PG's Jason Shadrick is on location in Madison, Wisconsin where he catches up with Dweezil Zappa of Zappa Plays Zappa. In this segment, Zappa demonstrates his pedalboard and Axe-FX II setup and details his prototype Gibson Frank Zappa signature SG.
Guitars
For the single-coil tones, Dweezil brings out a mostly stock Eric Johnson signature Strat. In order to quickly move to an acoustic sound, Dweezil installed a bridge with a piezo pickup. He's also playing a prototype of a (hopefully) forthcoming signature model from Gibson. Based off of Frank Zappa's "Roxy"-era SG, it sports a white headstock, a series/parallel switch, and a phase switchâboth located on the lower bout.
Amps
The heart of Dweezil's tone comes from a Fractal Audio Systems Axe-FX II. In previous versions of his rig he actually ran two units simultaneously due to the CPU demand that his custom presets required. However, on this âZappa Does Zappaâ tour he runs everything through the top unit and the bottom is used as a backup or for any guests that might sit in. In order to recreate his father's famous tones, Dweezil goes back to the master tapes to study and cop every little detail in order to program the Axe-FX II presets.
In order to play incredibly intricate music, each musician in the band is able to control their own monitor mix via a touch-screen tablet along with a Behringer mixer. This allows everyone to adjust on the fly depending on the song and stage volume.
Effects
All of Dweezil's effects are run through the front of the Axe-FX II, rather than the effects loop. Along the top is a Bogner Ecstasy Blue, JAM Pedals Fuzz Phrase, SolidGoldFX Formula 76, TC Electronic PolyTune Mini, SolidGoldFX Electroman, JAM Pedals Big Chill Tremolo, and JAM Pedals Red Muck. Along the front of his board is the MFC-101 MIDI Foot Controller for the Axe-FX II and four expression pedalsâthe first one is for volume and the other three change function depending on the preset.
On the far right side of his pedalboard, Dweezil uses a custom JAM Pedals wah along with an expression pedal to control different variables on his JAM Pedals Big Chill Tremolo. In addition to this wah, he also uses a wah within the Axe-FX II depending on if he wants it before or after his distortion pedals.
Electro-Harmonix Hell Melter Distortion Pedal
With its take on the cult-classic, chainsaw distortion pedal, the EHX Hell Melter takes distortion to its extremes. The Hell Melter features expanded controls and tonal capabilities, allowing the already in-your-face sound of the pedal to broaden by switching to more open clipping options and boosting the internal voltage for increased headroom, less compression, and more attack.
Originally designed as the ultimate in high-gain tone, this world-famous distortion circuit is known for the death metal sounds of Swedenâs Entombed and the shoegaze wash of My Bloody Valentine. Itâs even found a home in the rig of David Gilmour!
The EHX Hell Melterâs expanded control set includes Gain and Level controls, and a powerful active EQ featuring with parametric mids for improved versatility. The Dry level control allows for blending your input signal for improved low-end when used with a bass or even blending in other distorted tones.
Boost Footswitch engages an input gain boost and volume boost which is internally adjustable. The Normal/Burn switch toggles between the classic chainsaw sound and the more open clipping option.
For the first time in the bandâs history, the Dawes lineup for Oh Brother consisted of just Griffin and Taylor Goldsmith (left and right).
Goldsmithâs lyrics spoke to me the loudest, with lines like âWell, you can judge the whole world on the sparkle that you think it lacks / Yes, you can stare into the abyss, but itâs starinâ right backâ (a casual Nietzsche paraphrase); and âOh, the snowfall this time of year / Itâs not what Birmingham is used to / I get the feeling that I brought it here / And now Iâm taking it away.â The way his words painted a portrait of the sincere, sentimental man behind them, along with his cozy, unassuming guitar work and the bandâs four-part harmonies, had me hooked.
