Until next time :)

Well the daily blogging for my class has come to an end but I think I may continue with this.  I don't think I would do it daily, but maybe once in a while I will come back and write something up.  I will definitely be blogging about this upcoming summer tour, my travels, the people I meet and all that other fun stuff. :)

As for now, I will continue my oh so fascinating life as a full time college student who does nothing but wait for DMB to announce their next tour and see how much money I can spend this time without my parents wanting to hurt me.

The band will be touring this winter making stops in South Africa, South America, Australia, and a two-night special with Dave & Tim in New Orleans.  Obviously I will not be attending these shows but I will be hanging out on Twitter during the shows for what we call the "#DMBcouchtour."  Everyone sits on Twitter calling the opener of the show before it even starts.  It sounds lame but I promise its not that bad! Its kind of fun to sit and chat with friends all night about what sounds they chose to play and what songs they didn't choose to play.  It's always nice when a really rare song is played, everyone starts freaking out I love it!

I just wanted to thank everyone for reading my posts and sharing them! It truly means a lot to me :)
#LoVE

You know you're a DMB fan when...

You have an odd obsession with the numbers 34, 36, 40, and 41.

Your job revolves around their summer tour schedule.

You have genuinely cried at least once at a show when hearing your favorite song.

You have or are thinking about getting a firedancer tattoo.

You can't go a day without listening to something DMB.

Your wedding song will be either "Lover Lay Down," or "I'll Back You Up."

You have thousands of live recordings from tapers.

You have 100+ versions of Ants Marching and Two Step alone.

You needed to delete your entire DMB library off your iPhone in order to do the iOS 7 update.

The DMB almanac is your own personal bible.

You can predict what song Dave will play next based on which guitar he's holding.

You know where The Gorge is.

You have all the Live Trax.

You know who Stella is in Alligator Pie.

You listen to more than just Crash Into Me, Ants Marching, and You & Me.

You would follow their tour buses down the highway if you spotted them.

You FREAK OUT when they comes on the radio (if you still listen to the radio.)

You only enjoy "Just Go With It," and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry," because of Dave, and you must watch every single time its on cable.

You love Dave's voice, despite what Rolling Stone magazine says.

You wear a concert t-shirt at least once a week.

You know when to go WOO during Warehouse.

You wake up early to request/buy concert tickets.

You are a member of the Warehouse.

You know what the Warehouse is.

You have been scammed by the Warehouse and it drives you crazy.

You're now laughing because its true.

You have attempted to dance like Dave but it is nearly impossible.

You have been high at a show.

You freak out when they play Halloween.

You're now laughing because all of these things apply to you :)

Say Goodbye...

This is going to be a bit of a personal post.  Recently I ended a three year relationship with the guy who introduced me to this amazing band.  Its sad because the more I think about our last few months together they were all spent at DMB shows. Now why on earth would that be a sad thing you ask?  Well because I believe the band was the only thing keeping us together at that point.

I go to school full time down at the University of Tampa so being home for the summer is nice because I get to spend all my time with friends, family, and Nick, my now ex boyfriend.  But this summer was very different.  I was excited to be home to see my family but after a while I was ready to go back to Tampa to see my friends and that really upset Nick.  When you're young three years is a long time for a relationship especially a long distance one.  I changed being away at school and I don't think thats a bad thing.  People change and grow apart, it happens.  I just never thought it would happen to Nick and I.

This summer we went to five DMB shows together.  Two local ones at Jones Beach and then three road trips to Bethel Woods, Hartford, and Saratoga.  We had our ups and downs at shows, one of us would drink a little too much here and there but hey that happens.  All in all while we were together listening to the band it was just incredible.  I went to one show without him last summer and it just made me realize how much I really did love him and how much he meant to me.  It was weird not having him with me.

From this point on its going to be strange not seeing DMB with him.  My love for the band isn't going to fade because our relationship did but I'll always be reminded of him, and the amazing times we shared because of Dave Matthews Band.

"Don't burn the day away."

Have you ever...

Had that one song you could listen to and instantly everything in the world was better? 

Everything that had gone wrong that day was instantly forgotten?

That one song that just saved your soul and made your outlook on everything change?

Pig, by Dave Matthews Band, has done that for me several, several times, today included.  The lyrics are beautiful and always help turn the darkest of days to the bright light.

This is an appropriate blog post for this evening because I have been under a lot of stress lately between going to school full time, beginning a new part time job, being home sick, my sorority, and having a long distance relationship of 3 years... or shall I say having had a long distance relationship because that just ended this evening.  While I could spend the night being sour about things I'm not going to do that.  I'm going to smile, keep my head up and listen to Pig and a bunch of other great songs.  Music has helped me through the shittiest of times, especially DMB.  I would be lost without them.  Below are the lyrics to Pig...

