Biography:
As the last one to join,
violinist Boyd Tinsley may be the member of the Dave Matthews Band
least surprised by its success. "When I first heard this
band, I knew it was something special," says Tinsley, who was
asked in early 1991 to play on the demo song "Tripping
Billies" and hooked up with the band full-time later that
year. "When I first heard these songs played by these
musicians, it was some of the most powerful stuff I'd heard in a
long time. It doesn't surprise me it works." Tinsley
certainly has the musical grounding from which to judge. A native
of Charlottesville, who grew up in the same neighborhood as
drummer Carter Beauford and saxophonist Leroi Moore, Tinsley was
raised in a musical household. His father directed the church
choir and an uncle played upright bass and trumpet in local jazz
bands. There was a steady stream of Motown pumping out of the
family stereo, as well.
Tinsley says he "stumbled into" playing the violin. His
first desire was to play guitar, so he signed up for a middle
school strings class - only to learn, of course, that it was for
orchestral instruments. He was intrigued enough to take up the
violin and quickly became proficient, though he notes that
"my dog and my family hated me for a good couple of
years" while he learned. As a teenager, he helped found the
Charlottesville-Albemarle Youth Orchestra (which DMB bassist
Stefan Lessard joined years later) and studied under the tutelage
of Isador Saslav, the concertmaster of the Baltimore Symphony
Orchestra. That was a pivotal moment for Tinsley. Saslav wanted
him to move to Baltimore to further his studies, but at 16 the
young violinist wasn't ready to leave home and make the sacrifices
it would require to become a virtuoso. "That's when I decided
I didn't want to pursue classical music seriously," Tinsley
says. Instead, he immersed himself in the works of highly regarded
players such as Stephan Grappelli, Jean-Luc Ponty and Papa John
Creach, all of whom worked in the realms of jazz, rock and blues.
He further expanded his chops while attending the University of
Virginia, where his fraternity, Sigma Nu, held periodic
coffeehouses. With open to the public jam sessions that lasted all
night, they attracted not only the cream of the local crop but
visiting musical luminaries such as Hot Tuna/Jefferson Airplane
guitarist Jorma Kaukonen and Muddy Waters sideman Bob Margolin.
His own projects — a duo called Down Boy Down and an electric
group under his own name — were set aside when the DMB
opportunity was presented to him.
Tinsley says he plans to record a solo album some day, but his
chief extra-band activity is modeling. He has appeared in spreads
and on billboards for JanSport, a runway show for Cynthia Rowley
and recently modeled a Tommy Hilfiger and Gucci ensemble in the
Los Angeles Times. "I just like clothes," he says.
"It's definitely sort of a breather from the whole intensity
of getting on stage or recording an album. Put some clothes on and
take a picture? Hey, why not."
Equipment List:
Zeta Charlie Daniels
Electric/Acoustic Violin
Zeta Strados Violin with Custom Tuners
Furman PL-8 Power Conditioner
Korg DTR-1 Digital Tuner
Zeta Boyd Tinsley Model
(6) Shure U4D-UB Wireless Units
API 500HPR Pre-Amp
Coleman Audio Switcher
Eventide GTR-4000 Ultra-Harmonizer
Trace Acoustic TA200S