Carter Beauford: Under the Table and Drumming

My house is not only a Two-Dave House, but a house divided. I am a big-time fan of Dave Barry, whom my wife, Anne, thinks is best known for putting the booger joke back on the literary map, while she is a big-time fan of Dave Matthews, who I think plays some decent fusion/rock/jazz with exceptionally silly lyrics (what the hell are "tripping billies"? Goats who skipped finishing school?) Not only did I get a chance to listen to more of the wrong Dave in this seminar presented by DMB drummer Carter Beauford, I had to contend with a groupie who eagerly volunteered to help review the program--which can be nutshelled thus: Whenever Beauford is playing (and he is, as they say, one helluva drummer) or talking about his influences (he saw Buddy Rich when he was three, and fell in love with the single drum roll), Under the Table and Drumming is on-target. However, Beauford is--to lift a phrase from "Crash"--"tongue-tied and twisted" when it comes to teaching the fine art of drumming, and the instructional segments are correspondingly flat. Still, there is a certain amount of value in just watching Beauford up close behind the drum kit, laying down a most righteous beat in a plethora of styles. Now, if he could just teach his hippy boss how to write decent lyrics. Neil Peart: A Work in Progress (VL-7/97), also a double-tape set, pulls off this profile/instruction mix better. Optional. Aud: J, H, C, P. (R. Pitman)