Dave's Pet Project

By Rebecca Winters

No, this isn't DAVE MATTHEWS' new horn section. It's a scene from the movie Because of Winn-Dixie, in which the folksy jam-band leader plays a pet-store worker who is also "a guitar-strumming felon," Matthews says. "At least in that department I was somewhat qualified." The Wayne Wang film, due out next August, stars newcomer ANNASOPHIA ROBB and oldcomer Eva Marie Saint. Matthews, who dabbled in local theater before his music career took off, says he was reluctant to play a musician in his screen debut. "If I'm going to stumble blindly around the dark room of acting, I'd like to do it with as little common ground with my other career as possible," he says. For instance, the crowd here is much less of a zoo than he's used to.