Everyone has heard the phrase “whatever you do…” followed by some bit of wisdom that probably goes in one ear and passes through the other.

A young Dave Matthews did also. The only thing is, he never forgot it.

“Keep your foot tapping whatever you do” a 9-year-old Matthews was told by his guitar teacher. His foot is still going 20 years later.

The worldly beat of Matthews and his namesake band will fill Hilton Coliseum tonight.

The funk-rock-jazz quintet resumed touring after the death of bassist Stephan Lessard’s infant daughter from sudden infant death syndrome last month.

Now back on the road, they pack a lofty punch with their second major label disc Crash, rapidly climbing the charts.

“It’s more aggressive, way more sexy, way more softer and way louder,” Matthews said of Crash in a press release.

Crash follows the triple platinum selling RCA debut Under the Table and Dreaming. The first single off Table, “What Would You Say” also earned two Grammy nominations. The release launched DMB out of the college frat-house circuit and into heavy MTV rotation.

The latter disc followed usual “major label debut” rules: done by the book. “We had click [metronome] tracks and we did the rhythm section first, then added things on top,” Matthews said of the band’s process.

But he described the follow-up effort as going by the DMB book. “We just got in a circle and played to each other,” he said. “There were very different songs from each one (tape) to the next, but I feel there was a sensibility that stayed the same.”

That “sensibility” can be heard in a funky groove that threads throughout the songs. From Boyd Tinsley’s Cajun violin to LeRoi Moore’s R&B sax, Carter Beauford’s power-jazz drums to Lessard’s funk-fluid bass, DMB are the radio friendly Deadhead’s delight.

One song that may sound familiar to long-time DMBfans is “Tripping Billies” which was also featured on the group’s self-released live debut Remember Two Things. The Bama Rags labeled release has now sold over 350,000 copies since 1993.

The song, with a name inspired by a girlfriend who said it sounded like hillbillies on acid, brings back days of yor for Matthews.

“Boyd would start sawing away on his violin and we were screaming and dancing and clapping around behind him,” Matthews said of the updated version. “When I hear that solo, it holds a big memory for me.”

On the single “Let You Down,” Matthews’ admittedly weak strength of lyrics are a source of pride for their directness.

“I think everyone knows the sense of betrayal, both on the receiving end and the giving end,” he said. Similarly, on the climactic “Say Goodbye,” Matthews sings about friends who become lovers for one night, then return to the reality of the situation.

“Given the correct circumstances,” he explained in a press release, “one might find oneself deceiving the relationship a little bit.”

Matthews acknowledges lyrics as his weak link in an otherwise stable chain of musical successes, though.

“I was more conscious of trying to have the lyrics be more inviting or inclusive,” he said of writing the tracks on Crash.

There’s no more universal message than that of “Cry Freedom”which begs for unity in a world full of barriers.

“It’s a plea for us to stay somehow more attached to each other than the things that unify us, and flags or governing powers are things that separate and confuse us,” he said.

The ballad is an ode to the struggle for independence in South Africa, where Matthews attended high school. He said he recalled going to several marches calling for an end to Apartheid.

“There would be a people singing the most incredible music in the face of police with tear gas and bats,” he said.

The now popularized world music is evident in the DMBsound as are the hints of Dixie, where Matthews currently resides.

But if one listens hard enough, early influences from Pink Floyd to James Taylor can be identified in Matthews’ songs.

Meanwhile, it’s his effort to be instrumental that often gets the best of him. “A lot of them [guitarists] are amazed at how ignorant I am around a guitar, ” he said. “When I sit down and talk to Guitar magazine, I feel so stupid.”

The Dave Matthews band take stage tonight at Hilton with special guest Me’Shell Nde Geo Cello opening up.

Showtime is set for 7:30 p.m. and tickets are still available for $22.50 at the Iowa State Center Box Office or charge by phone at 233-1888.