The saying goes, “Behind every great man, there is a great woman.” But a less familiar, yet equally true saying is, “Behind every great band, there is a great guitarist.”

Tim Reynolds is the great guitarist behind the Dave Matthews Band.

But tonight Reynolds will play at The Melting Point with his solo act TR3, a band he formed in 1984.

“TR3 has great energy and puts the trio in rapport mode,” Reynolds said. “I dig us as a band.”

Born in 1958, Reynolds took piano as a kid but soon quit in favor of guitar.

“I learned guitar mainly in my bedroom. After music theory, my teachers just said I needed to get out and play or get on the road and join a band,” he said.

Although Reynolds tinkers around with mandolin, violin, drums and keyboard, he almost always plays guitar.

He said being on stage is as natural as playing these days.

“(Before concerts) my body just gets ready on its own, sometimes I warm up sometimes I don’t,” he said. “Performing is a normal biorhythm. Sometimes I can’t believe I’m about to go on stage, but when I do its just a natural state, like it’s in my DNA.”

TR3′s name stands for Reynolds’ initials, but also is taken from the name of an Egyptian god Hermes Trismegistus, who gave people the gift of writing.

Although TR3 has had various members throughout its history, it now consists of Mick Vaughn on drums and Dan Martier on bass.

Reynolds described the musical style of TR3 as “very versatile.”

“A lot of different styles, from three individuals, became the style of the band,” he said. “My own musical style is neurotic and schizophrenic. I’ve been through all different phases of music – Hendrix, Zeppelin, as well as some new stuff like Ministry, Kings of Leon, My Morning Jacket.”

Although Reynold’s involvement in the Dave Matthews Band spans over fifteen years, he said Matthews’ style has not influenced him.

“I’ve always been in and out of DMB, sometimes in Charlottesville, sometimes elsewhere,” Reynolds said. “At first I had no desire to step out and tour with them but in the last few years I have been doing a lot more. I can’t not do my own thing, and it makes me and everybody happy to do both.”

Tim has been touring with TR3 since January 2008, but will join DMB this spring.

“It is hard to always be traveling, not having a home base or a place to spread out, and getting sleep and staying healthy,” Reynolds said. “You really have to love it to live on the road.”

As far as the future, he said he doesn’t look much further than here and now.

“I only think about the near future, I am here today, working and staying steady,” he said.

But spending time with his daughters is one area Reynolds said he wants more time for soon.

Reynolds also hopes to write and record more in the future, as well as go on an acoustic tour.

“I haven’t done as much writing in the past year because of business,” he said. “I have about 40 acoustic tracks unrecorded, half of which are vocal and half instrumental. Even if I never wrote more music I would have enough to keep me busy.”