Straight Lines - Dawn Landes

Bridging the worlds of indie rock, alt-country, and folk, singer/songwriter Dawn Landes has played with a similarly diverse range of artists, including Fred Eaglesmith, Amy Rigby, John Gorka, and Rainer Maria. A Louisville, KY, native, Landes moved to New York to attend N.Y.U. and play music; she obtained a weekly spot at the Jack Hardy song exchange and also plays frequent shows in New York as well as on the campuses of Yale, Sarah Lawrence, Barnard, Columbia, Brown, and, of course, her own school. In May 2001, Landes recorded her debut album, The Musician, with her band in Nashville, TN. [allmusic.com]

Listen to dawn’s music and you hear something quite rare. Whether it’s in her wordplay, her kaleidoscopic live shows, her soundtrack work for motion pictures, or the studio-wizardry she’s picked-up as a recording engineer, it’s clear that she’s an artist with a unique vision.

The press has likened Dawn to «the grand old dames of country» and in the same breath «The Black Keys and The White Stripes» (Uncut). She’s also garnered comparisons to Cat Power and Pavement, an interesting mix that made even NPR’s David Dye wonder.

Raised in the fertile musical fields of Branson, Missouri and Louisville, Kentucky, Dawn came to New York City in 1999 and did a cannonball into the music scene. While holding down several jobs to pay the rent, she abandoned university (NYU) and began to intern at some of the best studios in the city. «I had very little experience», she says. «I was just really, really curious. Dangerously curious in the studio… I picked heros like Tchad Blake and Brian Wilson and took a flying leap.»

What started as a job getting coffee for engineers has blossomed into a truly enviable resume; among others she has worked with Phillip Glass, Ryan Adams, Hem, Joseph Arthur, The Earlies and Josh Ritter in the studio. Working late into the night, and often sleeping at the same studios she was interning in, Dawn began producing and recording her own songs after hours. «I wanted to get the sounds in my head onto tape exactly as I heard them. And that’s not an easy thing, there are a lot of sounds in there! [last.fm]

Load Comments...

Send this Article to a Friend



Separate multiple emails with a comma (,); limit 5 recipients






Your email has been sent successfully!

Manage this Video in Your Playlists




notify when someone comments
X

This website uses cookies.

This website uses cookies to improve user experience. By using this website you consent to all cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

I agree
  
Learn More