Dave Matthews hitting new highs with summer tour

The Dave Matthews Band will play 30-plus venues this summer

(CNN) -- The space between Dave Matthews' music releases has done nothing to dampen the enthusiasmof his fans.

Matthews and the band that bears his name are riding the popularity of their latest, critically-acclaimed CD, "Everyday," into a 2001 summer tour that will have him playing venues from Washington state to Canada to New York state.

"Everyday," Matthews' first release since 1998's "Before These Crowded Streets," is seen as an important step in the singer-musician's career. Reviews have lauded the album's maturity, as well as Matthew's recovery from reported depression to a songwriter with extreme sensibilities.

Among the tracks receiving airplay by college to mainstream radio: the stirring "The Space Between," and the raucous "I Did It."

"It's a real concise album," Matthews told CNN in March.

The summer tour won't be so concise.

From June to August, the band has 30-plus dates spread over the map. But anyone who has seen the Dave Matthews Band (DMB) play live knows that their love of improvisation makes every night a different showcase of the band's talented musicians, which include drummer Carter Beauford, saxophonist Leroi Moore, bassist Stefan Lessard, and violinist Boyd Tinsley.

Early DMB

The formation of DMB is an unlikely story. The group is an ethnic melting pot, influenced by world music as much as rock 'n' roll. Matthews is a white South African who moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, in 1986 when he was 19.

By 1991 he had formed a group with two black Americans: Beauford and Moore.

The trio plucked jazz-style Lessard "right out of high school," Beauford jokes, and later added Tinsley. The group built its fan base through constant touring, and was rewarded when 1994's "Under the Table and Dreaming" peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard charts.

"Crash" followed in 1996, debuting at No. 2 on Billboard and sending Matthews to the upper echelon of musicians.

'He is a true superstar

Judging by the success of "Before These Crowded Streets" and "Everyday," it seems Matthews has refused to fall into slumps.

In 1998, one concert promoter was amazed by DMB's popularity.

"In Chicago and Wisconsin, we sold two venues, 58,000 tickets in 50 minutes -- unheard of, unheralded. He is a true superstar," Scott Gelman, a Chicago promoter, said.

"Everyday" only cements that, in many minds. Matthews teamed with producer Glen Ballard for the first time to create the album.

"I'll tell you, the first day we walked in the room together, it was just like 'bum, bum, bum, 'n (these) songs started coming out," Matthews said. "It was like they were flying out."

And now they're flying to the top of the charts. And the Dave Matthews Band's summer tour is ready for take-off, too.

Paul Vercammen contributed to this report.

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