Dawes

Vince Dunbar
Dec 12, 2015
2 min read

Updated: Feb 3, 2021

NewMusicForOldFolks says …

Were you an Eagles fan? How about Jackson Browne? Warren Zevon? Then you'll like Dawes. Dawes is a Southern California-based band with Country/Roots tendencies. When long-time Zevon fan David Letterman was winding down his Late Night shows, he asked Dawes to do the late Zevon's "Desperados Under The Eaves." It was after an appearance on the show about a month before the last episode. The performance didn't air, but Dawes hung around after the show and did the song for Dave and the studio audience. (They taped it and it's on YouTube. If that sounds really cool to you (it does to me), check out Dawes' Stories Don't End album. There's a definite Warren Zevon vibe to a lot of it.

Artist's Info

Website: dawestheband.com

See them live: Tour dates

Record company: Hub Records

Genre: Rock ’n Roll, Roots

If you like this, look into: Ryan Bingham , Heartless Bastards, Houndmouth

Bio (From AllMusic.com)

California-based roots rock band Dawes were formed in the Los Angeles suburb of North Hills by brothers Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith (lead vocals/guitar and drums, respectively), Wylie Gelber (bass), and Alex Casnoff (guitar). They were previously in the band Simon Dawes, but after Blake Mills left the group, they changed the name (and added Casnoff, who was soon replaced by Tay Strathairn). Unlike the more intense indie rock sound they had as Simon Dawes, Dawes were heavily influenced by the gentle, acoustic-based musical trappings and rich vocal harmony of the Laurel Canyon sound (Crosby, Stills & Nash, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell), as well as by the shambling, romanticized Americana of the Band. After connecting with producer Jonathan Wilson, the group began participating in informal jam sessions at Wilson's house with Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst, the Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench, and the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson. The loose feel of these get-togethers informed the group's aptly titled 2009 debut North Hills. The album was recorded in Laurel Canyon live to analog tape, which lent Dawes' recorded sound an authentically vintage vibe. (more )

Spotify sampler

Recordings

Most Recent

ALL YOUR FAVORITE BANDS (2015): At the start of Dawes' fourth studio effort, 2015's All Your Favorite Bands, lead singer Taylor Goldsmith kicks off the sanguine opener "Things Happen" by admitting "I could go on talking, or I could stop/Wring out each memory til I get every drop." This sentiment, ripe with a post-breakup emotional stew of yearning, anger, and eventual acceptance, colors all the tracks on this tight, impeccably crafted album. Influenced by the passionate '70s country-rock and singer/songwriter sound of artists like Jackson Browne and groups like the Band, Los Angeles' Dawes have quietly built a loyal following with their own brand of memorable and often poignant folk-rock. — AllMusic.com

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