Less than a month after January’s Southern California wildfires destroyed his Altadena studio and musical instruments, Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes stood on the Grammy Awards stage to sing a revised version of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.”
At the Feb. 2 ceremony, Goldsmith and his brother, Griffin – Dawes’ drummer who lost his home in the fires – led an all-star band that included John Legend on piano. The cheering audience included Taylor Swift and George Clooney, with more than 15 million people watching on television.
“It was amazing,” Goldsmith said in a phone interview. “We were touched. We were honored – (just) the idea that we got tapped to be this kind of ambassador of Altadena.” Still, he added, “It was nothing we were looking for. It was a complicated experience, considering everything we were dealing with, and what we were processing and putting together.”
Wearing a white suit with wide lapels over a black shirt, Goldsmith modified the lyrics of Newman’s song: “Look at that bum over there, man, down on his knees,” became, “Look at this city, getting back up off its knees.”
Dawes – named after Goldsmith’s middle name – is known for its evocative lyrics and a Laurel Canyon-inspired sound that recalls 1970s singer-songwriters like Jackson Browne and ’90s musicians such as Aimee Mann and Counting Crows. On Saturday, Sept. 27, Taylor, 40, and his brother Griffin, 34 – who form the core of Dawes – will perform as a duo at Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa.
Anita Wiglesworth, vice president of programs at the center, noted the “special kinship among people who have had their lives and livelihood traumatized by wildfire.” The venue lost part of its building and its entire student instrument lending library in the 2017 Tubbs Fire.
“With Dawes’ first visit to the LBC (Luther Burbank Center) coming on the heels of their losses as a result of the L.A. fires, this performance feels like an extension of our shared journey toward resilience, renewal and the healing power of music,” she said.
Taylor Goldsmith spoke with The Press Democrat about Dawes, songwriting and how life with his wife, actor Mandy Moore, and their three kids has changed him. This conversation has been edited for brevity.
Folk-rock band Dawes, led by brothers Taylor (right) and Griffin Goldsmith, lost homes and a studio in the LA wildfires. After opening the 2025 Grammys with Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” to honor fire-affected communities, they’re now coming to Santa Rosa. (Jon Chu)
Q. Your latest album, “Oh Brother,” came out last October. What can you tell us about it?
A. We made our last record just the two of us (Taylor and Griffin). It freed us up creatively. I love growth and change – I’m not saying that bands need to lose members and get new ones, but they do need to find a way of growing and evolving beyond their original identity.
Q. You’re known as a gifted songwriter. How do you put songs together?
A. For me, one thing leads to another, but I’m definitely a writer first – a lyricist. I’ve always put novelists on this kind of rock-star pedestal, even above rock stars. I want there to be dimension and depth. I want to have a different experience when I return to the material weeks, months, or years later. I want it to be more than some simple two-dimensional story on the page.
I’ve gravitated toward guys like Warren Zevon and John Prine – songwriters who are heralded as “writers’ writers,” but you still understand exactly what their songs are about. I grew up on a strong diet of country music – Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson. Songs anyone can understand, right? But at the same time, they’re very writerly. Their structures are tight. The way they land the plane is perfect. There’s a lot to chew on, and I get a thrill from that.
Q. Dawes has been described as rooted in the Laurel Canyon sound. How do you see it?
A. If someone listens to our first record and says, “This sounds like early California folk rock with a bunch of harmonies and acoustic guitars,” I’d say that tracks. There’s a seed of that in all of our albums. But otherwise, I don’t really know what that means, or if it really applies. We’re just people making music. Anytime it gets pigeonholed, I’m like, “Wait, I’m so much more than that.”
I actually didn’t discover Jackson Browne until after we made our second record. I hadn’t even listened to him when we wrote our first album. I fell in love with his music. People sound like the artists they listen to. But I like to believe – or at least I have to believe – that rather than “this guy sounds like Jackson Browne,” it’s more like, “this guy was inspired by Jackson Browne, and then he kept going.”
Q. You’re married to actor Mandy Moore and you’re a father of three. How has that been?
A. It’s been amazing. I used to feel like life happened on the road and that home was the pause in between. Now, it’s the exact opposite: life happens at home, and the tour is the pause. I still love touring, but it’s different. Early on, I was like, “How many people can you get to a show?” It was an ego trip; it was about building a legacy. I still want to express myself, and I want to reach someone. But it doesn’t have to be a million people. Now that the kids are here, I want them to know me and be proud of me. I also want to do this – music – as well as I possibly can.
I don’t like being away from my kids for even 20 minutes, but I know that what I’m doing helps me be present with them. It shows them what it means to focus on something and follow through. It teaches them resilience. It just feels essential.
Michael Shapiro’s book, “The Creative Spark,” won the 2021 Independent Publishers award. Contact him via michaelshapiro.net.
If You Go
Who: Dawes
When: 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27
Where: Luther Burbank Center for the Arts, 50 Mark West Springs Road, Santa Rosa
Tickets: $41 to $88
Information: 707-546-3600, lutherburbankcenter.org
