Danny Barnes Calls Dave Matthews a 'Walking Cartoon'

Having Dave Matthews in your corner is always an asset, but when you're an independent artist trying to put out a record in today's climate, it's also advantageous. For banjo rocker Danny Barnes, it's proven to be both of those things and more.

Barnes counts Matthews as one of his friends and has always enjoyed jamming with him, but Matthews may enjoy it even more. At his insistence, he brought Barnes into the DMB front office, so to speak, introducing him to producer John Alagia and no doubt had his hand in a record deal with ATO Records, the label Matthews co-founded. Barnes cut the recordings for his new album, 'Pizza Box,' in Matthews' own studio, Haunted Hollow.

But Matthews was able to bring something new to the table besides just resources: he brought personality. During the recording sessions, Barnes looked to Matthews' enthusiasm for inspiration. "He brings a really cool vibe to the proceedings," Barnes tells Spinner. "Dave is funny because when things sound really good and you crank it up really loud he starts bouncing all over the place and making sounds and grunting and making faces. He's kind of like a walking cartoon -- on the tail end of caveman, that grumbling thing."

And although he tried to be just a friend and a fan -- Matthews has repeatedly stated that 'Pizza Box' is his new favorite album -- he became embedded in the disc's creation, laying down vocals on a few tracks and offering suggestions for many others. "The stuff he comes with [is] totally whacked and really funny," says Barnes. "When it's all over, you can't imagine that song without that part really. He kind of brings the zoo into the studio. They don't make a plug-in for that yet." Zing!