Dawes

When I think about the band Dawes, I’m reminded of that line in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou when George Clooney’s character, Ulysses Everett McGill, is explaining the sound of his band, the Soggy Bottom Boys. In an attempt to convince the old blind radio station operator that the group is worthy enough to play on air, Everett says, “Uh, sir, the Soggy Bottom Boys is been steeped in old-timey material. Heck, we’re silly with it, ain’t we boys?” If you swap out the likes of CCR, CSN, Neil Young, The Byrds, The Band, and Gram Parsons for “old-timey material,” then Dawes too, are steeped in, and silly with it.

Their sound has been compared to all of the above, plucking hallowed characteristics from each. Consider the guitar solo at the end of their song, “Peace in the Valley,” which bows-out with dramatic, fuzzy, Young-like arpeggios, or the bass line on, “God Rest My Soul,” which could have been lifted from any number of CCR tunes. Their multi-part vocal harmonies, of course, have drawn comparisons to CSN. The list goes on. But don’t be fooled or quick to dismiss them as a thieving, derivative bunch who are stuck in the 1970s. They skillfully pull each influence into a new and gorgeous sonic landscape, where warm days teeter on the verge of a cold snap, and a beer is best consumed in golden fields on the roof of a car or in the bed of a pick-up. The lyrics too are carefully wrought, flecked with soulful lamentations and imperfect beauty. It really is feel-good music for a summer that won’t seem to end.

We chatted wtih lead singer Taylor Goldsmith ahead of their performance tonight at the Rock and Roll Hotel, where they’ll be opening for Langhorne Slim.

How did the current record come about? When did you start recording it?

We were a band before Dawes (Simon Dawes) and that band broke up about 2 years before the Dawes record came out, so we had that time to write the new material and get it ready.

And the previous band was a completely different sound?

We were just younger, maybe a little bit more angsty. I was like 18 when were writing this stuff and really just wanted to be in a rock band. I didn’t think much about what we were actually producing.