ACL Artist Profile: Dawes

If the reception for Fleet Foxes in 2008 and The Avett Brothers in 2009 at ACL is any indication, then Dawes should expect to leave this year's festival with an entire city in their back pocket. This is because the California band play the same brand of earthy, low-key, folk music that has been a recipe for success in the indie community within the last few years. Everything that has made the genre popular with listeners is in check, from the vocal harmonies and mostly acoustic instrumentation, to the down tempo approach and the presence of piano in just the right places. Hell, front man Taylor Goldsmith has the folksy warble down pat.

Strangely enough, though, the group's 2009 debut album, North Hills went largely under the radars of many critics. Maybe it's because only one of the members is bearded. However, that didn't stop Rolling Stone from featuring the band in their breaking section this past October, saying the album is "full of twangy folk rock a la Gram Parsons or Neil Young." The band has also won praise from Paste Magazine, and they have performed on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson. Dawes should be right at home in Austin, where the folk sound has always been in style in some form or another. While they may not have the Pitchfork blessing of Fleet Foxes or the mysterious "Wow" factor of the Avett Brothers, they should still find a sizable audience when they take the stage early Sunday afternoon. --Ryan Lester

Dawes [MySpace] [Official] [Twitter]