Dave Matthews on Boyd Tinsley at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: “He should be around, if he’s up for it.”

Photo by Sean O’Brien



In the midst of DMB’s nomination to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Dave Matthews Band fans are currently flooding the institution’s website to vote for the Charlottesville, Va. mainstay.

However, as Dave Matthews recently told Billboard, he’s a bit confused about the nomination itself. “I feel like I don’t belong,” he said. “but I’m pretty happy to be included…in a pretty outrageous lineup of people. If I’m gonna be in a category of people getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it’s good to be included in one that makes no sense.”

When asked about whether former fiddle player Boyd Tinsley would attend an induction ceremony Matthews answered, “He should be around, if he’s up for it.”

Tinsley was ousted from DMB in May 2018 after a wave of sexual misconduct allegations were made public by a former collaborator in the band Crystal Garden, a project Tinsley created, supported and produced.

“Boyd’s not with us in the band anymore, playing, but it doesn’t mean he wasn’t there when we made our first record,” Matthews told Billboard. “There might be an awkward moment, but I hope that we’re all old enough to let it go — although maybe it would make more papers if we came to blows up on stage. But that’s not really my style.”

However, the bandleader is quick to note how much happier he is with the current DMB lineup, adding that he’s been writing new music: “There’s a new spirit in the band right now, the last couple of years. Having [new keyboardist] Buddy Strong with us has really elevated our sense of purpose and our devotion to each other. It seems like we’re rejuvenated. I think everyone’s excited about the prospect of going in the studio and all being in a big room together and trying to make some new noise together.”

Other 2020 nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame include Soundgarden, Whitney Houston, The Doobie Brothers, Notorious B.I.G., Motörhead, Pat Benatar, T.Rex, Thin Lizzy, Kraftwerk, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode, MC5, Judas Priest, Todd Rundgren and Rufus featuring Chaka Khan.

Online voting for the Rock Hall closes on Jan. 10 and inductees should be announced around that time. The 35th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place May 2, 2020.

To read Matthews’ full interview with Billboard click here.

To cast your vote for this year’s Rock Hall nominees click here.