To hear Ernie Boch Jr. talk – with a Boston accent and plenty of friendly colloquialisms – you’re reminded more of someone you could sit and have a beer with over the Red Sox game than a megamusical philanthropist
|
Ernie grew up in Norwood, Massachusetts, son of a successful local auto dealer. His father, Ernie Boch Sr., was somewhat of a local celebrity, known for his colorful commercials advertising the family chain of dealerships. Though the younger Ernie did eventually follow his father’s footsteps in the automotive business, he also nurtured a love of music that led him to play in numerous high school and college bands, culminating with Ernie attending the highly esteemed Berklee School of Music. It was through this combination of business acumen and his love of music that provided the impetus for Ernie pursuing the philanthropic side of the musical world.
In the Community: Music Drives Us
Like most people, Ernie Boch had never really planned on directing a charitable foundation – the opportunity simply seemed to present itself at the right time, and his love of music took over. It began with a chance meeting with John Sykes, one of the architects of MTV. Ernie’s original interest was in working with VH1’s Save the Music foundation, a national program dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in America’s public schools. After some preliminary discussions with the organization, Ernie decided to act on a more regional level, starting his own foundation entitled Music Drives Us – a clever reference to the successful business empire, which enabled him to realize the project.
“I didn’t want to raise any money until I proved this was a worthwhile thing,” Ernie recounts. Rather than relying on contributions to start his project, Ernie was willing to put $2 million of his own funds into the venture. Soon after establishing the organization’s funding, Ernie began producing PSAs to get the word out about Music Drives Us, and community groups rapidly began submitting grants. Since its inception, according to Ernie, Music Drives Us has given out hundreds of thousands of dollars to support various music initiatives. The foundation’s board meets once per quarter to distribute money to worthy causes. “Last round, 91 people applied for grants,” Ernie stated proudly.
“To The Automatics are essentially a blues band with a rock n’ roll edge, able to move from jump blues to shuffles to cool Southern rock at any point in a set.” |
Music Drives Us breaks their grants down into four categories: providing musical instruments to community groups, grants for live performances, organizational grants for musical education facilities and individual scholarships to outstanding musicians who want to continue their education through camps, programs and colleges. In a unique twist aimed at perpetuating the cycle of education, the scholarship requires recipients to devote a specific amount of time each month parlaying their knowledge to a younger generation of musicians.
One example of Music Drives Us’ efforts to promote music in the public realm was in providing a $10,000 grant for advertising and publicity to the Boston Blues Foundation – an organization that aims to keep the blues culture and spirit alive through free Boston-area concerts – specifically to support efforts to bring younger people into the blues scene. Ernie is quick to point out that the grants aren’t limited to non-profit organizations, but merely worthy endeavors. “It’s the public and private sector. If someone comes up with a great musical idea and the board thinks it’s a good idea, we’re gonna give them the dough.” Music Drives Us also doesn’t limit their philanthropy to rock and blues. One such example is the Boston City Singers, an ensemble of young people from a variety of ages and backgrounds who meet weekly to rehearse choral arrangements of both traditional and popular songs. They recently received a $7,000 grant to facilitate music lessons and community concerts. “The Boston City Singers is an amazing group of kids,” Ernie says. “They meet once a week and it keeps kids off the streets.”
On Stage: Ernie and the Automatics
All of this is in part supported by Ernie’s personal love of music, and the band he has assembled, Ernie and the Automatics. For the Automatics, Ernie drew from some of Boston’s most successful musicians. “I’ve got two retired rock stars, and two professional guys that play all the time,” said Ernie. The band features the musical talents of Sib Hashian and Barry Goudreau – both former members of Boston – along with Tim Archibald and Brian Maes who had played with Barry in the post-Boston project, RTZ.
The Automatics are essentially a blues band with a rock n’ roll edge, able to move from jump blues to shuffles to cool Southern rock at any point in a set. The music largely centers on the guitar interplay between Ernie and Barry, resulting in a dynamic sound. When Ernie plays, his enjoyment of the music shines through with his raw Tele tone and bluesy note choice; Barry’s guitar often stands in sharp contrast, with a more “uptown” feel and a deep, thick tone that never gives up its identity as a Stratocaster. This mixture has led Ernie and the Automatics to build a following in the Boston area – “We’ve got a little buzz going on,” Ernie reveals.
