Dmb's Tinsley Begins Solo Journey

After years of toying with the idea, Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley tells Billboard.com the decision to record his Bama Rags/RCA solo debut album "True Reflections," due June 17, basically came down to, "Why not?"

"There was a point a couple of years ago where I said, 'Man, I'm just going to do it,'" says Tinsley. "This album is just a natural extension of who I am as a musician and really a natural extension of the Dave Matthews Band, too. For me, it was just an individual journey to just open up a whole other world of music that I hadn't really explored before, like songwriting and singing. The whole experience has just made me a better musician."

Longtime DMB fans will recognize the title track, which Tinsley he wrote prior to joining the band in 1991. It has been a DMB concert staple ever since. Considering the song's history, Tinsley says there was little debate about asking Matthews himself to contribute vocals to the track.

However, Matthews is the only DMB member on Tinsley's disc. For the other material on the 11-song album, Tinsley spent the past year writing (and co-writing with guitarist/songwriter Chris Bruce) and recording. Joining him in the studio were guests Lisa Germano, Doyle Bramhall II, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, and Corey Harris, among others.

After DMB's summer tour wraps in September, Tinsley plans on hitting the road in support of "True Reflections" with as many of his studio musicians as possible.

"We're just going to have fun -- we've never had a chance to play this music live before," says Tinsley. "And when you play songs live, they continue to grow and evolve and get stronger and better. So, I'm just looking forward to seeing how these songs are going to develop on the road."

Solo projects are a running theme in the DMB camp these days. As previously reported, Matthews' "Some Devil" will be released in the fall. While he hasn't heard the disc yet, Tinsley believes frequent DMB contributor Tim Reynolds is "probably heavily involved."