On November 19th in Portland Dawes shook down the Doug Fir Lounge. If you don’t know Dawes, get on it. A four-piece band of young whippersnappers from Los Angeles, none older than 23, Dawes plays with a hauntingly precious blend of Laurel Canyon harmonies, Americana soul, and dash of rock n’ roll.
Their debut album, North Hills, should make any respectable best of 2010 list with its The Band by way of Heartbreaker-era Ryan Adams mix of heartfelt acoustic ballads, strutting mid tempo bullets to the heart, and lyrics that make you question how they were written by artists so young. I highly recommend picking up a vinyl copy as North Hills was recorded on analog equipment and fully shines in this format. No one in Dawes is older than 23, and drummer, Griffin Goldsmith is all of 18! He stands 5’7”, 5’9” with the blond afro. Lead guitarist and principal songwriter is Taylor Goldsmith, his older brother. Their father Lenny Goldsmith was a singer for 70s R&B band Tower of Power. Rounding out the group are Wylie Gelber, 21 on bass and Alex Casnoff, 21 on piano. While their album is a legitimate stunner, a friend of mine stayed away from the Doug Fir for fear the show would be “too mellow”.
Griffin Goldsmith killed all notions of too mellow when he lead the band on stage and kicked the show off with a silky smooth and powerful jumpstart, playing with ridiculous facial expressions that seemed to say “this shit is dirty!” “My Girl to Me” immediately declared Dawes a revelation live as Taylor Goldsmith echoed his brother’s expressiveness with energy, enthusiasm, and sharp axe wielding. Singing with passion, belief, and his heart in every word, Goldsmith appeared to be having a blast on stage and aimed his energy poignantly into the Portland night.
Having likely been singing together since Taylor was giving Griffin wedgies, the Goldsmith hold down the vocal fort, while pianist Alex Casnoff fits snugly between them, weaving a warm blanket that sweetly covers Dawes’ strong musical chops. Like a fireside chat with an Oregon Pinot and your sweetest gal, these harmonies may break your heart but the lyrics will put it back together. Singing like a sage with many lifetimes under his belt, Goldsmith’s words are clear and direct. One part weary, one part hope, the mix feels like your wise, old grandfather picked up a Stratocaster, got Botox injections, and now possesses a smile that makes the ladies swoon.
One of North Hills’ most indelible and profound tunes is “Love is All I Am”. Whereas on wax, you can hear Goldsmith’s intimate finger picking most clearly, live, the song was a different animal. Re-arranged with incredibly dynamic drum accents and liberal piano runs, Dawes breathed new life into a song that has to be in contention for prettiest of the past 20 years. On “Peace in the Valley”, they invited Judson from openers The Romany Rye to join on guitar and again re-arranged their song structure, blowing a hole into the middle of the song as the extra guitarist launched the music skyward with a nimble solo and Goldsmith followed his lead, stretching the song into a creative, ten minute improvisatory excursion.
Earlier in the evening, at Music Millennium, Portland’s original and premier independent record store, the Goldsmith brothers and Casnoff played five songs with one acoustic guitar and three golden voices. They invited seven lords to leap alongside but they were tied up. Playing two new songs from their already completed follow up album, Goldsmith’s words again shone through with heartfelt wisdom on “A Little of Everything” and “Coming Back to a Man” – the latter being a straight tearjerker for this sentimental Dawes fan. Go get the record already.