Much like his foundation, forming a band was never Ernie’s intention. The band initially originated from his burgeoning friendship with Sib. “Through some people, I met Sib Hashian, the original drummer from the band, Boston. I talked to him and helped him out with a play he was doing, and we quickly became friends,” Ernie recalls. When Sib realized that Ernie played guitar, he kept after him to set up a jam, despite Ernie’s reluctance. After some time, he finally acquiesced and agreed to meet Sib for a jam session.
Ernie recounts the story: “So I show up at this place, and discover that this is not just a place where you sit in – this is a $250 a ticket major fundraising event for the Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism. The place is packed, and I say to Sib, ‘What did you get me into?’ He told me not to worry about it, so I went to tune up with the band. The only person on stage that I knew was the sax player, from a couple of events around town. Realize that I hadn’t played out in probably 15 years; at that point, I was beginning to get really nervous.
“The leader of the house band came over and asked me what I wanted to play. ‘How about a blues,’ I said, and we agreed on Mustang Sally, in the key of C. The plan was to come up for the third tune. I made Sib agree to come up with me, but halfway through the second tune, he took off for the bathroom. When the third song started, Sib still wasn’t there, and the guitarist called me up. I told him I couldn’t go up there, and when Sib returned, he asked me what I was doing just standing there. I told him we missed the tune, but before I know it, Barry Goudreau is standing on one side of me, with Sib on the other, and they’re both urging me to go out on stage and play. Eventually Brad Delp [former lead singer for Boston] comes over as well, and says, ‘Hey, Ernie, I heard you’re sitting in. Its gonna be fun, right?’ The band on stage ended without me joining them – but then they see half of Boston standing next to the stage, and start calling us all up. There was no way I was going up there, but the guys went onstage and played three killer Boston tunes. The crowd went crazy, because these guys hadn’t played this stuff together in 30 years. When they struck the final note, the crowd went absolutely nuts, and the guys again turned to me and told me to get up there. I literally grabbed my guitar and ran. I ran! I was so nervous, I just took off and told them I had to get up early in the morning. So even though that was a nightmare, that’s essentially how I met those guys.”
These days, Ernie isn’t so reluctant to hop on stage and jam. Though he left that first night with his pride slightly bruised, he also came away with the friendship of Sib and Barry, who would later become members of his band. The three began jamming together, adding Barry’s RTZ bandmate Tim Archibald on bass – “When I was at Berklee, he was the hottest bass player around,” Ernie notes. For vocals, Ernie again drew from Barry and Tim’s RTZ experience, grabbing vocalist Brian Maes, who doubles on keyboards, to complete the group.
The band started off with a bang – opening for Los Lobos and guitar virtuoso Johnny A at the Reel Blues Festival in Cape Cod. “Our first gig was in front of 2,400 people with only four rehearsals!,” Ernie recounts. The Reel Blues Festival proved to be a worthy and relevant first gig for Ernie and his band – it is an annual film and music festival held to raise money to help older musicians with various needs such as healthcare. In addition, the money raised is also used to help burgeoning independent filmmakers.
Since that first performance in August of 2006, Ernie and the Automatics have gone on to open for blues legend B.B. King and release a live CD and DVD of their performance at the Reel Blues Festival, along with an additional live CD entitled The Body Shop Sessions, and a live DVD, Sunday with Liz Walker. The group took to the studio in May to record a CD of original songs.
It is through these CDs and DVDs, along with other merchandise, such as t-shirts, that Ernie and the Automatics help support his philanthropic efforts. “All of the money from our merchandise, available through the band’s website [ernieandtheautomatics. com] goes to Music Drives Us,” Ernie explains. The band also uses their growing buzz in the Boston area to raise awareness through public service announcements and television appearances, meaning that Ernie Boch’s various endeavors, both musically and financially, are helping share the joy of music.
Ernie Boch Jr. is a true anomaly in the musical community. Instead of being content with his accomplishments in the business world, Ernie has chosen to use his skills and resources to spread music education across the New England area, in addition to pursuing his own dream of performing the music he grew up with. If every region had an Ernie, and subsequently a foundation like Music Drives Us, there would be a whole lot more music to go around.
Interested in hearing Ernie and the Automatics this summer? You can catch up with the guys at the following venues:
|
musicdrivesus.com
ernieandtheautomatics.com
Halfway through the month, but the prizes keep coming! Enter Stompboxtober Day 14 for your chance to win a P-Split Stereo from Lehle!
Lehle P-Split Iii Signal Splitter
- Stereo split, summing, double DI box and problem solver
- Hum-free and lossless splitting and isolating
- Two high-impedance LEHLE TRANSFORMER HZ
- Phase and ground switch per channel
- Suitable for unbalanced or balanced signals
- Passive – doesn’t need power
The LEHLE P-SPLIT STEREO combines passive intelligent splitting with the highest possible signal fidelity in a double pack.
