Last Stop: The Gorge -- Dave Matthews Ready To Work On Next Album

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The Dave Matthews Band and Los Lobos, 8 p.m. tomorrow, Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Grant County; $33.05, 206-628-0888; Gorge Information Line: 206-464-2000, ext. 7469. -----------------------------------------------------------------

It's prime time for rock concerts - the season of festivals, state fairs and stadium shows - but the Gorge concert will be the last for the Dave Matthews Band for the rest of the summer, and probably the rest of the year.

"We could certainly do a lot longer tour," Matthews conceded in an interview from Denver, shortly before a show at the natural amphitheater called Red Rocks. "But we're going to work on another album instead. We're going to take some time to reflect and go into it prepared."

The South African-born singer-guitarist and his exceptional band have been on the road steadily for more than six years, and been especially busy since the 1994 release of "Under the Table and Dreaming." That runaway best-selling album established the eclectic, jazz-influenced rock band as one of the most substantial and popular new groups of the 1990s.

The success of "Under the Table and Dreaming," which sold more than 4 million copies, and last year's equally successful follow-up, "Crash," at 3 million and counting, has given the band the luxury of taking its time on the next album. Matthews said it could be out by Christmas, but may not be released until early next year.

Searching for inspiration

"It's sort of hard for me to find topic and subject matter (for songs)," he explained. "It's hard to find inspiration. You sort of want to sit still for a while and write."

Matthews is the principle lyricist for the band.

"But the arrangements, the sound the band has, is all of us," he was quick to add. "Everybody takes their corner (of a song) and fills it with their ideas.

"We're working on a couple of songs already for the next album. We sort of stand in a circle and throw ideas around on the road. We've got a lot of ideas."

Meanwhile, two independent releases the group made before signing to RCA, the 1993 album "Remember Two Things" and the 1994 five-song EP "Recently," are available at retail for the first time, distributed by BMG. The album was recorded live and includes early versions of "Ants Marching" and "Satellite," which resurfaced on "Under the Table," and "Tripping Billies," the studio version of which is on "Crash."

"We still own the rights to them, I think," Matthews said, half-jokingly. "We wanted those albums to go gold on their own, so we gave (BMG) distribution rights."

The other members of the Charlottesville, Va.-based band - violinist Boyd Tinsley, saxophonist LeRoi Moore, bassist Stefan Lessard and drummer Carter Beauford - may do some guest shots on other albums and tours, Matthews said, but the unit remains solid.

"The thing is, we love playing together so much," Matthews emphasized. "That's sort of the core of everything. We all may work on other projects but we will always get back together. To kill this horse to get on another one is a dumb idea."

Intense finale

Matthews said the band is looking forward to the Gorge concert because of the site ("it's fantastic") and the fact that it's the last show of a long tour. Tour finales are always more intense, he noted.

The great rock band Los Lobos is the opening act on the tour. "It's been a privilege to share the stage with them," Matthews said. "Tell people to get there on time because they're just incredible."