Indie rock band Dawes returns to Eastern Iowa at Capitol Theatre

Change is a constant and much is different for Dawes over the last two years.

After bassist Wylie Gelber and pianist Lee Pardini left the band in 2023, brothers vocalist-guitarist Taylor Goldsmith and drummer Griffin Goldsmith announced in 2024 that Dawes is a tandem. No problem. The Goldsmith brothers have each other and moved on. However, a different kind of change impacted the siblings in January.

  Buy Photo

The Goldsmith brothers, their parents and Gelber, who remains a close friend, reside in Altadena. Each of their homes, except Taylor Goldsmith's house, were destroyed in the Los Angeles fires. The Goldsmith's music studio, which they shared and was adjacent to Taylor Goldsmith's home, burned down along with their entire instrument collection.

"We (Goldsmith and his brother Griffin) both have had very different experiences so I can only speak for myself," Taylor Goldsmith said while calling from Woodstock, New York. "But I feel like I've processed the loss of the gear that I'll never get back. A lot of it meant a lot to me emotionally. But I have to let it go and build relationships with new gear. We still have a lot of questions about the neighborhood getting back in shape, but we're staying confident and hopeful."

What has helped Dawes is the way Los Angeles has come together to support the many artists that live in the stricken Altadena area. Up until the tragic fires, Los Angeles suffered from the stigma of a selfish city with little regard for those in the neighborhood.

"I think this moment has proved that attitude wrong," Goldsmith said. "I was amongst the folks that thought Los Angeles didn't feel like a community. But I was way off. The city rallied and showed up and continues to even do so now while the news cycle inevitably moves on. I've never felt more like an LA band, and I've never been more proud of that."

That's remains so even though Dawes has shrunk from four to two members. The dynamic has changed, but it works.

"When we record like this I am focused on the vocals, so my initial guitar track is mostly a rhythm track so it all allows Griffin to be the foremost lead instrumentalist," Goldsmith said. "He's able to take the first stab of filling holes and shaping the dynamics, then everything else follows that. I feel like it has a lot to do with why we sound the way we do."

The Goldsmith brothers are dealing with the changes like many bands have adjusted to band departures.

"Obviously our previous members had strong personalities that contributed to our DNA while they were with us," Goldsmith said. "We've always tried to make space for whoever's playing with us to make their voices heard. It's still Dawes now, but it's just a new phase. In the same way that bands like Wilco, The Cure, Dire Straits, or even the (Rolling) Stones had personnel changes that helped mark different eras. We're hoping this can be something like that for us. We miss our dudes, but we're pretty excited for the potential in the future."

During a recent chat, keyboardist Benmont Tench, who was one of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers, gushed about Dawes after performing with the siblings. "They're such a great band," Tench said. "I can't tell you how impressed I am with Dawes."

Having musicians the Goldsmiths admire is the highlight of the Dawes brothers' career.

"Playing with our heroes has pretty much been the highest honor of this whole trip," Goldsmith said. "The biggest lessons I've gleaned from them were more embodied rather than said. They all showed me what it looks like to devote your entire life to your work. What it means and what it takes to be a true lifer. It's a constant inspiration and has us committed to staying in this for the long haul."

A new album is in the early stages since Taylor Goldsmith has written a few songs recently. However, expect the indie rock act to stick to its nine album canon with an emphasis on its latest, the stripped down "Oh Brother," which dropped in October. "Front Row Seat," which is one of the highlights, is a black, ironic tune inspired by the state of the country that smacks of the late Warren Zevon.

"I feel like the meaning of the song has changed a lot since the fires," Goldsmith said. "But it always had room for a darker interpretation, if that's how someone chose to hear it. I tried to make peace with the world we're living in, but it doesn't try to sugarcoat how terrifying it can be."

Zevon definitely had an impact on the band. The group paid tribute to the sardonic singer-songwriter by covering "Desperados Under the Eaves" on "The Late Show with David Letterman" a decade ago.

"The first Zevon tune I heard was 'The French Inhaler,' and I knew immediately I stumbled upon one of my favorite writers," Goldsmith said. "After that, I very quickly got to know every single song off of every single record."

Dawes, which will perform Wednesday at the Capitol Theatre, always looks forward to returning to Iowa, according to Goldsmith.

"I always love getting to (Iowa City's) Prairie Lights (Bookstore) when I'm out there," Goldsmith said. "Also, one of my good pals, Sean Moeller is an Iowa guy. He's a great writer and books some venues in the Quad Cities. He comes out to some Iowa City shows whenever we're in his neck of the woods. So when I think of Iowa City, I think of him. I've also got a few friends that are novelists and spent some time at The Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa. It seems like a very special place."