Listen to this stripped down, up tempo acoustic version of ‘My Girl to Me’ from Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes. “And if it doesn’t matter if it isn’t true, she is still my girl to me”. (Sigh) Taylor, the heartbreaker. This was a Say Mayday session, I highly suggest you check out this rad blog.

Dawes – ‘My Girl To Me’ from Say Mayday on Vimeo.

Dawes- My Girl To Me

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Dawes is one of my favorite bands from this year. They are absolutely stunning. Every time I play Dawes in my car, or put them on a mix- someone always asks me who they are, followed by a few kind words. They’ve got a lot of soul. A part of a class of bands that has that magic about them, that unexplainable synergy.  I couldn’t say enough, but I urge you to listen to this band. They are a pure delight. 

Deer Tick. Dawes.

I never liked reading show reviews, they are rude and inconsiderate. Guess what, you missed the show. Either way, for the off-chance you haven’t heard of these two bands, I’ll go ahead and tell you about this one. Because I think the fortune outweighs the risk. Dawes is a band from North Hills, CA that I discovered while I did a few days on the Delta Spirit tour this February. I’d bet good money that frontman Taylor Goldsmith once digested a tiny old man whose clocked in more years than most ought to. And such a man climbs out of his throat on every stage in every state and province and spills out of his thoughts to shout things like, “ anyone that’s making anything new only breaks something else”. These truths are often only revealed at such an age when hair is thinned and backs are hunched and there is ample time for introspection and complaining. Their self-titled album, however matured and polished, was conceived of boys in their golden years of youth with all the hair they could need and all the tolerance they could desire of the many drinks and potions offered on any given evening. Their stellar performance sounded even more inviting than their record, with bandmates Griffin Goldsmith, Wylie Gelber and Tay Strathaim rounding out an orchestra reminiscent of legends like the Band and Wilco.

Dawes: When My Time Comes

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Dawes: Love Is All I Am

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Dawes: That Western Skyline

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 As Goldsmith wrestles with his self-professed lack of insight and wisdom that only age could deliver, John Joseph McCauley of Deer Tick clumsily joins the stage with a whiskey and an audible rasp that bites at the ears and tears us to shreds. The Rhode Island band’s latest release entitled ‘Born on Flag Day’ is packed with gruff vocals and honky-tonk anthems like Friday XIII and Straight into a Storm. McCauley ensures that the party is being had and the drinks are being drunk, and on that very stage, he is having the best night of his life and you believe him because you were there.

Deer Tick- Dirty Dishes

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Deer Tick- Friday XIII

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Deer Tick- Ashamed

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www.myspace.com/dawestheband