SAY the name Dawes and music lovers will probably start thinking of Jim
Morrison and Co.
Different spellings aside, Dawes, like the great Doors, can proudly count
themselves among the best bands to come out of Los Angeles.
Their songs are steeped in the Laurel Canyon scene, made famous by Neil Young
and his old muckers Crosby, Stills and Nash as well as The Byrds and Joni
Mitchell. With his sublime harmonies, tight musicianship and clear knowledge
of the American songbook, Dawes also makes more than passing musical
references to The Band.
And a recent stint playing with Band legend Robbie Robertson has cemented that
connection.
The four-piece is fronted by singer/guitarist/lyricist Taylor Goldsmith and
features his brother Griffin on drums, Wylie Gelber on bass and Tay
Strathairn on keyboards. Now they’re releasing second album Nothing Is Wrong.
Produced by Jonathan Wilson (recently featured in SFTW for his exceptional
album Gentle Spirit), the album finds the band hitting the ground running.
It begins with a bittersweet love letter to Taylor’s home town, Time Spent In
Los Angeles, which suggests you only learn to understand a place when you’re
away from it. It’s a theme that reappears on the yearning My Way Back Home.
The anthemic Fire Away defines the band’s stellar playing, while the strong
closer, A Little Bit Of Everything, focuses on Taylor’s vocal and lyrical
talents.
Here, exclusively for SFTW, the singer tells the Dawes story.
WHEN did you first start playing music with your brother Griffin?
We’ve always sung songs together. And once he started playing drums, we were
immediately playing together. That was about six years ago. When he
graduated high school was right around when Dawes started touring, so it
worked out perfectly.
When did you first believe that a career in music was for you?
I always planned on being a musician so it’s all I have worked towards. I
realise it may not pan out the way I want it to but I don’t think I would
ever be able to redirect my efforts into anything else.
You’ve described Dawes as an “American rock ’n’ roll band” – what is the
true essence of such a band?
There are qualities specific to music that come from any area. That can be as
broad as a country or as particular as a part of a town.
Anyone would agree that there is a common thread that exists through a lot of
American bands.
In ways it’s an ineffable quality that could be talked about and talked about,
the same way you’d have trouble defining the special qualities that make an
English musician especially English.
But when I look at artists like Neil Young, Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen, all
the guys in The Band and the Grateful Dead there’s a very direct quality, an
insistence on being who they are naturally and not too concerned with a
larger than life and/or mysterious persona.
They don’t think in terms of concept records to any large extent. At least not
the ways that we see in artists like Pink Floyd, The Who or David Bowie —
three of my all-time favourite artists.
It’s not really a choice for us — if I could wrap my head around some
elaborate piece like The Wall or Ziggy Stardust, I would love to.
How did you meet Jonathan Wilson and what does he add to Dawes as
producer/musician?
We met Jonathan through mutual friends around LA when we were looking for a
producer and he offered to produce our stuff, even though he had never heard
any of our songs.
Luckily our music ended up being up his alley and, at this point, we couldn’t
imagine recording anything without him being involved.
He has really helped shape the identity of this band. Insisting on cutting
everything to 2in analogue tape, knowing how to get great tones and
recognise what’s special about a song or performance and how to draw those
qualities out.
He is one of the greatest songwriters and artists we know, so to have him as
our producer is a huge honour.
How does the new album move on from your debut, North Hills?
It was an album that was played on stage hundreds of times before we recorded
it, whereas the North Hills songs were only played around LA.
After touring so much we started to learn what worked best live and,
unconsciously, Nothing Is Wrong was arranged as much more energetic and
live-sounding.
What inspired A Little Bit Of Everything?
I wrote down the title in my notebook, unsure if I was gonna use it for
anything.
I was just excited about taking a phrase that I could use for a guy who was
trying to explain how the world weighs on him and, at the same time, for a
guy explaining what he wants to eat. Everything else came out of that.
You have stellar guests in Jackson Browne and Benmont Tench – how did you
meet them and what do you admire about them?
We met them through LA and Jonathan. There is definitely still a community of
players that love to get together and play.
And despite their success and years in the business, Benmont and Jackson are
strong parts of that community. Every time I’ve been around them I’ve been
in awe and felt so lucky to be in their presence. After getting acquainted
several times, Jonathan asked if they wanted to come in and be a part of the
Dawes record. They both said they would like to and we feel truly honoured.
How come you got to work with Robbie Robertson?
He was looking for a background singer for his record so his manager reached
out to an old producer friend of ours, Tony Berg. Tony, knowing what a huge
fan I was, suggested me.
I met Robbie and sang on a few songs and had the time of my life meeting and
working with such a hero of mine.
Soon after that he had to start considering bands for his TV performances. He
remembered me, listened to the albums, watched some YouTube videos and asked
if we would do it.
What did you learn from Robbie?
Being around guys like Jackson, Robbie and Benmont is a constant reminder of
what it really means to have a career’s worth of hard work under your belt.
Here we are, having made two albums, and we feel like we’ve been working
constantly for a long time. It doesn’t even begin to compare to the
commitment and work ethic of guys like that.
Being around them really drove that point home.