The roots are showing

When Dave Matthews opened the door of his mother’s home in 1996, he was greeted by an icon from the past.

Standing before the musician was 89-year-old Oscar T. Bowles, decked out in his freshly buffed wing-tipped shoes, inexpensive polyester suit and big-knot tie. The Charlottesville man was celebrating his 50th anniversary with the Fuller Brush Company, selling everything from mops to shampoo door to door.

“It’s the Fuller Brush man,” Matthews exclaimed with glee, immediately realizing he was witness to a rare piece of Americana. Although the rock star had done much of his growing up in South Africa, he was aware of the quickly vanishing breed of salesmen who had been canvassing the nation’s neighborhoods since the early 1900s.

Matthews and his mother, Valerie, invited the slender salesman inside. Before Bowles drove away in his 1949 Ford coupe, he had sold each of his new friends a lamb’s wool duster.

When the encounter occurred, Matthews already had ascended to the ranks of superstardom via the group’s dizzyingly successful 1994 RCA debut album, “Under The Table and Dreaming.” That he took the time to visit with the elderly salesman is illustrative of his continuing affinity for the common man.

Tonight and Saturday evening, fans of the Dave Matthews Band gladly will endure traffic snares and long lines to hear and see the local group perform at the John Paul Jones Arena. Most of them will be aware of the band’s history as well as the biographies of the musicians.

Many people also will be cognizant of the band’s extraordinary generosity. Since 1999, it has supported dozens of good causes in the Charlottesville area through its Bama Works Fund.

DMB devotees also will be mindful of the band’s new CD, “Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King,” scheduled for release June 2. These things are all pretty much givens.

Getting beyond commonly known facts and into the soft tissue of who these local guys are takes a person with insight, as well as familiarity with each of them. World-acclaimed trumpeter and educator John D’earth fills the bill.

In 1991, when DMB was forming and looking for a bass player, D’earth recommended his former star pupil, Stefan Lessard. The suggestion carried a lot of weight, because the late LeRoi Moore had played in D’earth’s jazz group for years, and drummer Carter Beauford also had kept the beat with him on various projects.

“Stefan and I had this golden year at Tandem School when he was a junior in high school, and we had this little jazz band,” said D’earth, who, in addition to his musical career, teaches at the University of Virginia.

“One of the students came up with the name Yabanci Jazzites, and we met five days a week at 9 in the morning. Stefan was really serious about jazz bass, and having him in that band was like having another leader.

“He took it so seriously and was so responsible. I think each one of these guys has a very communal, responsible outlook, and that has enabled them to do what they’ve done.”

D’earth said each band member’s “stunning individual style” is another reason for the band’s phenomenal success. He also noted the group’s willingness to push the limits of each man’s musical skills as another major factor in its lasting popularity.

“One of the things I think is astonishing about the band is that they’ve lasted so long, and their output has been at a very high level,” D’earth said. “They’ve done new things and tried to keep it real.

“I think the key to everything with them, as people and musicians, is that they stay in the moment. Doing it in this moment is what real music is all about.

“And that’s what keeps you functioning as a real human being, and not just as a sort of power center.”

The band’s latest recording is the first that won’t bear the imprint of Moore’s boundless musical talents, both as a saxophone player and arranger. He passed away on Aug. 19, 2008, as a result of injuries sustained in an ATV accident in June.

D’earth and Moore build a strong friendship during the years they played together in the John D’earth Quartet. Moore’s day job back then had been working in hospital supplies at UVa.

When Moore made the big time, his bank account swelled, but never his head. After his death it became known that he had quietly pressed checks into the hands of countless needy people.

“All these guys are working-class people who know what it is to actually work,” D’earth said. “At the same time, they each have a very strong gene for kindness, cooperation and collaboration.

“Their generosity comes from the fact that they know what it’s like not to have money. These are high-functioning people who also happen to be humble.

“That’s a rare combination, and perfect for an endeavor like they’re doing.”

Joining DMB for its 2009 tour are Tim Reynolds on guitar, Rashawn Ross on trumpet and Jeff Coffin on saxophone. The musicians also are featured on the new CD.

Opening for DMB at the John Paul Jones Arena is Old Crow Medicine Show.

Music starts at 7 p.m. both nights, and tickets are $65.

Tickets can be purchased online at www. johnpaul jonesarena.com or by calling (888) 575-8497.

Details

Dave Matthews Band and Old Crow Medicine Show

7 tonight and Saturday

John Paul Jones Arena

$65; new seats available

http://www.johnpauljonesaarena.com