Five Questions With Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes)

Dawes has seen some attrition in the two years since the release of Misadventures Of Doomscroller, the consummate band album that played to every member’s strengths. While the departures of bassist Wylie Gelber and keyboardist Lee Pardini may have come as a shock to fans, both were amicable if not inevitable. Either way, it’s left founding sibs Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith to carve out a new direction for Dawes—one that sounds awfully familiar on the new Oh Brother (HUB). Recording the album themselves with help from producer/multi-instrumentalist Mike Viola and touring guitarist Trevor Menear, the Goldmiths sound very much like Dawes, which is a good thing. A bit of a grower, Oh Brother ultimately reveals itself as a cleverly constructed, slightly mischievous companion piece to 2020’s song-focused Good Luck With Whatever, only occasionally veering off into Misadventure’s more experimental back alleys.

Soon after welcoming his third child with wife Mandy Moore, Taylor Goldsmith found the time to fire off some thoughtful answers to our questions.

After the creative and critical success of the jammy Misadventures Of Doomscroller, what influenced the return to tighter songwriting on Oh Brother?
Every band/artist has a spectrum spanning all that defines them or all that they’re capable of. We’ve always liked extended live versions, getting ambitious instrumentally and pushing ourselves as players. We’ve also been deeply inspired by country music and the craft of songwriting. Considering that those two qualities don’t typically show up within the same artist, we feel like it’s something worth celebrating. After Misadventures, these are the songs that started showing up, and we always let the songs tell us where we’re headed, rather than the other way around.

With the departure of two key members, it must have been a much different recording experience for this album. Would you walk us through it?
We recorded it live as a duo: drums, guitar and vocals. It gave Griffin first dibs on which holes he wanted to fill. I see his drums as the main lead instrument on this record. Up until now, as an instrumentalist, I’ve really only been a guitarist for Dawes. I’ve always played keyboards and bass—but with a full-band lineup, there was never any need for me to pick up those instruments. So while Wylie and Lee are titans and representatives of an era of the band that has ended, it’s fun for me to get to explore these corners of my musicianship that have never played a role in Dawes songs until now.

Given that Dawes has been a full-band affair for so long, what’s it been like throwing the spotlight on the Goldsmith brothers for this release?
As painful and scary as major shifts can be, I think moments like these are inevitable for any creative venture—and also essential to growth. Whether it’s the Cure or Dire Straits or Wilco or any number of examples, the personnel changes become signifiers of eras of the band. You’re a Brian Jones Stones fan or you’re a Ron Wood Stones fan … I mean, we’re all most likely both, but you get my point. This is the beginning of a new chapter for the band, and as much as I’ll always love and miss the chapters that came before, I’m excited to define what this one is going to be. That’s why the album title is what it is. That’s why our faces are on the cover for the first time in five records.

A goofy sense of humor pops up here and there on Oh Brother. Where did that come from?
I think it’s always been there, but maybe never so explicitly. I think of songs like “All Your Favorite Bands” or “Still Feel Like A Kid” or “None Of My Business.” Maybe not laugh-out-loud funny, but definitely not serious. “House Parties” and “Mr. Los Angeles” definitely ratchet it up, though. I was uncomfortable with them at first, but it’s true that their inclusion gives a fuller picture of how I see things. As a writer, the more I’ve embraced that, the more I’ve been willing to share all of myself, the more the work feels stronger and the connection with listeners feels deeper.

What role is Mike Viola playing in Dawes’ creative orbit these days?
He and my wife have made music together for years, and that’s how I met him. I think he’s as good as a songwriter/producer/singer/music maker can get, and I consider him to be a mentor at this point—along with being one of my best friends. Co-producing this album with him was pure joy. He once gave me the best creative advice when we were working on a song together. He said, “Whatever ideas that come up from either of us, let’s always say yes.” It felt counterintuitive at first. But in practice, it made total sense. Everyone feels supported and inspired—and if any ideas need to go, they reveal themselves and it becomes abundantly clear. No one needs to shut down an idea before it’s had a chance to be fully explored. Anyway, I love Mike.

—Hobart Rowland

See Dawes live.