I can't claim any detailed knowledge of DMB's music; I was never much impressed with the few cuts I heard in passing on the radio. But a few years ago, a friend who couldn't make it to a show of theirs gave me and my wife a pair of tickets, and we went on the spur of the moment. I agree with number 6, you need to see them live to fully appreciate them. They stretch out live, with a good deal of improvisation and a building intensity to a lot of their material that I enjoyed very much. And, as others said, Carter Beauford is an outstanding drummer -- dynamic, sensitive, musical, a great asset to the band. I didn't think much of their violin player (don't recall his name); his skills seemed pretty rudimentary, although they served the music adequately.

Matthews's style is more rhythmic than melodic, and as others mentioned he relies heavily on partial chords against a drone. Again, it's effective in context, although it's a fairly narrow style. [Then again, a lot of my favorite guitarists aren't necessarily all that versatile; they do one thing well. In fact, other sorts of artists -- painters, actors, etc. -- can do quite well without a great deal of versatility.] I tend to think that, taken out of the context of the band, his style gets monotonous pretty quickly. But again, I'm no expert, and may be selling him short. I have occasionally seen and heard Dave Matthews in other contexts, including a couple of duets with Emmylou Harris (everyone's favorite duet partner), on which he was very effective in a different style than that for which he is best known.