"Isn't it strange

How we move our lives for another day 

Like skipping a beat 

What if a great wave should wash us all away 

Just thinking out loud 

Don't mean to dwell on this dying thing 

But looking at blood 

It's alive right now 

Deep and sweet within 

Pouring through our veins 

Intoxicate moving wine to tears 

Drinking it deep 

Then an evening spent dancing 

It's you and me 

This love will open our world 

From the dark side we can see a glow of something bright 

There's much more than we see here 

Don't burn the day away 

Is this not enough 

This blessed sip of life 

Is it not enough 

Staring down at the ground 

Oh then complain and pray more from above 

Greedy little pig 

Stop just watch your world trickle away 

Oh it's your problem now 

It'll all be dead and gone in a few short years 

Just love will open our eyes 

Just love will put the hope in our minds 

Much more than we could ever know 

Don't burn the day away 

Come sister my brother 

Shake up your bones shake up your feet 

I'm saying open up 

And let the rain come pouring in 

Wash out this tired notion 

That the best is yet to come 

But while you're dancing on the ground 

Don't think of when you're gone 

Love love what more is there 

We need the light of love in here 

Don't beat your head 

Dry your eyes 

Let the love in there 

There are bad times 

But that's ok 

Just look for love in it 

Don't burn the day away 

Look 

Here are we 

On this starry night staring into space 

And I must say 

I feel as small as dust 

Lying down here 

What point could there be troubling 

Head down wondering what will become of me 

Why concern we cannot see 

But no reason to abandon it 

Time is short but that's all right 

Maybe I'll go in the middle of the night 

Take your hands from your eyes, my love 

Everything must end some time 

Don't burn the day away 

Come sister my brother 

Shake up your bones shake up your feet 

I'm saying open up 

And let the rain come flooding in 

Wash out this tired notion 

That the best is yet to come 

But while you're dancing on the ground 

Don't think of when you're gone 

Love love what more is there 

We need the light of love in here 

Don't beat your head 

Dry your eyes 

Let the love in there 

There are bad times 

But that's ok 

Just look for love in it."

Have you ever had a specific song or band "save you" in a sense?  Comment below and share!

#DMBfamily

The DMB family is a huge part of who I am today.  My family and friends laugh at me because I consider people I've met through the band my second family.  My parents laugh and tell me oh you're just part of a cult but I would never ever in a million years compare the DMB family to a cult.  Call us DMB fans whatever you want; potheads, hippies, frat boys, etc., but never a cult.  At the end of the day these people have made a huge impact on my life and who I am today.

My ex-boyfriend was originally the one to really get me into Dave Matthews Band.  He would get so offended and hurt that I would talk to people I met through the band on Twitter more than I would talk to him.  He was a drama queen though because thats totally not true... maybe. I guess he was offended because when I would meet up with friends at shows I wouldn't bring him with me to meet them. It wasn't my fault he was completely wasted and I didn't want him to embarrass me!

The love that is given and received daily through the DMB family is unlike anything I have ever known.  They are incredible individuals and would do just about anything for each other.  You wouldn't understand unless you were apart of it. 

It is far more than just an obsession with the band and friends... its all about the LoVE... <3 

Twitter.

Twitter was something I never thought I would give in to.  I was always against tweeting because I thought saying something in 140 characters just wasn't worth it but man was I wrong.  Through Twitter of all social media places, I have met the most genuine, incredible people I think I will meet for a long, long time.  These are the fans of Dave Matthews Band.  So here I am, 586 followers later, 100% addicted to Twitter and blessed for meeting the wonderful DMB family.

Twitter seems like such a random place to meet people in comparison to Facebook but I promise its not all that strange.  The DMB family is full of incredible people and I have been lucky enough to meet a lot of them this past summer and will hopefully continue to meet them as the band continues to tour.  Its weird to say but I feel like I know some of these people more then I know friends I have had for years. 

Another thing I love about Twitter is the connections with the actual band members.  Boyd Tinsley and Stefan Lessard, DMB violinist and bassist, tweet daily and directly to the fans.  Both of them follow me on Twitter which I think is incredibly awesome and I have had full on conversations with Boyd on Twitter.  He is one amazing guy who has nothing but love to give.  They are both awesome to take the time to follow and interact with fans, not many bands or celebrities do this nowadays.

My two favorite men.

This is going to an irrelevant post.  I was watching Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night while going over my blog remembering how hysterical it was when Dave Matthews came on the show when he was promoting the bands new album.  If you watch Jimmy Fallon's show you know he plays the guitar and likes to do clever little songs with musicians or comedians when they come on the show.  Whenever Dave comes on the show you know you're going to be in for a real treat.

The most recent time Dave went on the show they sang a song called, "Walk of Shame."  Fallon sings the majority of the song and then Dave comes out to surprise the crowd and sing the rest with Fallon.  The crowd goes absolutely insane when Dave walks out.  The song is hysterical and relates well to college life.  I've attached the video below.

Another time Jimmy Fallon was mimicking Dave Matthews on his show by making a commercial for a Dave Matthews GPS navigation system.  If you're a fan you will die of laughter because of how funny this bit was.  Fallon takes fan favorites like "Satellite," and "Ants Marching," and turns them into silly directions.  "The new Dave Matthews GPS navigation system brings a whole new meaning to the term traffic jam!"

Attached is the link to this hysterical video:

http://www.latenightwithjimmyfallon.com/video/dave-matthews-gps/n14559/

Lyrics.

