Dave Matthews is the kind of unassuming rock star who has no problem blending in when he steps outside and makes public appearances. We wouldn't bat an eye seeing the Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter at a charity wine mixer or a public golf course.
But a Dave Matthews sighting at a sweaty Seattle punk rap show featuring groups like Body Meat and Youngster Jiji? That's not how we imagined Dave would spend his Wednesday nights.
"Last night, I'm doing a gig at a random place called Victory Lounge with a punk band Yr Parents that my friends are in, this math rock group out of Denver, and this jangly dream rock group called Sunday Crush," Youngster Jiji tells P&P, setting the stage for one of the strangest nights in his history as a performer.
"There's no soundcheck or anything, we just kind of show up," Jiji continues. "I'd say by the time I went on there were maybe 20 or 30 people there. It wasn't very big. But, before the show, my manager comes up to me and goes 'Okay, don't get weird or anything, but Dave Matthews is right behind you,'" he laughs. "And I'm just like, 'What the fuck?' I didn't even talk to him before my set because I was like, 'I'm just going to let him hear this weird ass music.'"​
Part of a collective called 06060606 that makes "insanely aggressive trap music" alongside acts like FLECKSS, Youngster Jiji played a typically in-your-face set, trying to ignore the fact that Matthews was posted up in the back of the bar. But he did sneak in a subtle shout out. "I've been doing this running gag where I call my DJ a different name every time," he explains. "Its not very funny or anything. But I just said, 'I'm Jiji Matthews and this is DJ Peter Matthews.' Just a really stupid shout out to try to allude to him without just saying 'Dave Matthews is in the building.'"
After battling through some technical difficulties, Jiji says, "We wrap it all up and I'm just grabbing gear and I see Dave Matthews leaving. And all he does, I swear to God, he just looks at me and says, 'Great.' That's all he said. I didn't even realize it happened until a moment later. I was just like, 'What the fuck is happening?'"
"So, I'm kind of gassed up and we go outside and he's talking to one of the other bands," he continues. "They're called Body Meat and they're fuckin' awesome. And no joke, he was like, 'Yeah, can I get your guys' SoundCloud?' So, he's trying to listen to this band later and shit. It was just absurd. The whole thing."
Then Matthews left the building, putting an end to his odd Bill Murray-esque appearance.
As it turns out, the experience wasn't totally out of the ordinary for the singer, however. Jiji's manager spoke with Matthews and learned he actively supports local Seattle music and lives close to the tiny venue.
So, after playing a set of aggressive punk rap music that's been compared to Death Grips in front of Dave Matthews, has Youngster Jiji's opinion of the singer changed?
"He's a beautiful dumbass," Jiji says. "I don't give a shit about Dave Matthews, but he just blessed me, dude. Around Washington, Dave Matthews is a joke. He's the ultimate dad music. But that dude just blessed the shit out of me. I can't hate on him anymore."
