At least twice recently, Rolling Stone has referred to someone’s sound as “Laurel Canyon.” If you were born after the late ’70s and don’t have a soft spot for Neil Young and his friends, you probably have no idea what it is they’re referencing. To gain a sense of what it is they’re talking about, you can listen to just about any Rock album from the mid-’70s.
Or you can check out Dawes.
Dawes fits perfectly into the famous Laurel Canyon descriptor and not just because they recorded their debut album, North Hills, in the area. The band has a very vintage California-at-sunset vibe. Their song “When My Time Comes” includes lyrics like, “And if heaven was all that was promised to me/Why don’t I pray for death?” Listening, it is hard to believe that none of the Californian bandmates have yet to hit 30 and weren’t around during the heyday of their Laurel Canyon neighbors.
The boys of Dawes recently took to the stage alongside Jackson Browne at an Occupy Wall Street event, solidifying the similarities between Dawes and Folk Rock forefathers like Crosby, Stills and Nash. Perhaps their popularity is due to the fact that their lyrics are just as poignant as their predecessors’ decades earlier.
See them live to hear what all the fuss is about.
DAWES perform Wednesday, June 6 in the Ballroom at Taft Theatre downtown with guest Sara Watkins. Buy tickets, check out performance times and get venue details here.