The classic solution for splitting, eliminating hum, balancing and reamplification in recording applications, now appears in a doubled version and this time adds the passive summing of signals.
Two LEHLE TRANSFORMER HZ are working at the heart of the LEHLE P-SPLIT STEREO, galvanically isolating the particular ISO outputs from each other, eliminating any possibility of ground loops and hum.
Our columnist stumbled upon massive success when he shifted his focus to another instrument. Here, he breaks down the many benefits you can get from doing the same.
A while back, I was doing a session for the History Channel at Universal in Hollywood, California. After the session, I sheepishly admitted to some of the other session players that I was really getting into bluegrass and specifically the square-neck resonator, or dobro guitar. Now, as a progressive-jazz guitarist, that was quite a revelation. After some classic lines from the Burt Reynolds movie, Deliverance, another friend said he also was getting into mandolin and banjo.
Long story short, we put together a band, Honeywagon (which is the vehicle that cleans out the toilets under actors’ trailers on movie sets), started playing bluegrass around L.A. (up and down the Sunset Strip), and three months later, we had a record deal. We sang three-part harmony, made “deranged” covers of songs by famous artists, produced it ourselves, and sold well over 1.5 million albums and counting, and played all over the world.
What started all of that was my love for Jerry Douglas’ dobro playing. It’s so vocal, and his timbral range! You see, music is a universal language that transcends cultural, social, and linguistic boundaries. And learning another instrument is a gateway to unlock levels of self-expression, creativity, and emotional exploration you might not even be aware of.
I don’t believe in “mastery”—there are always deeper levels to discover—so let me say that while gaining significant proficiency on one instrument is a huge achievement, the benefits of learning to play at least one other instrument are immense. It will enhance your musical skills, cognitive abilities, and personal growth. Tighten up your belts, the Dojo is now open.
Enhancing Musical Skills and Understanding
Learning multiple instruments can profoundly deepen a musician’s understanding of music theory, composition, and performance. Each instrument has its unique challenges, techniques, and approaches that require you to adapt and learn new skills. For instance, a guitarist transitioning to the piano will need to understand new techniques, two-hand interdependence, chord shapes, and different ways of producing sound.
New instruments also allow you to appreciate different timbres, textures, and roles within an ensemble. A drummer who learns to play the bass, for example, will gain a deeper understanding of rhythm and timing, as they experience how their drumming interacts with the bassline. This cross-instrumental knowledge can lead to more creative compositions and more nuanced performances, as musicians become adept at thinking from multiple musical perspectives.
Cognitive Benefits
The cognitive benefits of playing an instrument are widely documented. Learning to play an instrument can improve memory, enhance coordination, and increase cognitive flexibility. When a musician learns to play an additional instrument, these cognitive benefits are amplified. The process of learning new fingerings, reading different clefs, and adapting to various physical requirements engages the brain in unique ways, promoting neuroplasticity and cognitive growth.
“Music is a universal language that transcends cultural, social, and linguistic boundaries.”
Moreover, playing multiple instruments can improve problem-solving skills and adaptability. We often face challenges when learning a new instrument, but successfully navigating these challenges builds resilience and perseverance—skills that are valuable both in music and in other areas of life.
Emotional and Personal Growth
Music is not just a technical skill, it is also a deeply emotional and expressive art form. Learning to play multiple instruments can enhance your ability to express and connect with your rich emotions. Each instrument has its own voice and character, offering different ways to convey those emotions and tell stories. A violinist who learns to play the flute, for instance, may discover new ways to express lyrical melodies or subtle nuances in phrasing. In addition, taking on another instrument can boost confidence and self-esteem.
Expanding Musical Opportunities
It can also open you up to a wide range of musical opportunities. Musicians who can play multiple instruments are often more versatile and in-demand for various musical projects. The more you’re able to adapt to different genres, styles, and ensemble settings, the more valuable a collaborator you’ll be in bands and recording sessions.
Which One?
Ultimately, I’ve found that the instruments I can play besides the guitar have helped me deepen my connection with music and discover new ways to express myself. If this article is resonating with you, I would suggest choosing your new instrument based around what excites you the most. Is it bass, keys, pedal steel (one of my personal faves), or modular-synth programming? The possibilities are as wide as your mindset. In “Song of Myself, 51,” Walt Whitman said, “I am large, I contain multitudes.” Namaste.John Mayer Silver Slinky Strings feature a unique 10.5-47 gauge combination, crafted to meet John's standards for tone and tension.
