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Theft of the Dial®

Theft of the Dial: Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes

Taylor Goldsmith performs at an event at John Anson Ford Amphitheatre on June 6, 2019, in Hollywood, California.
Taylor Goldsmith performs at an event at John Anson Ford Amphitheatre on June 6, 2019, in Hollywood, California.Rachel Luna/Getty Images
  Play Now [51:45]

by Sean McPherson

July 21, 2019

If you've ever wondered what Taylor Goldsmith of Dawes would want to hear if he were requesting songs during Radio Free Current, this Saturday, you'll get your chance. While Dawes were in town for a show in the Twin Cities, Goldsmith stopped at The Current to host a Theft of the Dial, amicably wresting control of the station from Sean McPherson.

Goldsmith is a lyrics-first kind of person, and his set list reflects that. "I'm writing [songs] right now," Goldsmith explains, "with some friends and my wife [Mandy Moore] for her record coming out — she's an amazing songwriter; everyone we're working with is. It's so funny because we'll get to the three-minute mark [of a song] and I'm like, 'We're just getting going!' and they're like, 'I think we've told the story!' I'm like, 'No no no, we can go so much further with this story!'"

Despite his fondness for verbose songs, Goldsmith has learned the beauty of paring things down. During this Theft of the Dial, Goldsmith describes how he learned to edit songs, thanks to singer-songwriter David Rawlings, producer of Dawes' 2015 album, All Your Favorite Bands. Goldsmith also describes the real-life drunk history behind Dawes' 2016 song, "When the Tequila Runs Out." But we'll let Goldsmith and his songs do the talking — use the audio player above to listen to this complete Theft of the Dial with host Taylor Goldsmith.

Playlist


Dawes - "Feed the Fire"
Strand of Oaks - "Weird Ways"
Andrew Bird - "Bloodless"
Cass McCombs - "Sleeping Volcanoes"
Big Thief - "U.F.O.F."
Jenny Lewis - "Wasted Youth"
Better Oblivion Community Center - "Dylan Thomas"
Dawes - "Crack the Case"

Dawes - official site