Lyric as defined by Merriam-Webster:

lyr-ic    noun

• the words of a song
• a poem that express deep personal feelings in a way that is like a song: a lyric poem
• expressing deep feelings in a way that is like a song

Lyrics are a big part of everyones daily lives.  Whether they are in a song or a poem, everyone knows some sort of lyrics.  There are specific lyrics that people live by, and refer back to each day.  I believe lyrics can mold us as individuals and define who we really are.  You can learn a lot about a musician by the lyrics he or she writes.  People will even get lyrics of their favorite song tattooed on them because they mean that much to them that it needs to be permanent. 

Music is a huge part of my life.  I always have my Spotify going throughout the day unless I am at work or in class.  Music is just so relaxing and a huge stress reliever for me personally.  There are specific songs I will put on when I'm stressed or going through a rough time because I know the lyrics will calm me down and make me feel sane again.

Dave Matthews Band's lyrics are incredibly special to me.  There are lyrics I can relate to no matter my mood or time I am going through in my life.  I know I will always have these songs, these lyrics, these memories to get me through. 

Feel free to comment below with your favorite DMB lyric :)

Summer.

This summer I was fortunate enough to attend five different shows at four different venues.  For me personally thats a lot for one summer but for other fans, thats about a forth of the shows they saw this summer.  It was one of the best summers I've had in a while.  Yeah I spent a lot of money and yeah I put over 5,000 miles on my brand new car, but it was all worth it to spend time with amazing people seeing an amazing band.

This is one of my favorite pictures I took this summer at Jones Beach.

Every winter the fans of DMB anxiously await the announcement of the summer tour.  The tour usually gets announced late January to early February.  A month or so later is ticket request time.  If you are a member of the Warehouse (their official fansite) you know how exciting/aggravating this can be.  I am not going to go into details because I'm going to save that for my post which will focus entirely on the Warehouse!  

DMB tours all summer long with a brief break in the middle of the tour.  They travel all over the country and will sometimes play two nights at certain venues.  In addition to the band traveling all over the country, the fans do the same as well because one show in your hometown simply is not enough.

I'm home on Long Island every summer so I try to go to shows within a 4 hour drive from me.  This summer I went to both nights of Jones Beach, the second night of SPAC (Saratoga Performing Arts Center,) the second night of Hartford, and Bethel Woods.  I heard so many rare songs I was dying to hear in addition to a double encore at SPAC.  It was one of those amazing concert memories I will remember the rest of my life because double encores are hard to come by especially one of the song "Halloween."  The roar from the crowd was unforgettable that night.

My parents were never happy when I told them I was going to another show.  I am a broke college student.  I am SO broke because of DMB. Therefore when I complain to my parents about how broke I am they have no sympathy for me, it sucks.  They should be thankful I stay within a 4 hour drive.  It could be much worse considering I have friends who flew all the way out to Washington State for Dave Labor Day weekend.  My parents would consider disowning me if I ever traveled that far for a show.

It All Started When...

It all started when I was about 15 years old in dance class.  Every Monday and Wednesday I had my modern dance class which was my favorite because it was super relaxing between all the stretching we did and the music my teacher played.  When we went across the floor she would always play a few different Dave Matthews Band songs.  I had always heard my mom playing these songs in the car so I knew they sounded familiar.  The songs were so quick to get stuck in my head and I didn't mind it one bit.

When dancing to these DMB songs I would just leave all of my emotion out of the dance floor.  Some of the songs we would use in class were, #41, Satellite, Crash Into Me, and Ants Marching.  Crash Into Me and #41 were the two songs I instantly fell for. These incredible feelings and movements would just pour out of me when dancing, the feeling was indescribable and I knew I had fallen in love with something special.  The 1996 second studio album, "Crash," started my love for the Dave Matthews Band.

Your typical 15 year old would probably be listening to the radio and your typical "Top 40," music but not me.  I was mesmerized by the music, the lyrics, the unique sound, and the instruments of Dave Matthews Band.  Now six years later I find myself still feeling the exact same way but much more appreciative of how incredible they truly are.

Me, myself and I.

Let me start by introducing myself with 10 facts about me.

1.    My name is Alexandra Sarling

2.    I am a Public Relations and Journalism student at the University of Tampa.  

3.    I'm 21 years old.

4.    I’m originally from Long Island, NY. 

5.    I have the typical New York accent and get made fun of approximately twice a day because of the way I say dog and coffee but I see no issue with it. 

6.    I have an unhealthy obsession with coffee but its mostly free since I work at Starbucks. 

7.    I am an active member of the Gamma Pi Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega.

8.    NYY and NYG are my teams.

9.    Dave Matthews is my favorite singer/songwriter.

10.  My family is my backbone and I’d be nothing without them.

This will be my first blog where I can actually choose what I write about so this should be cake but we'll see!  The assignment from my Writing on the Web professor is to blog 12 times about an approved topic of our choice.  If you know me and you're reading this I bet you can guess what my blog topic will be.

This blog will be my personal experiences, and thoughts relating to Dave Matthews Band; the band as a whole, members individually, concert tours, albums, songs, lyrics and whatever else comes to mind. 

Enjoy :)