“I’ve always said that I don’t play the guitar, I play the strings. Having a feeling of fluidity is so important in my playing, and Ernie Ball strings have always given me that ability. With the creation of the Silver Slinky set, I have found an even higher level of expression, and I’m excited to share it with guitar players everywhere.”
— John Mayer
hese signature sets feature John’s previously unavailable 10.5-47 gauge combination, perfectly tailored to his unique playing style and technique. Each string has been meticulously crafted with specific gauges and core-to-wrap ratios that meet John’s exacting standards, delivering the ideal balance of tone and tension.
The new Silver Slinky Strings are available in a collectible 3-pack tin, a 6-pack box, and as individual sets, offered at retailers worldwide.
"Very few guitarists in the history of popular music have influenced a generation of players like John Mayer. For over 25 years, John has not only been a remarkable artist but also a dear friend to the Ernie Ball family. This partnership represents our shared passion for music and innovation, and we can't wait to see how John’s signature Silver Slinky strings continue to inspire guitarists around the world.”— Brian Ball, CEO of Ernie Ball
Product Features
- Unique gauge combination: 10.5, 13.5, 17.5, 27, 37, 47
- John’s signature gauge for an optimal balance of tone, tension, and feel
- Reinforced Plain Strings (RPS) for enhanced tuning stability and durability
- Custom Slinky recipes tailored to John’s personal preferences
The folk-rock outfit’s frontman Taylor Goldsmith wrote their debut at 23. Now, with the release of their ninth full-length, Oh Brother, he shares his many insights into how he’s grown as a songwriter, and what that says about him as an artist and an individual.
I’ve been following the songwriting of Taylor Goldsmith, the frontman of L.A.-based, folk-rock band Dawes, since early 2011. At the time, I was a sophomore in college, and had just discovered their debut, North Hills, a year-and-a-half late. (That was thanks in part to one of its tracks, “When My Time Comes,” pervading cable TV via its placement in a Chevy commercial over my winter break.) As I caught on, I became fully entranced.
Goldsmith’s lyrics spoke to me the loudest, with lines like “Well, you can judge the whole world on the sparkle that you think it lacks / Yes, you can stare into the abyss, but it’s starin’ right back” (a casual Nietzsche paraphrase); and “Oh, the snowfall this time of year / It’s not what Birmingham is used to / I get the feeling that I brought it here / And now I’m taking it away.” The way his words painted a portrait of the sincere, sentimental man behind them, along with his cozy, unassuming guitar work and the band’s four-part harmonies, had me hooked.
Nothing Is Wrong and Stories Don’t End came next, and I happily gobbled up more folksy fodder in tracks like “If I Wanted,” “Most People,” and “From a Window Seat.” But 2015’s All Your Favorite Bands, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Folk Albumschart, didn’t land with me, and by the time 2016’s We’re All Gonna Die was released, it was clear that Goldsmith had shifted thematically in his writing. A friend drew a thoughtful Warren Zevon comparison to the single, “When the Tequila Runs Out”—a commentary on vapid, conceited, American-socialite party culture—but it still didn’t really do it for me. I fell off the Dawes train a bit, and became somewhat oblivious to their three full-lengths that followed.
Oh Brotheris Goldsmith’s latest addition to the Dawes songbook, and I’m grateful to say that it’s brought me back. After having done some catching up, I’d posit that it’s the second work in the third act, or fall season, of his songwriting—where 2022’s Misadventures of Doomscrollercracked open the door, Oh Brother swings it wide. And it doesn’t have much more than Dawes’ meat and potatoes, per se, in common with acts one or two. Some moodiness has stayed—as well as societal disgruntlement and the arrangement elements that first had me intoxicated. But then there’s the 7/4 section in the middle of “Front Row Seat”; the gently unwinding, quiet, intimate jazz-club feel of “Surprise!”; the experimentally percussive, soft-spoken “Enough Already”; and the unexpected, dare I say, Danny Elfman-esque harmonic twists and turns in the closing track, “Hilarity Ensues.”
The main engine behind Dawes, the Goldsmith brothers are both native “Angelinos,” having been born and raised in the L.A. area. Taylor is still proud to call the city his home.
