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Steve Dawson grew up in small town Idaho during the dark ages of Ronald Reagan and the Urban Cowboy soundtrack. To fight the boredom he spent hours and hours obesessing over his parent's record collection. His dad, a renown wildlife illustrator, had a huge wall of Soul, R&B and Jazz Lp's, and his step mom had all the 60's and 70's basics: the Beatles, the Stones, Dylan... and Country music was everywhere - on the town's only radio station, in the park at night, propelling summer parades - and it all dug into his conciousness. When he was 13 he took guitar lessons from one of Idaho's mountain fiddle champions and started writing songs. Later he taught himself to play piano by hammering away on the family upright. His first professional gig was at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Bellevue, ID at age 16 playing guitar with Cadillac Carl and the Road Rangers.
After high school Dawson spent some time in Boston to study at the Berklee College of Music, but eventually settled in Chicago. His first band was called Stump the Host, a group that wore its rock, soul and country influences on its sleeve. At the heart of the band were Steve's melodic, hook-filled songs and the plaintive two-part harmony singing of Dawson and his wife, Diane Christiansen. The critics loved it, but record companies were not yet ready for what would later come to be called 'alternative country'. After releasing a 7" single on Minty Fresh and signing a publishing deal with Polygram, Stump the Host broke up.
In the mid 90's Dawson and Christiansen formed a new band called Dolly Varden. Dolly Varden's stylistic influences were less obvious and Dawson's songwriting developed a new subtlety and depth. Over the course of 4 albums and steady touring the band has built a devoted following in the US and Britain. Critics from Rolling Stone, Mojo, and the Village Voice, among others, have praised Dawson's gift for melodic, evocative songwriting and the group's soulful vocal harmonies. His songs have been compared to the short stories of Raymond Carver for their use of language and dark introspective subject matter.
Dawson has completed work on his first solo album that'll be released in 2005.
HI-RES IMAGES
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PUBCLICY REQUESTS
NORTH AMERICA
Leah Selvidge / Other Worldly Contact PR
phone: 512-263-7007
UK/EUROPE
Chris Metzler / Undertow Music, Decor Records
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His casually masterful style is apparent on "Love Is a Blessing," a standout track from his solo debut, Sweet Is the Anchor (Undertow). The song's a gorgeous Al Green-style ballad that's steeped in the old Hi Records sound--washes of strings, fatback bass drum, and subtly funky guitar lines--but it's the purity of Dawson's singing, not the arrangements, that makes me think of Anchor as a soul album. - CHICAGO READER [ READ FULL ARTICLE ]
The darkness and agitation that bubble just underneath Dawson's top-shelf melodies and easygoing voice is what has long distinguished his songwriting. Driven by strings and golden guitars, "Love is a Blessing" is his best nod yet to Al Green while "Sweet is the Anchor," a sensual pop melody, features harmony vocals shared by his wife. They are songs that wrestle with the demons in the others - "I'm the One I Despise," a country song plagued in self-doubt, and "Temporary," a song Dawson reports was influenced by the death of his mother in 2003 ("bang your head against the wall/and scan the screens for one last memory," he sings). - CHICAGO DAILY HERALD [ READ FULL ARTICLE ]
"Growing up listening to classic artists made a definite impact on Steve Dawson. Sweet is the Anchor is this young man's debut album...and it's a definite keeper. Songs are Dawson's central focus...and songs are what make Anchor such a pleasant and rewarding spin. These eleven compositions are soft and straightforward...and Steve's slightly soulful vocals are a perfect fit for the tunes he writes. Top picks: "Temporary," "Sweet is the Anchor," "Love is a Blessing," "Ten Thousand Pounds," "The Monkey Mind is On the Prowl." -Babysue
For his debut solo release, Sweet Is The Anchor, Dawson focuses all that has come before into a sophisticated and soulful collection of subtle and sonic beauty. Self-recorded in the comfort of his own home, while handling the bulk of the instrumentation, Sweet Is The Anchor weighs in on themes such as perseverance and love, especially when balanced against loss. There are somber moments throughout, but Dawson offsets the downbeat with a near spiritual sense of hope. In a sublime display of deep soul, his “Love Is A Blessing” sounds much like Paul Carrack fronting Al Green’s rhythm section. Tracks like this are eased alongside rootsier fare, like the straight ahead acoustic strummer “I’m The One I Despise”, which has a sweet George Harrison inspired slide solo, sweetening an already catchy number." -Miles of Music
Up next is Steve Dawson's great solo record Sweet Is the Anchor. Steve Dawson is in the band Dolly Varden and this is his first solo record. It was recorded in each and every room in his old house and it shows (here's my original post). The warmth and soul that oozes from the digital bits encoded on this cd keep me returning to it over and over again. It's out on August 28th on Undertow Records. You can pre-order it now from Miles Of Music. Steve Dawson's Chicago record release party is one night after Rachel Ries' on August 28th - see you there!? -songs:illinois
"multi-instrumentalist / lead vocalist Steve Dawson balances grace and power in a way that, well, targets your soul" - Amplifier
"His songs are smart, small wonders: poetic, enigmatic and above all warm" - village voice
"Dawson offers grace through songs in a way that’s not found in most music today. The lyrics present spare poetry with enough open space for any listener to find places to jump in and identify. Moments are captured with emotional honesty in difficult situations, perfected through vocal nuance."- popmatters
"The songs are penned by Dawson, who shares Joe Henry’s gift to tell a great story in part by leaving a bit unsaid between the lines. At his best he reels you right in with carefully selected, perfectly delivered words...the nuances are right and the truths run deep." - no depression
"when Dawson sings about 'moments of overwhelming grace' he doesn’t just describe them, he creates them" - chicago reader
"What more can be said about Steve Dawson’s voice, capable of stopping speeding trucks with raw power one moment and delicate and sensitive as gossamer the next". -americana uk
"Dawson’s nimble, pliant voice cannily combines the breezy ardor of Freedy Johnston with the devotional blue-eyed soul of Tupelo Honey-era Van Morrison" - boston phoenix
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