Dave Matthews Band Album Pushed Back As Tour Nears

Dave Matthews Band has pushed back the release of its as-yet-untitled fifth studio album for RCA. The mega-selling Charlottesville, Va.-based outfit had hoped to have the new set completed in time for the June 19 launch of its annual summer tour in Columbus, Ohio, but a band spokeswoman confirms that the album will now be released in mid-to-late November.

The group is expected to complete the album after a week or two of additional recording in its Charlottesville studio following the tour's Sept. 20 completion. No tracklist has yet been confirmed, although album producer Steve Lillywhite made mention of the titles "Bartender," "Digging A Ditch," "Sweet Up, Sweet Down," "JTR," "Grace Is Gone," and "Kit Kat Jam," among others, in a recent posting on the official Matthews Band Web site.

It is expected that DMB will premiere some of its new songs during this summer's dates. As for the sound of the new album, Lillywhite says, "I suppose the biggest difference on this CD, so far, is the big fat 12-string guitar Dave plays. Also, after enjoying themselves so much on the last tour with just the five of them, they decided to do the same in the studio. The resulting sound is sparse, but very much in your face."

The disc will be the long-awaited follow-up to the group's 1998 album "Before These Crowded Streets," which debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 and is certified for sales of three million copies in the U.S., according to the Recording Industry Association Of America. "Listener Supported," the second in an ongoing series of official live recordings, peaked at No. 15 on The Billboard 200 last December.

In related news, DMB has finalized an eclectic list of artists who will support the group this summer. Here is the band's tour itinerary, with opening artists:

<B>With Me'Shell Ndegeocello:</B>

June 19-20: Columbus, Ohio

June 22-23: Noblesville, Ind.

<B>With Guster:</B>

June 24: Noblesville, Ind.

June 26-27: Cincinnati

<B>With Ozomatli and Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals</B>

June 29-30: Chicago

July 3: Pittsburgh

July 5: Detroit

July 8-9: Foxboro, Mass.

July 11-13: E. Rutherford, N.J.

July 15-16: Philadelphia

July 19: Washington, D.C.

July 21: Buffalo, N.Y.

July 25: Denver

<B>With Medeski, Martin & Wood:</B>

July 28: Chula Vista, Calif.

July 29: Devore, Calif.

July 30: Marysville, Calif.

Aug. 1-2: Mountain View, Calif.

<B>With the Mavericks:</B>

Aug. 4-6: George, Wash.

<B>With David Gray:</B>

Aug. 19-20: East Troy, Wis.

Aug. 22-23: Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

Aug. 23: Hershey, Pa.

Aug. 25-27: Hartford, Conn.

<B>With Taj Mahal & the Phantom Blues Band</B>

Aug. 29: Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Aug. 31: Virginia Beach, VA

Sept. 1: Raleigh, N.C.

Sept. 2: Charlotte, N.C.

<B>With Vertical Horizon:</B>

Sept. 4: Antioch, Tenn.

Sept. 6: Orlando, Fla.

Sept. 8: West Palm Beach, Fla.

Sept. 9: Tampa, Fla.

Sept. 10: Atlanta

<B>With Bela Fleck & the Flecktones:</B>

Sept. 12-13: Woodlands, Texas

Sept. 15-16: Dallas,

Sept. 18-19: Maryland Heights, Mo.

Sept. 20: Bonner Springs, Kan.