Dawes is a California-based quartet formed by Taylor Goldsmith (vocals, guitar) with brother Griffin Goldsmith (drums), Wylie Weber (bass) and Tay Strathairn (piano). Often pegged with a Laurel Canyon sound reminiscent of Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Crosby, Stills & Nash, Dawes plays a gritty mix of Americana, folk rock and soul. The backbone of Dawes’ inspiring tunes are themes of love lost and the search for home.
The band recorded their 2009 debut, “North Hills,” live to analog, resulting in a sparse but achingly authentic album. “Nothing is Wrong,” Dawes’ 2011 sophomore effort, maintains the tight, minimalist and haunting vibe of the first release while delving deeper into Taylor Goldsmith’s relatable yet profound lyricism.
Dawes is best experienced live, where audiences bask in the band’s soaring vocals and charismatic energy. Dawes, a hardcore touring act, has graced stages with the likes of Blitzen Trapper, Deer Tick and Mumford & Sons and recently backed legend Robbie Robertson for his “How to Become Clairvoyant” record. The band has been sought out by Chevy advertising execs and was picked as one of VH1’s “You Oughta Know” artists. Taylor Goldsmith has also recorded as part of Middle Brother, an indie supergroup of sorts.
I talked to Taylor Goldsmith between Dawes’ latest sold-out show at First Avenue and their upcoming two-night stand at the Varsity Theater for New Year’s Eve.
Minnesota really has a thing for Dawes. Would it be accurate to say we were one of the first states that picked up on you right out of the gate?
Taylor Goldsmith: Our shows in Minneapolis are the biggest and sell out the quickest than any other place on tour. Dawes has a greater fan presence there than in our hometown. It’s been an organic experience; it’s not like we owe it to a blog or something. The reason why we're received so well there is pretty straight up: Minneapolis has a winning combo of a radio station that people love, a record store people love and really cool venues. You put those three things in place and people want to come to shows.
Talk about the transition from “North Hills” to “Nothing is Wrong.” While both albums speak to personal pain and suffering, it seems as though the first album was rawer and in the second album, there’s a sense of surrender.
TG: I try to keep mindful about what I write without being manipulative. When I think of songs that I’ve really liked, it’s because they've had a story that gives perspective on a situation. I’m not trying to teach the listener a lesson by any means—because what the hell do I know about anything—but I am trying to create an experience. I write to help myself, so if the songs sound like they have more resolution, I might just be getting better at it or…processing experiences differently?
A lot of your songs are about heartbreak, love and relationships. You’ve also said that the songs on “North Hills” and “Nothing is Wrong” were about different women. Is dating more difficult when songwriting is involved?
TG: It can be…but not all of our songs are about love and not all of the songs are about one person. And it’s not that I haven’t had positive, healthy relationships; it’s that I can never tap into something about losing someone when I’m in a relationship. When songwriters write about something they’re not experiencing, you can see through it. I always want Dawes to create music that people hear and say, “Yeah, that experience sounds authentic.” I never want it to be concocted.
If you had to choose between being successful in music or being successful in love, which would you choose?
TG: Music is what I love most but I would never sabotage love for a song. As awesome as it is to be an artist, what really matters is having someone to love and relationships with family and friends. What I appreciate most about this experience of being in a band is spending time with the guys and my brother. It’s not about, “Listen to this cool song I wrote.” It’s about relationships. So, love. Absolutely love.
How many shows has Dawes done this year?
TG: Somewhere around 200.
How do you keep the performances fresh, both for the band and the audience?
TG: That’s dictated by the audiences. When I’m playing “When My Time Comes” for the 500th time and people are responding by singing the lyrics back to me, it brings me back to what it meant when I first wrote the song. So in that sense, it never gets old.
Have you had any particularly memorable or creepy experiences with fans?
TG: Lots of our fans have become good friends; in fact, one of them is from Minneapolis. He came up to us after a show and we talked about what a certain song meant to him and then we talked about books and music and we’ve just become closer and closer ever since then. And, yeah, there have been creepy experiences, too, but I’d hate for someone to read about that and feel bad.
Over the past year, you’ve done a lot of interviews. What is the one question you’d be happy to never hear again?
TG: There are a few, actually. Some questions feel like they’re set-ups or like someone wants to stir up something scandalous. I’ve been asked what I think about a certain pop star and I can’t answer questions like that without incriminating myself or sounding like an asshole. Other questions are just unnecessary, like people who have never listened to the music asking me how we’d define our sound. It’s a difficult thing, to describe Dawes, but it feels like some people are trying to search for something that’s not there.
Let’s try some unconventional questions. If you ever make it to Sesame Street, which character would you like to collaborate with?
TG: I would be so honored to play on Sesame Street with Oscar the Grouch or Big Bird...or Bert and Ernie, either together or with just one of them. I don’t even know if they’re both still on there? I also love the Muppets. It’d be cool to play with them.
If you were to do a jingle for a cereal commercial, which kind would you want to write about?
TG: The band has become pretty health conscious, so I don’t know…if we eat anything close to cereal now, it’d be random granola. I couldn’t even come up with a brand name. Thinking back to what we liked as kids, it’d be Cap'n Crunch.
Who uses the most hair products in the band?
TG: I don’t think that any of us uses products. It's just shampoo. Griffin is blessed with a lot of hair—and I’m not just saying that as a biased brother. Tay washes his hair everyday, Wiley has that long black hair…and I have a normal haircut.
