I've just witnessed a most remarkable spectacle: five white boys from Illinois, performing here in Charlottesville, with the sounds of Dave Matthews Band emanating from their instruments.

For The C-Ville Weekly's annual invitation-only Christmas party, C-Ville decided to get a little goofy. Somebody, I'm guessing Editor Hawes Spencer, thought it would be funny to get a DMB cover band to perform. The usual crowd at C-Ville Weekly events consists mostly of people that knew band members well before DMB existed, so they'd probably get a real kick out of seeing a bunch of kids try and cover their friends' music, presumably not very well.

Well, the joke was on C-Ville. The band, Crash, turned out to be really very good, to the great pleasure of all attending, Hawes Spencer and myself included.

The show was held at Club 216, which is best described as a popular, members-only gay bar here in downtown Charlottesville. It also happens to a great venue for small shows like this, and it's conveniently across the street from the offices of C-Ville.

Walking through the drizzle, up the two flights of stairs into 216, I was greeted with the strains of "Warehouse." (The warehouse named in the song, not coincidentally, is within spitting distance of 216.) I couldn't help but smile. Inside, I found that the place was packed, with everybody from former DMB keyboardist Peter Griesar to Dave's sister, Jane Matthews, in attendance. Shannon Worrell was standing up front with Jane, Hawes Spencer next to her. C-Ville publisher Bill Chapman stood near Shannon, his wife, looking a bit dazed. Every major C-Ville Weekly advertiser was there, of course. That's pretty much the point of the gathering. Up on stage, paled in the glow of the stage lights, was the band: Eric Totherow on vocals and guitar, Eric Bitterman on drums, Billy Sterling playing bass, Greg Johnson on the fiddle and John Born playing sax. My first reaction, admittedly, was a stifled giggle. Born couldn't possibly match the girth and solid stage presence of Leroi. Johnson, although possessing a similar grin to Boyd's, was definitely very, very...white. And Totherow, I found myself thinking, looked nothing like Dave. No, this definitely wouldn't do.

As they went into "So Much To Say," I worked my way over to Peter Griesar, writer of that very song.

"Pete," I shouted through the music, "isn't this strange?"

He just smiled.

"Waldo, close your eyes!"

I did so, and I heard. They sounded just like DMB. The vocalist hit all the cues, all the Daveisms. It was actually a little disturbing. So what if they look different? They are, after all, a "tribute band." (Or so they refer to themselves on their website.) They're not trying to pass themselves off as Dave Matthews Band. And, in fact, their music often departed slightly from the style that we've all come to expect. "Lie In Our Graves" was a little different in the mellower parts, and "Too Much" had a considerably different series of opening riffs.

The best part was that they were so good that nobody accused them of covering the songs badly. Instead, it was understood that we were hearing their own version of DMB's tunes, which they had down so well, they have every right to depart from the originals. They were making the music their own.

Surveying the crowd, I found that most people were simply beaming, like me, completely fascinated with what they were hearing. Jane Matthews and Peter Griesar, perhaps the bellwethers of the event, were both quite impressed. (Well, I know that Peter was. Jane, with whom I am not acquainted, was merely rumored to have been quite impressed.)

Perhaps, I suggested to Peter, this is the sign that DMB has Made It. First, we thought the RCA deal was Big. Then we thought that Lillywhite's involvement was Big. Then having a video and being on Saturday Night Live. That was Really Big. Selling out Giants' Stadium in 45 minutes? It couldn't get any Bigger. Having a tribute band? (And a good one, at that.) Now that's Big.

I was, I must say, a little disappointed by one thing: Totherow didn't do the little Dave dance. You know the one. When Dave's really into a song, he starts getting all twitchy, flipping his legs around like a marionette, looking for all the world like he's got some sort of a bladder problem. Maybe that's my only suggestion for the boys of Crash. Learn the Dave Dance. And maybe get themselves a Tim Reynolds, and perhaps even a Peter Griesar. Just don't get any Lovely Ladies.

Oh, screw it. They don't need any advice from me. They're doing pretty damned well right now. And I'll bet good money that the C-Ville Weekly will report the same thing in next week's issue. If you live in the Midwest, and you're upset that DMB isn't coming near you on this fall mini-tour, I offer a suggestion: catch these guys on their current tour. It's the next best thing to seeing DMB, and a heck of a lot cheaper.