![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Dawes12-400x600.jpg\" "\\"Dawes12\\"")
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We escaped Chez Lefort Sunday night to saunter down to Soho, primarily to check out the great Santa Monica band, Chief<\/strong><\/a>. \u00a0 Club Mercy<\/strong><\/a> put out the word that Chief had graciously agreed at the last minute to help out their friends, Dawes, and fill in the vacant opening slot at Soho.<\/p>\n We didn’t have to wait long for Chief to come on at 9pm and, despite uncooperative gear and unfortunate audience “participation,” proceeded to remind us why we hailed this Chief back in June<\/a>. Lead singer, Evan Koga, was proud to let us know before their set that the band would be headlining at the Bowery Ballroom in NYC in two weeks as they swing through the East Coast on a mini-tour. That totemic achievement is well-deserved. Just back from a summertime spent playing the Euro-Festival circuit, the band has further honed its songs and talents, and delivered a great set comprised of songs off their sublime recent album, “Modern Rituals”<\/strong>, <\/a>and a few earlier, Lefort-favored songs. Once again it was Chief’s group vocals and song-craft that drew us in.\u00a0 Particular credit has to be given to Mike Moonves, the bass player, whose high harmonies mesh and lift Koga’s and Danny Fujikawa’s lead vocals (along with Michael’s valiant vocal effects and driving drum-work).\u00a0\u00a0 The band deserves particular credit for playing on despite an audience member unfortunately falling onto the stage mid-set (we hope she is OK) and into Danny, taking him down too.\u00a0 The band briefly stopped to check on the fan and then Cal Ripkened-on to close their set strongly.\u00a0 We look forward to seeing them headline in Santa Barbara in the near future, and with less distractions.<\/p>\n Next up was the forgettable Moondoggies, who struck us as a converted jam-band that ran up on the nose and pearled in the process.\u00a0 We’d say that that conversion is still a work in process. While the band members were not untalented players and singers, they are a manager-shy of a compelling showing. Constructive criticism alert:\u00a0 Someone (manager, parent, older sibling, anyone??) needs to let these guys know that until they’re headlining, they need to scale back the length of their decent, but somewhat simplistic, songs to about three minutes.\u00a0 Maximum.\u00a0 Enough with the unwarranted repetition fellas.\u00a0 When you’re not headlining, and until you evolve more as songwriters and players, get in and get out on each song.\u00a0 If not, you risk alienating an audience that is otherwise happy to give you the benefit of the doubt.\u00a0 Such was the case this night.<\/p>\n Next up were headliners, Dawes, who came out and simply blew us away.\u00a0 Lead singer, Taylor Goldsmith, has one of the best voices extant in an indie-band (0r otherwise) and plays flawless and inspired guitar.\u00a0 The Band is an obvious influence on Goldsmith, whose guitar-playing oft sounds like Robbie Robertson (and Neil Young–just listen to his playing on If I Wanted Someone)<\/em>, and whose vocals vary between Rick Danko (which is plain in his straight ahead Danko delivery on That Western Skyline<\/em>), Stephen Stills (as on If I Wanted Someone), <\/em>John Fogerty (on God Rest My Soul<\/em>, where he also smacks of Springsteen), a<\/em>nd other vintage singers.\u00a0 Taylor is surrounded and buoyed by three phenomenal band members.\u00a0 The uber-Harpo-mopped drummer, Griffin Goldsmith (Taylor’s bro), pounds and pastes his drum-kit while laying on valiant vocal backing (singing lead on How Far We’ve Come<\/em>, which has Avett Brothers vestiges).\u00a0 And Griffin easily wins this or any year’s most-emotional-facial-expressions-by-a-drummer award. Alex Casnov supplies great keyboards, including Elton John flourishes (that’s a good thing in this instance), and hallmark harmonies.\u00a0 And bassist Wylie Gelber is one of the better bass players we’ve seen on a small stage, with his precise and deft bottom line.<\/p>\n During their 90-minute set, Dawes worked their way through much of their debut record, “North Hills,” and a host of nascent songs off their impending Chris Walla-produced new record.\u00a0 Make no mistake, if you want cutting-edge indie-rock, Dawes is not your band<\/strong>.\u00a0 Instead they are steeped in 70s rock, and wear this vintage cloak incredibly well. Taylor often employs Springsteen and Southside Johnny-like theatrics (especially noted on their song Fire Away<\/em>, which could be a track on Springsteen’s “The Wild, the Innocent & The E Street Shuffle” <\/em>with its lyrics such as “Or if you’ve got dreams that no one’s ever let you say, then fire away“). <\/em>We oft-times blanch at such dramatics, but this is “shoe-biz” and in this instance we were happy to make an exception because of the otherwise perfect delivery.\u00a0 Dawes is a well-greased machine that will mow you down if you’re in the mood for well-wrought mainstream rock ‘n roll<\/strong>.<\/p>\n We would be remiss if we didn’t comment on the phenomenon that has become Dawes’ set-ending anthem, When My Time Comes. <\/em>We had seen the Fall 2010 Tour trailer and related videos, but still were wondrously won over when the song came up and Taylor turned the mic to the crowd.\u00a0 The crowd perfectly sang-screamed the yearning chorus repeatedly before the band kicked back in to carry it to the end.\u00a0 These are the moments that recall the greatest shows we’ve seen: where the crowd rises to the occasion and levies the night to new heights.\u00a0 The evolutionary musical acts\u00a0 Springsteen, The Clash, U2, Radiohead,\u00a0 Arcade Fire and The National have been the masters of this effect.\u00a0 It is frankly moments like these that get us out on a regular basis to shows.\u00a0 And at least on this one song, Dawes adds itself to this luminous lineage.<\/p>\n Check out their live version in the video below.\u00a0 If you aren’t moved in particular at the 3:59 mark on this video, you simply have no soul. <\/strong><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.thelefortreport.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/CheifEditSoho-649x348.jpg\" "\\"CheifEditSoho\\"")
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