Dawes: Royale Boston 11.6.10

I distinctly remember listening to Dawes for the first time back in early 2009, just before the band opened for Delta Spirit at the Middle East in Cambridge.  As I did my due dilligence the night before the show, the obligatory myspace opening band research, something clicked when I first heard "When My Time Comes".  The soft arpeggiated intro building to a plainspoken verse and finally exploding in an anthemic, breathless refrain, an ambiguous mantra:  "When my time comes / Oh oh....".  The listener is left to fill in the blank of exactly what happens when our time comes (our moment to shine, redemption, death?)...and that's exactly what makes the song so easy to connect with.  It's a personal anthem, and I was instantly hooked. 

To be honest, I don't remember much about Dawes' set that night - except for the fact that I was impressed with the performance, enough so to pick up the album.  I later saw the band open for Langhorne Slim at a sweaty TTs, and then again headlining at Great Scott.  That show sealed the deal, I swore I would never miss a Dawes show in Boston.  Road warriors in the truest sense, Dawes tours constantly and leaves everything on the stage - as with all truly great live bands, their live performances completely transform and transcend the album versions.  A review and live recording from that show at Great Scott became the first ever post on visible voice. 

Now, almost 9 months later and with a triumphant Newport Folk Festival performance under their belt, Dawes returned to Boston again last week for a headlining show at Royale.  Still touring behind their debut North Hills, the setlist included most of the old favorites as well as a number of new songs from their upcoming LP (scheduled for a 2011 release).  The band was on fire right out of the gate - opening with "My Girl To Me" followed by "When You Call My Name".  The first new track of the night came next and was also one of the highlights - "If I Needed Someone" is propelled by a driving beat, Alex Casnoff's keyboard fills and a chorus that's impossible not to sing along with.  After that opening, the rest of the show was mostly a blur.  Another late highlight was the 1-2 punch of "Peace In The Valley" (that guitar solo!) and "When My Time Comes" to close the main set.  Frontman Taylor Goldsmith's always-impressive guitar work was especially firey, the rhythm section was in lockstep and the harmonies were perfect (well, perfect enough for rock n' roll, that is).  Before leaving the stage after a two song encore, Goldsmith promised to be back in Boston again in the upcoming months and I have no doubt the crowd will be even larger next time - and I know I'll be there.

Complete live recording of the show is available for stream/download below.  The sound quality is generally excellent (improves a bit after the first song), despite a bit of crowd chatter.  Also, thanks to the dude who decided to make an obscene comment directly into the mic during "If I Needed Someone" - classy.  Enjoy!

Dawes
Royale Nightclub - Boston, MA
November 6, 2010

My Girl To Me
When You Call My Name
If I Needed Someone
That Western Skyline
How Far We've Come
Love Is All I Am
Time Spent In Los Angeles
Bedside Manner
Fire Away
Peace In The Valley
When My Time Comes
Little Bit Of Everything
I've Got A Feeling

Lossless zip available upon request - comment if you want the link (and include your email address).

Photos from Dawes and Peter Wolf Crier at Royale