Dawes

Dawes' roots went back to Malibu High School, where classmates and singer/guitarists Taylor Goldsmith and Blake Mills began writing songs together. The two friends' middle names formed the name of their original band, Simon Dawes, which was rounded out by bassist Wylie Gelber and drummer Stuart Johnson. Though the band was proudly Anglophilic, with nods to the Kinks and the Move, their upbeat worldview showed the influence of California sunshine. Though they toured with big names like Band of Horses and Maroon 5, they didn't make a major commercial breakthrough and split after one album, 2005's Carnivore. The new lineup, with the name shortened to Dawes, then took shape around returning members Goldsmith and Gelber, with Goldsmith's brother Griffin on drums. With the new name came a change in sound, as they adopted the classic California folk-rock influence of the Byrds and Crosby, Stills & Nash. The sound was developed in a series of jam sessions instigated by their producer Jonathan Wilson, who teamed them with Conor Oberst, the Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench, and the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson. Released in 2009, Dawes' debut North Hills put its folk-rock influences right upfront, with nods to the Band's loping grooves and Neil Young's Crazy Horse guitar sound. Following the release of their second album Nothing is Wrong the band played an Occupy Wall Street event with Jackson Browne, By now Dawes had carved a niche as a proudly unfashionable band-as Goldsmith told the Observer they were "four young dudes singing rock 'n roll songs with guitars at a time when Daft Punk and Kanye West also exist"-and despite its largely electric sound, their fourth album All Your Favorite Bands wound up topping Billboard's folk charts in 2015. That album was produced by David Rawlings whose partner Gillian Welch also appeared, and for that year's tour they added co-lead guitarist Duane Betts, son of Allman Brothers Band mainstay Dickey Betts. 2016's We're All Gonna Die marked the return of Blake Mills, who'd now carved out a notable production career with Alabama Shakes, Fiona Apple, Conor Oberst and others. He effectively joined Dawes for that album as producer, co-writer and multi-instrumentalist. With more studio experimentation than usual, the album continued Dawes' evolution toward a less-folk, more-rock sound.