- Indie folk-rock band formed in 2009, from Los Angeles California. Members of the band are Taylor Goldsmith (guitars, vocals, songwriting), Griffin Goldsmith (drums, backing vocals), Wylie Gelber (bass guitar) and Lee Pardini (keyboards, backing vocals).
- In high school, Taylor Goldsmith formed a band named Simon Dawes (the middle names of Taylor Goldsmith and co-founder Blake Mills) with 3 friends. They had an indie punk rock sound, and they were signed to a label in 2005. They released an album and 3 EPs, and toured with national acts, including Maroon 5 and Incubus.
- When Mills decided to leave the band, the remaining members renamed themselves Dawes, and they changed their style to more of a folk rock sound. In 2009, they released their debut album, North Hills, recorded in a live setting onto analog tape, giving the record a vintage feel. The album received some airplay on indie music stations. No singles were released.
- They had their first appearance on television on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson in 2010. Their second album, Nothing Is Wrong, was released in 2011. It was their first to chart – #64 on the Billboard 200, #5 on the Folk Albums chart, and #18 on the Top Rock Albums chart. While the album did not have singles released, 2 songs charted on the Billboard chart that ranks songs played on adult album alternative radio stations. The song Time Spent in Los Angeles peaked at #17.
- Their album Stories Don’t End was released in 2013. It peaked at #36 on the Billboard 200, #3 on the Folk chart and #9 on the Rock Album chart. The song From a Window Seat peaked at #10 on the radio station play chart.
- Their last 2 albums were All Your Favorite Bands in 2015 and We’re All Gonna Die in 2016. Both reached #1 on the Folk chart and were top 10 on the Rock Album chart. Two songs were top 10 on the radio play chart – Things Happen and When The Tequila Runs Out. Their most recent album shows a shift to a bit more production and a little more pop sound, while retaining their folk rock legacy. Their old friend Blake Mills produced the album.
- If you like harmonies with your indie folk rock sound – you should give Dawes a listen. They’ve been compared favorably to Jackson Browne and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. Here is the song Roll With The Punches, from their We’re All Gonna Die album.