By David Reiersgord 

It seems like all that we see on television these days are reports of wars, hatred, and violence and that positive and uplifting stories are truly rare. That is a shame. Because it is the stories that move and inspire us that we will remember years from now. This is one of those stories.

However, the more powerful stories are the ones that last, and when this force is paired with happiness, overwhelming joy ensues.

I would like you all to meet Rashad Ahmed and Nader Wahba, two musicians from Cairo, Egypt. They're DMB fanatics who took it upon themselves to bring DMB's music to their hometown in any way they could - a benefit concert with all the proceeds going straight to charity.

DMB is set perform a benefit concert at Madison Square Garden for Stand Up For A Cure, which benefits lung cancer research. The show is scheduled for Wednesday, September 10th.

After getting skipped the past couple years, fans in NYC are finally getting an opportunity to see a concert that supports a great cause.

There's only a limited number of tickets available to Warehouse members, and the ticket request period starting tomorrow at noon.

After many rumors, and a couple show cancellations, Tim Reynolds has been confirmed by a source close to DMB's touring schedule to be sitting in for every show this summer.

The last time that Tim joined DMB on stage was 8.23.2004 where he played on the last four songs of the main set. Fans also remember the fall of '98 where Tim guested at every single show producing one of the most talked about tours in DMB's history.

We have a pair of tickets to the TR3 show next Friday, May 9th at the State Theater in Falls Church, VA.

To receive these tickets, the winner will have to compete in the wildly popular "guess the phrase" game. We will post 7 phrases, and to win, the user must have 5 completed.

Entries may be submitted until Tuesday, no later 5 PM Eastern Time. To enter your submissions, please PM me with your guesses and also whether or not you would be able to attend the show.

We’ve all wondered what the meaning is behind many a DMB song. Whether we’ve tried to figure out on our own what Dave is really singing about, or attached our own stories to our favorite songs, no one can deny the power DMB songs have to resonate with and inspire their fans.

However, one fan decided to approach the meaning of songs in a new way by writing a book inspired by DMB's music. That ability the songs have to make us think and feel is exactly what Rumpus Media’s new book True Reflections is about. The publication includes 8 original stories inspired by the music of DMB.

Rock The Earth, a Colorado-based environmental organization, recently announced that DMB has received the 2008 Planet Defender Award in the artist category. Andrew Winston, founder of Andrew Winston Strategies, and Karen Cragnolin, Executive Director of RiverLink, also won the same award in different categories.

The recipients of the Planet Defender Award are nominated by Rock the Earth members, and are chosen by Rock The Earth's volunteer Staff.

Weekly Davespeak is now hosting the song, "A Pirate Looks at Forty" that Dave and Tim performed with Jack Johnson this past Sunday night as part of the Kokua Festival as a download. You are able to download the song in the 2008 Spring/Summer Tour New & Notable Songs thread.

This is a great performance by Dave, Tim and Jack, and features some interesting lyric changes from Dave during some parts of the song.

Updated: 4/22/08: 11:15pm CDT

As reported back in November of last year, DMB’s Stefan Lessard will have his own original compositions featured in the new documentary, Grand Canyon Adventure: River At Risk. Directed by two time Academy Award-nominated, Greg MacGillivray, the goals of the movie are to show the viewers the natural beauty of the American landscape, but also educate them on the topic of water conservation in the world with the help of music.

Because of the longstanding commitment to the environment that DMB possesses, MacGillivray thought Lessard’s addition, “will strengthen the film's conservation message and help us inspire a younger audience.” Both Lessard and MacGillivray agree that inspiring the youth is essential because future generations will decide where the future goes.

To DMB Fans:

This is a formal retraction of the article and interview titled: “Rob Cavallo Talks About the Upcoming DMB Album” published on the front page of Weekly Davespeak on 4/21/08.  The entirety of the interview was a complete fabrication.  An interview with Cavallo did not take place.

By David Reiersgord

When I first was given the opportunity to talk with Tim, I was overjoyed with the thought of speaking with someone who has been such an integral part of DMB. Over the course of the nearly 40 minute conversation, Tim and I talked briefly about his presence in the studio, the year ahead for TR3, and what is really inspiring him these days with his music.

I knew Tim was a smart guy, but after hearing him personally speak about things such as quantum physics, the music he’s listening to, and where he receives all of his news to stay current, I got the impression that he was an extremely insightful person.

One thing that I respected about Tim was how unwilling he was to speak about the album. It says a lot about his character and shows the respect and admiration he has for DMB.