Nothing Is Wrong and Stories Donât End came next, and I happily gobbled up more folksy fodder in tracks like âIf I Wanted,â âMost People,â and âFrom a Window Seat.â But 2015âs All Your Favorite Bands, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Folk Albumschart, didnât land with me, and by the time 2016âs Weâre 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, âWhen the Tequila Runs Outââa commentary on vapid, conceited, American-socialite party cultureâbut it still didnât 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 Goldsmithâs latest addition to the Dawes songbook, and Iâm grateful to say that itâs brought me back. After having done some catching up, Iâd posit that itâs the second work in the third act, or fall season, of his songwritingâwhere 2022âs Misadventures of Doomscrollercracked open the door, Oh Brother swings it wide. And it doesnât have much more than Dawesâ meat and potatoes, per se, in common with acts one or two. Some moodiness has stayedâas well as societal disgruntlement and the arrangement elements that first had me intoxicated. But then thereâs the 7/4 section in the middle of âFront Row Seatâ; the gently unwinding, quiet, intimate jazz-club feel of âSurprise!â; the experimentally percussive, soft-spoken âEnough Alreadyâ; and the unexpected, dare I say, Danny Elfman-esque harmonic twists and turns in the closing track, âHilarity Ensues.â
The main engine behind Dawes, the Goldsmith brothers are both native âAngelinos,â having been born and raised in the L.A. area. Taylor is still proud to call the city his home.
Photo by Jon Chu
âI 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,â Goldsmith tells me in an interview, as I ask him about that thematic shift. âWhen I was 23, if I was invited to dinner with grownups [laughs], or just friends or whatever, and they say, âHow you doinâ, Taylor?â I probably wouldnât think twice to be like, âIâm not that good. Thereâs this girl, and ⌠I donât know where things are atâcan I share this with you? Is that okay?â I would just go in in a way thatâs fairly indiscreet! And Iâm grateful to that version of me, especially as a writer, because thatâs what I wanted to hear, so thatâs what I was making at the time.
âBut then as I got older, it became, âOh, maybe thatâs not an appropriate way to answer the question of how Iâm doing.â Or, âMaybe Iâve spent enough years thinking about me! What does it feel like to turn the lens around?ââ he continues, naming Elvis Costello and Paul Simon as inspirations along the way through that self-evolution. âAlso, trying to be mindful ofâI had strengths then that I donât have now, but I have strengths now that I didnât have then. And now itâs 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. Itâs like, that just means that you showcase different aspects of your skills.
âI 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 Iâd be becoming as a human [laughs].â
Taylor Goldsmith considers Oh Brother, the ninth full-length in Dawesâ 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 theyâve always had consistent backup. For the first several years, that was Wylie Gelber on bass and Tay Strathairn on keyboards. On Weâre All Gonna Die, Lee Pardini replaced Strathairn and has been with the band since. Oh Brother, however, marks the departure of Gelber and Pardini.
âWe were like, âWow, this is an intense time; this is a vulnerable time,ââ remarks Goldsmith, who says that their parting was supportive and loving, but still rocked him and Griffin. âYou get a glimpse of your vulnerability in a way that you havenât felt in a long time when things are just up and running. For a second there, weâre like, âWeâre getting a little rattledâhow do we survive this?ââ
They decided to pair up with producer Mike Viola, a close family friend, who has also worked with Mandy MooreâTaylorâs spouseâalong with Panic! At the Disco, Andrew Bird, and Jenny Lewis. â[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 cookinâ,â 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 heâs displayed on past releases. âWeâve made records where itâs very tempting to appeal to your strengths, where itâs like, âOh, I know how to do this, Iâm just gonna nail it,ââ he says. âThen thereâs records that we make where we really push ourselves into territories where we arenât comfortable. That contributed to [Misadventures of Doomscroller] feeling like a living, breathing thingâvery reactive, very urgent, very aware. We were paying very close attention. And I would say the same goes for this.â
That new terrain, says Goldsmith, âforced us to react to each other and react to the music in new ways, and all of a sudden, weâre exploring new corners of what we do. Iâm really excited in that sense, because itâs like this is the first album of a new phase.â
âThat forced us to react to each other and react to the music in new ways, and all of a sudden, weâre exploring new corners of what we do.â
In proper folk (or even folk-rock) tradition, the music of Dawes isnât exactly riddled with guitar solos, but thatâs not to say that Goldsmith doesnât show off his chops when the timing is right. Just listen to the languid, fluent lick on âSurprise!â, the shamelessly prog-inspired riff in the bridge of âFront Row Seat,â and the tactful, articulate line that threads through âEnough Already.â Goldsmith has a strong, individual sense of phrasing, where his improvised melodies can be just as biting as his catalogâs 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 thatâs the craft thatâs the truest and closest to his identity. âThereâs an openness, a goofinessâI even struggle to say it now, butâan earnestness that goes along with who I am, not only as a writer but as a person,â Goldsmith elaborates. âAnd I think itâs important that those two things reflect one another. âCause when you meet someone and they donât, I get a little bit weirded out, like, âWhat have I been listening to? Are you lying to me?ââ 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 2009âs North Hills.
