GrooGrux King, the king of the grooves so good they need a new word to describe them. That's my interpretation anyway.

But what about the music? Here's my thoughts on each song:

Grux : Slightly over a minute long, this intro to the album features LeRoi Moore with the rest of the band in the background. Starting the album with Moore was an obvious way to tell the listener, right from the start, that this album is a tribute to him.

Shake Me Like A Monkey : A song about that fun time at the beginning of a relationship when you're borderline obsessed with the person. Not the first time DMB tackled this subject. The song begins with Dave imitating the last note Moore hit in Grux repeatedly until Carter's drumming kicks the band in gear. (This first part before any lyrics is my current ringtone, haha.) Rashawn Ross's trumpet is very prevalent in this song, it's very brassy and bold, so the fact that it's pretty much all electric guitar fits like a glove. This song immediately struck me as the bands new opener. It's fast, loud, intense, and gets you moving... everything a good opener should be. The bridge is my favorite part of the song, but in general it's just fun to listen to.

Funny The Way It is : The first single from the album, we heard this song on the radio in the months leading up to the release. The title is pretty literal. It's about the strange way life on this planet works. I wasn't sure what I thought about it at first. Initially it seemed Stand Up/Everyday-ish, but after I listened to it a few times I realized it's kind of like those songs early on that didn't sound all that great until you listened to it a few times. It's a single. Let's just leave it at that. DMB fans notoriously don't really care for the singles that much. They're good, but they're not what we love.

Lying In The Hands of God : I was really excited to hear this one. I'm pretty sure this title got out way before most of the others. It is Dave and Tim concert, acoustic greatness... there's something about Tim Reynolds on an acoustic guitar. To me this song lyrically is more abstract than most. It's not clear exactly what it's about. To me it's about doing what you know is right and good no matter how people try to change how you feel. The lyrics that lead me to this conclusion: "If you never flew why would you cut the wings off a butterfly?" and "If you knew what I feel then you couldn't be so sure. I'll be right here lying in the hands of God." This song sounds like longing with it's very drawn out notes. Makes me wish for a better world where people would let everyone be great in their own way.

Why I Am : An anthem for LeRoi Moore. The band has stated repeatedly that this was his favorite of the songs they were working on. It's just an awesome song. Supposedly it's due to be the second single on the album... this is the most surprising choice for a single since "Don't Drink The Water" in my opinion. Perhaps they want everyone to hear LeRoi's favorite song. The lyrics for this one contain the album's title. This is a duality song... good and evil, right and wrong and why both are necessary, but it's also about accepting the good in people over the bad. The conclusion Dave comes to is "Heaven or hell, I'm goin' down with the GrooGrux King." Very Humanist of him, wouldn't you say? This is another fast one. I don't really think they could open with it, but we''ll see I guess... it's more a mid-set up-lifter song if you ask me.

Dive In : I love this song. I don't care what anyone says. It's a very studio song, but it's great. Chris Adriance said that it sounds like the end of a movie... I agree. It feels like closure, acknowledging the bad, trying to strive for better and hoping/knowing it will work out in the end. It's got some piano in it which is nice, and it's got a much more manufactured(?) sound to it. I really would have though this would have been a single, not "Why I Am". Only this band could follow up these lyrics:

I have been thinking that lately the blood is increasing,
The tourniquets not keeping hold in spite of our twisting.
Though we would like to believe we are, we are not in control,
Though we would love to believe...

With this chorus:

Wake up sleepy head,
I think the suns a little brighter today,
Smile and watch the icicles melt away and see the water rising.
Summer's here to stay, and those sweet summer girls will dance forever.
Go down to the shore, kick off your shoes, dive in the empty ocean.

Aah... I love the sweet sound of despair followed up with hope. I love this freakin' song. It sounds like summer to me, and not just because of the lyrics.

Spaceman : A folksier tune, this one's about losing your way and getting back on track while learning from your misfortune. It's, in short, about being human. Dealing with the world we live in. Making this song more folky does a lot to make it sound like it's about the every-man. I love the banjo. There's quite a few good lyrical quotes in this one.

Squirm : This one is creepy-crawly and kind of sends a shiver up your spine. It paints a darker picture man... shining light on our demons and how, even today, we can be "Sweet Primitives." Not my favorite song on the album, but it's a good song. There's some strange singing at the end that sounds distant. Chris told me he heard that it was a street performer they liked so they put him on. That would kind of fit with the song.

Alligator Pie : This one has got to be really fun for Dave. Originally titled "Cockadile", it's obviously a song for his daughter Stella. Dave has twin daughters, Stella and Grace. There are quite a few songs that feature the name/word "Grace," most notably "Grace is Gone." He said at Beacon Theater that Stella was wondering when she was going to be in a song. My favorite lyrics from Alligator Pie are:

Remember how it feels,
Lazy days in the summer time.
My Stella smiles,
She said 'Daddy, when you gonna put me in a song?'

They recorded this album in New Orleans, and if the area influenced any song, I'm gonna say it's this one... it sort of reminds me of "Louisiana Bayou." It's Cajun, I don't know how, it just is.

Seven : This song's awesome. It starts with this guitar riff that to me sounds tribal, then the lyrics come in and it's more fun and carefree. The lyrics tell of having an epiphany on the strength of feelings for someone special. "Mama told me boy someday that girl will steal your mind, and then you'll know. I never knew, but I do now." Kind of speaks for itself, doesn't it? I'm still not sure what the title means though. My only thought is the Seventh Sacrament.

Time Bomb : A lot of their albums have at least one angry song. This is that song. As the title eludes, it's about being ready to explode. "I'm a ticking time bomb, waiting to blow my top. No one would ever know, not until I blew up." I'm confused about what exactly he's gonna blow up about though. I like this song, I think it's ok. But as far as angry songs go, I'm a much bigger fan of "Halloween."

My Baby Blue : This song is essentially the song "Sister" that Dave plays by himself on stage frequently in the past 3 years, except slightly altered. This version is a farewell to LeRoi Moore: "I confess, I'm not quite ready to be left." It's not strictly about LeRoi, though I believe the band treated it that way personally. It's a universal song about losing someone you care about. I'm not sure if LeRoi had blue eyes, but I don't think that's the point. It's just a way of identifying with the things you remember about someone when they go before you. Dave's voice cracks quite a few times in the song, it's not a happy song, just a realistic one. Because of the acoustic gutiar and Dave's cracking voice, this one feels very personal.

You & Me : It's like an American Dream song. It's about building a life together with someone. Totally acoustic and screams Dave Matthews Band single, if you ask me. It's short and sweet and fun sounding. It'll be on the radio eventually, I bet you anything.


After "You & Me," there is a long silence and then a short clip of Moore playing a small riff repeatedly with the rest of the band behind him. The riff sounds less like a riff than it does a saxaphone player warming up. But it was nice that they were able to begin and end the album with their fallen friend.

Sorry, another long one about DMB and there's another one coming about SPAC. As I've said, I'm writing these more for myself than anyone else.