Taylor Goldsmith

Taylor Goldsmith
Taylor Goldsmith at the Newport Folk Festival in 2010
Background information
Born (1985-07-17) July 17, 1985
California, United States
Occupation(s) Songwriter, guitarist
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • vocals
  • bass
  • keyboards
Years active 2002-present
Labels HUB Records
Associated acts

Taylor Goldsmith is an American lyricist, vocalist, and guitarist who is the lead singer and chief songwriter of the American folk rock band Dawes.

Career

Simon Dawes (2002-2007)

In 2002, Goldsmith formed a post-punk band called Simon Dawes with high school classmate and guitarist Blake Mills.[1] Over the years, Goldsmith and Mills were joined by a shifting cast of bassists (Damon Webb, Grant Powell, and Wylie Gelber) and drummers (Alex Orbison, Dylan Grombocher, and Griffin Goldsmith).[1] The band drew its name from the middle names of Goldsmith and Mills.[2] Released in 2006, the band's debut album Carnivore received mixed reviews. Simon Dawes broke up in 2007 when Mills left the band.[3]

Dawes (2009-present)

After the departure of Blake Mills from Simon Dawes, Goldsmith formed a new band called Dawes with his former bandmate Wylie Gelber (bass), his younger brother Griffin Goldsmith (drums)--both of Simon Dawes' last lineup--and new addition Tay Strathairn (keyboards). The band's first album, North Hills marked a sharp departure from the punk-inspired tunes of their youth and embraced a subtler folk rock that has been called the Laurel Canyon sound, reminiscent of Crosby, Stills, and Nash and Jackson Browne.[4][5] Over the years, the band's lineup has shifted a bit, with keyboardist Straithairn leaving and being replaced by Alex Casnoff and later Lee Pardini. Guitarists Duane Betts and Trevor Menear in turn also joined the band for some of its tours.[6][7] For all six of the band's studio albums, Taylor Goldsmith has served as the band's front man, lead singer, chief songwriter, and lead guitarist.

Middle Brother (2010-2011)

In 2010, Goldsmith joined Matt Vasquez of Delta Spirit and John McCauley of Deer Tick to form the band Middle Brother.[8] The band released its first and only album, Middle Brother, in March of 2011 to positive reviews.[9][10]

New Basement Tapes (2014)

In 2014, Goldsmith was asked by producer T Bone Burnett to join a project called The New Basement Tapes that wrote and recorded songs based on recently uncovered lyrics written by Bob Dylan in 1967.[11] Goldsmith joined Marcus Mumford of Mumford and Sons, Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Rhiannon Giddens of Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Elvis Costello during the recording sessions, which resulted in an album, Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes, and a Showtime documentary, Lost Songs: The Basement Tapes Continued.[12] Goldsmith received co-writing credit for the songs "Kansas City," "Liberty Street," "When I Get My Hands on You," "Florida Key," "Card Shark," and "Diamond Ring." He was also credited for playing bass, guitar, mellotron, organ, and piano, as well as for singing.[13]

Session Work, Songwriting, and Producing

Apart from his primary projects, Goldsmith has also done work as a session musician. He has performed on albums by Jackson Browne,[14] John Fogerty,[15] Dave Rawlings,[16] and Sara Watkins,[17] among others.

Goldsmith has also written and co-written songs for other bands, including songs on Conor Oberst's Salutations, Brandon Flowers' The Desired Effect, and Robert Ellis's The Lights from the Chemical Plant.[18][19]

In 2013, Goldsmith produced his first record, Dad Country by Jonny Fritz.[20].

Personal Life

Taylor Goldsmith was born in 1985 and was raised in southern California, with his younger brother Griffin, by their parents Lenny and Kathy Goldsmith.[21] Taylor attended Malibu High School,[21] where he was a classmate of Blake Mills.[22] His father, Lenny Goldsmith, was a musician who toured as the lead singer of Tower of Power in the 1980s.[23]

In 2017, Goldsmith became engaged to marry American singer-songwriter and actress Mandy Moore.[24]

References

  1. 1 2 "Rockin' out in Malibu".
  2. ↑ "Los Angeles Magazine - The definitive resource for Angelenos, Los Angeles covers the people, food, culture, arts and entertainment, fashion, lifestyle, and news that defines Southern California with a signature mix of feature-length writing, service journalism, investigative reporting, and design". Los Angeles Magazine.
  3. ↑ Gallagher, Natalie. "Blake Mills on his Dawes past, Fiona Apple's depth, and luck - City Pages". City Pages.
  4. ↑ "Dawes: Elegant Indie-Folk, Drenched In Harmony". NPR. 27 January 2010.
  5. ↑ "Dawes Has Been Tied to the Past. The Band's New Album Unlocks Its Future". New York Times. 20 June 2018.
  6. ↑ "Duane Betts is Now a Member of Dawes' Touring Band - Jambands". 9 May 2015.
  7. ↑ "Dawes: The Unexpected and the Inevitable - Relix Media". 16 December 2016.
  8. ↑ "Members of Deer Tick, Delta Spirit and Dawes join forces as Middle Brother". LA Times. 17 December 2010.
  9. ↑ "Middle Brother: Middle Brother".
  10. ↑ "Middle Brother: Middle Brother « American Songwriter". 6 March 2011.
  11. ↑ Fusilli, Jim (19 August 2014). "Artists Dust Off Old Dylan Lyrics for 'Lost on the River: The New Basement Tapes'". Wall Street Journal.
  12. ↑ "'Lost' Dylan lyrics birth new all-star 'Basement Tapes'". USA Today.
  13. ↑ "Lost on the River - The New Basement Tapes - Credits - AllMusic". AllMusic.
  14. ↑ . LA Times. 19 September 2014 http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-ca-jackson-browne-20140921-story.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  15. ↑ . Rolling Stone. 23 May 2013 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-album-reviews/wrote-a-song-for-everyone-100570/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  16. ↑ . Rolling Stone. 26 June 2017 https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/david-rawlings-readies-new-album-poor-davids-almanack-200677/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ↑ . NPR. 29 April 2012 https://www.npr.org/2012/04/29/151226896/first-listen-sara-watkins-sun-midnight-sun. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  18. ↑ The Desired Effect (liner notes). Brandon Flowers. Island Records. 2015. B0022990-02.
  19. ↑ {{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/robert_ellis-lights_from_chemical_plant_album_stream%7Cdate=11 Feb 2014
  20. ↑ . American Songwriter. 9 April 2013 http://americansongwriter.com/2013/04/full-album-stream-jonny-fritz-dad-country/. Text "Full Album Stream: Jonny Frtiz, Dad Country" ignored (help); Missing or empty |title= (help)
  21. 1 2 Fordham, Claire. "Band of Brothers". Malibu Times.
  22. ↑ http://acousticguitar.com/on-latest-album-la-folk-rock-band-dawes-finds-inspiration-in-technology/
  23. ↑ Spidel, Joshua. "The Beat Goes On For Lenny Goldsmith". Malibu Times.
  24. ↑ "Dawes Has Been Tied to the Past. The Band's New Album Unlocks Its Future". New York Times. 20 June 2018.
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