Photo by Tim Bugbee/Tinnitus Photography
Guitars
- Fender Telecaster
- Gibson ES-345
- Radocaster (made by Wylie Gelber)
Amps
- â64 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 Goldsmithâs songwriting process, he explains that heâs learned to lean away from the inclination towards perfectionism. Paraphrasing something he heard Father John Misty share about Leonard Cohen, he says, âPeople think youâre cultivating these songs, or, âI wouldnât deign to write something thatâs beneath me,â but the reality is, âIâm a rat, and Iâll take whatever I can possibly get, and then Iâll just try to get the best of it.â
âEver since Misadventures of Doomscroller,â he adds, âIâve 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.â For the songs on Oh Brother, that meant that he decided to continue adding âmore observations within the universeâ of âSurprise!â, ultimately writing six verses. A similar approach to âKing of the Never-Wills,â a ballad about a character suffering from alcoholism, resulted in four verses.
âThe economy of songwriting that weâre all taught would buck that,â says Goldsmith. âIt would insist that I only keep the very best and shed something that isnât as good. But Iâm not going to think economically. Iâm not going to think, âIs this self-indulgent?â
Goldsmithâs songwriting has shifted thematically over the years, from more personal, introspective expression to more social commentary and, at times, even satire, in songs like Weâre All Gonna Dieâs âWhen the Tequila Runs Out.â
Photo by Mike White
âI donât abide that term being applied to music. Because if thereâs a concern about self-indulgence, then youâd have to dismiss all of jazz. All of it. Youâd have to dismiss so many of my most favorite songs. Because in a weird way, I feel like thatâs the whole pointâself-indulgence. And then obviously relating to someone else, to another human being.â (He elaborates that, if Bob Dylan had trimmed back any of the verses on âDesolation Row,â 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 thatâs 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 heâs done, however, it takes me a second to realize that itâs then my turn to speak.
To his point on artistic self-indulgence, I offer that thereâs no need for artists to feel âickyâ about self-promotionâthat to promote your art is to celebrate it, and to create a shared experience with your audience.
âI hear what youâre saying loud and clear; I couldnât agree more,â Goldsmith replies. âBut I also try to be mindful of this when Iâm writing, like if Iâm going to drag you through the mud of, âShe left today, sheâs not coming back, Iâm a piece of shit, whatâs wrong with me, the endâ.... That might be relatable, that might evoke a response, but I donât know if thatâs necessarily helpful ⌠other than dragging someone else through the shit with me.
âIn a weird way, I feel like thatâs the whole pointâself-indulgence. And then obviously relating to someone else, to another human being.â
âSo, if Iâm going to share, I want there to be something to offer, something that feels like: âHereâs a path thatâs helped me through this, or hereâs an observation that has changed how I see this particular experience.â Itâs so hard to delineate between the two, but I feel like there is a difference.â
Naming the opening track âMister Los Angeles,â âKing of the Never-Wills,â and even the title track to his 2015 chart-topper, âAll Your Favorite Bands,â he remarks, âI wouldnât call these songs âcool.â Like, when I hear what cool music is, I wouldnât 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 Iâm not. I think a big part of writing these songs was just self-acceptance,â he concludes, laughing, âand just a whole lot of fishing.â
YouTube It
Led by Goldsmith, Dawes infuses more rock power into their folk sound live at the Los Angeles Ace Hotel in 2023.