Suffering from DMB Summer Tour Withdrawal?

Ants Marching is the Cure!

~ by Debbie Bodnar (Daily Rhyme and Reason)

27 December 01

For those of us diehard Dave Matthews Band fans who live for summertime DMB shows, a winter without a tour can be a cruel season of DMB withdrawal.

Sure we have our DVDs to watch and countless shows to listen to, but nothing compares to seeing the boys live. Luckily, I have found a remedy!

I heard about a Dave Matthews cover band in the New York area called Ants Marching, but I must admit - I was extremely hesitant to check them out at first. My first thoughts were, "Nobody could ever match the passion and excitement of DMB, so why bother?"

Well, I was absolutlely wrong.

My first Ants Marching show was about a year ago here in my homestate of NJ. Since then I have put countless miles on my car traveling to Long Island, NY to catch them much as I possibly can.

I realized that not only can Ants Marching evoke the passion and excitement of a live DMB performance, but also they are an incredibly genuine group of guys whose main goal is obvious - they want to share their amazing musical talent and celebrate the music of the Dave Matthews Band with us.

Ants Marching consists of all essential DMB elements: violin (Brian Chabza), saxophone / flute (Brian Fort), guitar (Brian Hall), bass (Patrick Cognitore), drums (Andrew Rella), and vocals (Craig Knapp.) I find it hard to focus on any one member for very long during a show, since all of them are amazing musicians. They all capture the little nuances of DMB's music unbelievably well. From the various intros / outros and lyrical changes to the drummer's scatting during "Warehouse," these guys KNOW the music and do an amazing job of replicating it. Not only do they perform the 'hits' of the Dave Matthews Band such as "Crash," "The Space Between," "What Would You Say," and "Satellite," but they also cater to the hardcore fans by playing unreleased or rare songs such as "Grey St," "Help Myself," and "Bartender" as well as covers such as"If I Had a Boat" and "Watchtower."

Whether you are brand new to the Dave Matthews Band or a hardcore, obsessed fan, I suggest checking out Ants Marching - even while DMB *is* touring!

Check out their website at antsmarching1.com for more information and performance dates.

Click here for sample setlists from the past 3 shows I attended. See you all at the next show on January 11!