Photo by Jon Chu
“I have this working hypothesis that who you are as a songwriter through the years is pretty close to who you are in a dinner conversation,” Goldsmith tells me in an interview, as I ask him about that thematic shift. “When I was 23, if I was invited to dinner with grownups [laughs], or just friends or whatever, and they say, ‘How you doin’, Taylor?’ I probably wouldn’t think twice to be like, ‘I’m not that good. There’s this girl, and … I don’t know where things are at—can I share this with you? Is that okay?’ I would just go in in a way that’s fairly indiscreet! And I’m grateful to that version of me, especially as a writer, because that’s what I wanted to hear, so that’s what I was making at the time.
“But then as I got older, it became, ‘Oh, maybe that’s not an appropriate way to answer the question of how I’m doing.’ Or, ‘Maybe I’ve spent enough years thinking about me! What does it feel like to turn the lens around?’” he continues, naming Elvis Costello and Paul Simon as inspirations along the way through that self-evolution. “Also, trying to be mindful of—I had strengths then that I don’t have now, but I have strengths now that I didn’t have then. And now it’s time to celebrate those. Even in just a physical way, like hearing Frank Zappa talking about how his agility as a guitar player was waning as he got older. It’s like, that just means that you showcase different aspects of your skills.
“I am a changing person. It would be weird if I was still writing the same way I was when I was 23. There would probably be some weird implications there as to who I’d be becoming as a human [laughs].”
Taylor Goldsmith considers Oh Brother, the ninth full-length in Dawes’ catalog, to be the beginning of a new phase of Dawes, containing some of his most unfiltered, unedited songwriting.
Since its inception, the engine behind Dawes has been the brothers Goldsmith, with Taylor on guitar and vocals and Griffin on drums and sometimes vocal harmonies. But they’ve always had consistent backup. For the first several years, that was Wylie Gelber on bass and Tay Strathairn on keyboards. On We’re All Gonna Die, Lee Pardini replaced Strathairn and has been with the band since. Oh Brother, however, marks the departure of Gelber and Pardini.
“We were like, ‘Wow, this is an intense time; this is a vulnerable time,’” remarks Goldsmith, who says that their parting was supportive and loving, but still rocked him and Griffin. “You get a glimpse of your vulnerability in a way that you haven’t felt in a long time when things are just up and running. For a second there, we’re like, ‘We’re getting a little rattled—how do we survive this?’”
They decided to pair up with producer Mike Viola, a close family friend, who has also worked with Mandy Moore—Taylor’s spouse—along with Panic! At the Disco, Andrew Bird, and Jenny Lewis. “[We knew that] he understands all of the parameters of that raw state. And, you know, I always show Mike my songs, so he was aware of what we had cookin’,” says Goldsmith.
Griffin stayed behind the kit, but Taylor took over on bass and keys, the latter of which he has more experience with than he’s displayed on past releases. “We’ve made records where it’s very tempting to appeal to your strengths, where it’s like, ‘Oh, I know how to do this, I’m just gonna nail it,’” he says. “Then there’s records that we make where we really push ourselves into territories where we aren’t comfortable. That contributed to [Misadventures of Doomscroller] feeling like a living, breathing thing—very reactive, very urgent, very aware. We were paying very close attention. And I would say the same goes for this.”
That new terrain, says Goldsmith, “forced us to react to each other and react to the music in new ways, and all of a sudden, we’re exploring new corners of what we do. I’m really excited in that sense, because it’s like this is the first album of a new phase.”
“That forced us to react to each other and react to the music in new ways, and all of a sudden, we’re exploring new corners of what we do.”
In proper folk (or even folk-rock) tradition, the music of Dawes isn’t exactly riddled with guitar solos, but that’s not to say that Goldsmith doesn’t show off his chops when the timing is right. Just listen to the languid, fluent lick on “Surprise!”, the shamelessly prog-inspired riff in the bridge of “Front Row Seat,” and the tactful, articulate line that threads through “Enough Already.” Goldsmith has a strong, individual sense of phrasing, where his improvised melodies can be just as biting as his catalog’s occasional lyrical jabs at presumably toxic ex-girlfriends, and just as melancholy as his self-reflective metaphors, all the while without drawing too much attention to himself over the song.
Of course, most of our conversation revolves around songwriting, as that’s the craft that’s the truest and closest to his identity. “There’s an openness, a goofiness—I even struggle to say it now, but—an earnestness that goes along with who I am, not only as a writer but as a person,” Goldsmith elaborates. “And I think it’s important that those two things reflect one another. ’Cause when you meet someone and they don’t, I get a little bit weirded out, like, ‘What have I been listening to? Are you lying to me?’” he says with a smile.