How did you get involved with Middle Brother and are there any future releases in the works?
TG: Dawes was on tour with Deer Tick and John (McCauley, the frontman for Deer Tick) said, “Let’s make a record.” I wasn’t sure if it was going to happen, but then it did, so I suggested bringing in Matt (Vazquez) from Delta Spirit, who I was already friends with. John was cool with that, so we made a record. There’s nothing planned for the future. Deer Tick just put out a great record and Delta Spirit is going to have another album out soon, too.
Do you have anything special planned for the New Year’s Eve show at the Varsity? Disco balls? Champagne?
TG: We’ll work up as much material as we can beforehand, probably some covers, but beyond that, we don’t have any big plans.
Published on Metromix Twin Cities in Dec. 2011
Macklemore, a hip hop artist from Seattle, has taken the nation by storm with his equally uplifting and unflinchingly honest lyrical style. On his albums, which include 2005's "The Language of My World" and 2009's "The Unplanned Mixtape," the man born as Ben Haggerty showcased his unique ability to craft personal songs that speak to universal experiences. Macklemore, never one to shy away from controversy, uses his music to explore race, politics, consumerism, addiction and any other loaded topic he can “rap” his mind around.
Macklemore is currently touring the U.S. with Ryan Lewis, his right-hand-man and producer of two EPs, "VS." (2009) and "VS. Redux" (2010). I spoke to the rapper in anticipation of his sold-out show at First Avenue on Dec. 14.
Where did the name Macklemore come from?
M: It was given to me by three elderly women who lived by my house when I was growing up. I cut their grass on Wednesdays. They’d give me cookies and biscuits and oven pizzas and by 15 they started calling me Professor Macklemore. The name stuck and got around school and then I started rapping.
Is Macklemore a persona? And if so, how is Ben different?
M: No, I try to be as much the same person as possible. My goal is to have no separation between the art I create and who I am. I’m as honest as I can be. If there is any difference, it’s that Macklemore—and here I am talking about myself in third person—is somewhat livelier onstage than Ben might be.
When you sit down to write a song, who do you write for? Do you have a target audience in mind or is it more of a cathartic process for you?
M: I try not to think like that. I just write whatever I’m inspired to write. And even when I’m not inspired, I write through it. When I write, I don’t have any expectation of what kind of song it will become or who it might reach. As it gets more developed, that might come into play, but I try to fight that. I try not to direct myself. I think the best songs are written that way.
A lot of your shows are all ages; is making your music accessible in that way important to you?
M: Most of my shows are all ages and it’s definitely important. I also have a younger fan base—ages 25 to 35. Of course there are some younger and some older, but the majority are in that age range. I think music should be experienced by people all ages. I understand that clubs need to make money and they do it by selling alcohol, but the shows I went to in high school shaped my way of thinking and everyone should be allowed to experience that. The energy at all ages shows is just great. The kids are super enthusiastic because they haven’t been seeing live shows for 15 years. For many of them, it’s one of their first concerts. The energy is contagious.
Tell us about the process of sampling. What factors determine which songs you use in your music?
M: Sampling contemporary artists was the concept behind the “Versus” EP. Who we sampled was up to Ryan (Lewis); he chose a lot of indie rock music that I had never heard before and picked the best loops. The new album we’re working on is sample-free. Ryan’s doing a lot of instrumentation on it.
Does Ryan always do the music while you focus on lyrics? Do you ever switch roles?
M: We have a hand in each other’s production. I write raps and I’ll spit them for him and he’ll tell me what he does and doesn’t like. Then he’ll bring me his stuff and I’ll do the same. I’ll tell him “I like those drums” or “I like that melody.” It’s a constant collaboration and a joint effort.
As much as you’re comfortable, would you share how making music helped you overcome addiction?
M: Music was an easy way to gauge what drugs and alcohol could do to the creative process. I became aware at a very young age of the effects it had on my music. That was my main passion, always has been, and it was obvious by the time I was 16 that there was a direct correlation between addiction and how deep I could go creatively. Addiction made it very difficult to write from the heart. So music gave me that gauge and it gave me a higher purpose. It was the positive momentum to keep sober.
Do you think music should be included in treatment programs for addiction?
M: Of course. Counselors do use it; my counselor’s curriculum included playing music. Music is therapy. Music moves people. It connects people in ways that no other medium can. It pulls heart strings. It acts as medicine.
Is it true that you are now addicted to shoes?
M: [Sighs] Yes. Yes.
How many pairs are we talking here?
M: Oh…I don’t know…40 to 50 pairs? I should get rid of some of them. There’s peer pressure from my girlfriend. The closet is kind of overflowing.
And yet your song, “Wings,” is all about the perils of consumerism.
M: I think that song came from the overflowing closet! It was about examining my need to get more and more and more. “Wings” was about me digging deeper and figuring out what am I trying to achieve by buying all these shoes? Why do I feel like I have to go shopping and buy a new pair every few weeks? How does that process affect me? What is it about that serotonin rush?
I also hear you like hats.
M: [Laughs] I do have hats but I don’t really wear them anymore.
Why not?
M: I got a haircut I really like. I didn’t like the hair before, so I wore hats. Now that I like the hair, I’m not wearing hats. I’m wearing the haircut.
Published on Metromix Twin Cities in Dec. 2011
