Ep. 248 - TAYLOR GOLDSMITH of Dawes

Songcraft: Spotlight on Songwriters

Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes joins us to talk about the evolution of humor in his songwriting, why he's transparent with his fans, and maybe the most Bob Dylan of Bob Dylan stories we've ever heard.
PART ONE:
Paul and Scott address the recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area, and encourage people to help make a difference by considering a donation through one of four organizations:
Fire Aid (fireaidla.org)
The Red Cross (redcross.org)
MusiCares (musicares.org)
World Central Kitchen (wck.org)
PART TWO:
Our in-depth conversation with Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes
ABOUT TAYLOR GOLDSMITH:
Taylor Goldsmith is best known as the lead singer, guitarist, and primary songwriter for the folk-influenced rock band Dawes. The group, which also includes Taylor’s brother, Griffin, has released nine full-length studio albums, six of which have hit the Top 5 on Billboard’s Americana/Folk Albums chart, and four of which have hit the Top 10 on Billboard’s rock chart. In addition to his work with Dawes, he has been a member of the band Middle Brother with Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit and John McCauley of Deer Tick. Taylor also contributed to T Bone Burnett’s New Basement Tapes project—which completed unfinished Bob Dylan songs—alongside Marcus Mumford, Jim James, Rhiannon Giddens, and Elvis Costello. As a songwriter outside the band, Taylor has collaborated with The Killers, Conor Oberst, Brandon Flowers, Robert Ellis, Demi Lovato, and his wife Mandy Moore. The most recent Dawes album, released in October of 2024, is called Oh Brother. Sadly, not long after our conversation, both Taylor and his brother Griffin became victims of the massive Southern California wildfires that devastated portions of the Los Angeles area and severely damaged or destroyed their homes.