Taylor Goldsmith's Gear
Pictured here performing live in 2014, Taylor Goldsmith has been the primary songwriter for all of Dawes' records, beginning with 2009’s North Hills.
Photo by Tim Bugbee/Tinnitus Photography
Guitars
- Fender Telecaster
- Gibson ES-345
- Radocaster (made by Wylie Gelber)
Amps
- ’64 Fender Deluxe
- Matchless Laurel Canyon
Effects
- 29 Pedals EUNA
- Jackson Audio Bloom
- Ibanez Tube Screamer with Keeley mod
- Vintage Boss Chorus
- Vintage Boss VB-2 Vibrato
- Strymon Flint
- Strymon El Capistan
Strings
- Ernie Ball .010s
In Goldsmith’s songwriting process, he explains that he’s learned to lean away from the inclination towards perfectionism. Paraphrasing something he heard Father John Misty share about Leonard Cohen, he says, “People think you’re cultivating these songs, or, ‘I wouldn’t deign to write something that’s beneath me,’ but the reality is, ‘I’m a rat, and I’ll take whatever I can possibly get, and then I’ll just try to get the best of it.’
“Ever since Misadventures of Doomscroller,” he adds, “I’ve enjoyed this quality of, rather than try to be a minimalist, I want to be a maximalist. I want to see how much a song can handle.” For the songs on Oh Brother, that meant that he decided to continue adding “more observations within the universe” of “Surprise!”, ultimately writing six verses. A similar approach to “King of the Never-Wills,” a ballad about a character suffering from alcoholism, resulted in four verses.
“The economy of songwriting that we’re all taught would buck that,” says Goldsmith. “It would insist that I only keep the very best and shed something that isn’t as good. But I’m not going to think economically. I’m not going to think, ‘Is this self-indulgent?’
Goldsmith’s songwriting has shifted thematically over the years, from more personal, introspective expression to more social commentary and, at times, even satire, in songs like We’re All Gonna Die’s “When the Tequila Runs Out.”
Photo by Mike White
“I don’t abide that term being applied to music. Because if there’s a concern about self-indulgence, then you’d have to dismiss all of jazz. All of it. You’d have to dismiss so many of my most favorite songs. Because in a weird way, I feel like that’s the whole point—self-indulgence. And then obviously relating to someone else, to another human being.” (He elaborates that, if Bob Dylan had trimmed back any of the verses on “Desolation Row,” it would have deprived him of the unique experience it creates for him when he listens to it.)
One of the joys of speaking with Goldsmith is just listening to his thought processes. When I ask him a question, he seems compelled to share every backstory to every detail that’s going through his head, in an effort to both do his insights justice and to generously provide me with the most complete answer. That makes him a bit verbose, but not in a bad way, because he never rambles. There is an endpoint to his thoughts. When he’s done, however, it takes me a second to realize that it’s then my turn to speak.
To his point on artistic self-indulgence, I offer that there’s no need for artists to feel “icky” about self-promotion—that to promote your art is to celebrate it, and to create a shared experience with your audience.
“I hear what you’re saying loud and clear; I couldn’t agree more,” Goldsmith replies. “But I also try to be mindful of this when I’m writing, like if I’m going to drag you through the mud of, ‘She left today, she’s not coming back, I’m a piece of shit, what’s wrong with me, the end’.... That might be relatable, that might evoke a response, but I don’t know if that’s necessarily helpful … other than dragging someone else through the shit with me.
“In a weird way, I feel like that’s the whole point—self-indulgence. And then obviously relating to someone else, to another human being.”
“So, if I’m going to share, I want there to be something to offer, something that feels like: ‘Here’s a path that’s helped me through this, or here’s an observation that has changed how I see this particular experience.’ It’s so hard to delineate between the two, but I feel like there is a difference.”
Naming the opening track “Mister Los Angeles,” “King of the Never-Wills,” and even the title track to his 2015 chart-topper, “All Your Favorite Bands,” he remarks, “I wouldn’t call these songs ‘cool.’ Like, when I hear what cool music is, I wouldn’t put those songs next to them [laughs]. But maybe this record was my strongest dose of just letting me be me, and recognizing what that essence is rather than trying to force out certain aspects of who I am, and force in certain aspects of what I’m not. I think a big part of writing these songs was just self-acceptance,” he concludes, laughing, “and just a whole lot of fishing.”
YouTube It
Led by Goldsmith, Dawes infuses more rock power into their folk sound live at the Los Angeles Ace Hotel in 2023.