Dawes Deliver Career-Making Sets at SXSW

Among the elite group of bands who graduated cum laude from SXSW 2010, the Dawes emerged as best in their class... we're just not sure for which category, exactly. Calling them Americana seems like a copout, while calling them folk rock is just cheap. Regardless, after a virtual assault of shows and showcases down in Austin last week, the Dawes have clearly positioned themselves for a banner year.

"At most festivals you play just once, whereas here I've played five times today," frontman Taylor Goldsmith told Spinner after one of their showcases. "Setting up and tearing down and running around -- it's been pretty nuts. It's also been really fun."

As early as last Wednesday, for their Brooklyn Vegan showcase, the band broke out two new originals ('If I Wanted Someone,' 'Time Spent in Los Angeles,') and Goldsmith confirmed to Spinner that they have enough new material to start thinking about their next album.

As for their SXSW experience, Goldsmith says with a nonstop schedule that involved constant motion without a chance to refuel on sleep or nourishment for the duration, the band didn't have time to worry about "all these career-making people in the audience." Instead, they performed as if they were playing for their fans. And it turns out, they were.