LA rock quartet Dawes took to the Ed Sullivan Theater at the request of David Letterman himself Wednesday, April 22, to perform "Things Happen," the first single off their highly anticipated forthcoming full-length album titled All Your Favorite Bands (HUB Records, Tuesday, June 2). As a special gift to the show's parting host, Dawes also performed a touching rendition of the classic Warren Zevon song "Desperados Under The Eaves" immediately following the taping which will be available as a Web exclusive next week. Their appearance adds to an already storied Late Show With David Letterman run for Dawes who have performed on the show a number of times over the course of their four-album career. Check out the performance of "Things Happen" HERE.
Dawes have also recently announced their June and July headline tour in support of All Your Favorite Bands. The upcoming run will include appearances at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Mumford & Sons' Gentlemen of the Road Tour, dates supporting Hozier, and headline performances with a host of supporting acts such as Langhorne Slim, The Lone Bellow, Gill Landry, Sam Outlaw, First Aid Kit and more. The general ticket on-sale starts today at 10 a.m. local time HERE.
Produced by David Rawlings at Woodland Sound Studios in Nashville, TN, All Your Favorite Bands is Dawes' fourth album and second on their own label. The album includes nine bracing new original recordings written by Taylor Goldsmith, except for the title track, which was co-written with Jonny Fritz. The album highlights the outstanding musicianship of Taylor (lead vocals, guitar), Griffin Goldsmith (drums, background vocals), Wylie Gelber (bass) and Tay Strathairn (keyboards, background vocals) that Dawes fans around the world have come to cherish. All Your Favorite Bands also features the vocal support of Gillian Welch and The McCrary Sisters, as well as David Rawlings on guitar and vocals, Richard Bennett on acoustic guitar and Paul Franklin on pedal steel. Pre-order the album at iTunes or visit http://www.pledgemusic.com/
Where in the past, Dawes developed their songs in the studio and took them to new heights as they evolved on the road, this time they decided to go in the opposite direction. Before going into Woodland Sound, they hit the road for two weeks of small club dates in their native California with producer Rawlings in tow. Night after night, the band road-tested the new material as Rawlings stood in the crowd taking notes. The five of them would discuss the set after each show and break the songs down, tear them apart and build them again so by the time they arrived in Nashville after a summer of touring opening for Conor Oberst and performing as his band, they were already stretching out and comfortable with them. The Rawlings production is raw and not overwrought, while the band's playing and signature group singing is meticulous, and Taylor's poetry is intuitive and piercing, as he uncovers nuances in people's relationships with each other and the world around them.
"Despite taking these songs on the road a little before heading into the studio, the only things we've ever been concerned with are honoring the songs and the inspired moments that come from truly playing together and reacting to each other," says Taylor. "With this new record, all the lead vocals, guitar solos, simultaneous piano and organ and of course bass and drums were all done at the same time. And listening back, we really felt like we were listening to the way we thought we sounded. And that's all we could ever want."
Dawes will be making the following North American appearances in support of All Your Favorite Bands this summer. Tour dates below.
JUNE
02 - Los Angeles, CA - Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery
05 - Seaside Heights, NJ - Gentlemen of the Road: Seaside Heights Beach
06 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre ~~
07 - Charleston, WV - Mountain Stage
09 - Louisville, KY - Headliners Music Hall ~~
10 - Chicago, IL - Pritzker Pavilion at Millenium Park *
11 - Indianapolis, IN - Farmer's Bureau Insurance Lawn at White River State Park
12 - Manchester, TN - Bonnaroo
14 - Cincinnati, OH - Horseshoe Cincinnati (The Shoe) *
16 - Columbus, OH - The LC Pavilion *
17 - Charlotte, NC - The Uptown Amphitheater at the Music Factory *
19 - Waverly, IA - Gentlemen of the Road: Wartburg College Athletic Fields
20 - Madison, WI - The Capitol Theatre ^
21 - St. Louis, MO - The Pageant ^
24 - Dallas, TX - Annette Strauss Square at AT&T Performing Arts Center ^
25 - Austin, TX - Stubb's ^
26 - Aurora, IL - Two Brothers Summer Festival
27 - Peoria, IL - Limelight Eventplex ~~
JULY
07 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory &
09 - Calgary, AB - Republik &
10 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room &
11 - Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg Folk Festival
12 - Winnipeg, MB - Winnipeg Folk Festival
14 - Minneapolis, MN - Cabooze Plaza #
15 - Sioux Falls, SD - Orpheum Theatre +
17 - Fargo, ND - Fargo Theatre &
18 - Appleton, WI - Lawrence Chapel +
20 - Toronto, ON - The Phoenix &
21 - Burlington, VT - Higher Ground &
24 - Camden, NJ - Xponential Music Festival
27 - New York, NY - Central Park Summerstage ◊
28 - Pittsburgh, PA - Stage AE (Outdoors) *
29 - Rochester Hills, MI - Meadowbrook Amphitheater *
31 - Council Bluff, IA - Harrah's Hotel & Casino - Stir Cove
AUGUST
02 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks *
14 - Walla Walla, WA - entlemen of the Road: Whitman College Athletic Fields
21 - Salida, CO - Gentlemen of the Road: Vandaveer Ranch
SEPTEMBER
19 - Templeton, CA - Beaverstock
20 - Del Mar, CA - Kaaboo
~~ = Gill Landry support
* = with Hozier
^ = Langhorne Slim support
& = Sam Outlaw support
# = Lake Street Dive and The Lone Bellow support
+ = The Lone Bellow support
◊ = with First Aid Kit and Andy Shauf
