"Steve Dawson, better known as the frontman for the Chicago-based group Dolly Varden, is letting his soul shine in his debut solo release, 'Sweet Is The Anchor'. Dawson has found the sweet spot between R&B and California pop" - Performing Songwriter
Welcome to the official website for Chicago singer / songwriter Steve Dawson. Steve is currently performing select dates in the Chicago area solo and with Dolly Varden, while recording the follow-up to 'Sweet Is The Anchor'.
Scroll down for upcoming shows, or click the 'tour dates' link above.
Listen: MyspaceLastFM Reverbnation Dolly Varden on Myspace Steve was the Midwest winner of the 2008 Mountain Stage NewSong contest, and one of 12 international finalists. Here's a short clip courtesy of NewSong:
DUETS
The long out-of-print album 'Duets' by Steve Dawson & Diane Christiansen is available once again at itunes and other online retailers. Sweet is the Anchor is also available once again online, and via the Undertow online store
NEW ALBUM update
I am working on a new 'solo' album with the help of Frank Rosaly (drums), Jason Roebke (bass), Jason Adasiewicz (vibes), Joel Paterson (pedal steel), Tom Murray (violin), Keefe Jackson, (clarinet), and Zack Kline (violin). It is very nearly finished and I hope to have it released by the end of the summer
If you are looking for the Canadian Steve Dawson - brilliant slide guitar player and owner of Black Hen Music, please go here
Here is a collaboration annimation video with Diane Christiansen (and John Banks) listed on youtube as "sweet is the anchor
Awards: Outstanding Achievement in Songwriting Award, Great American Song contest Regional winner / international finalist, Mountain Stage New Song contest
STEVE DAWSON: Sunday, August 2nd, Simon's, Chicago 9 - 11pm with Jason Roebke (bass) and Jason Adesiewicz (drums) 5210 N Clark St (at the corner of Clark and Foster), FREE!
TRACK LISTING:
01. Temporary - [ DOWNLOAD MP3 ]
02. Sweet is the Anchor
03. Friend Like a Wheel
04. Love is a Blessing [ DOWNLOAD MP3 ]
05. I’m The One I Despise
06. The Guilty Will Pay
07. Ten Thousand Pounds
08. Reignite
09. Out of Your Mind
10. I’ll Be Right Here
11. The Monkey Mind is on the Prowl
The reviews are coming in...
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 ]
