Welcome. Thanks for stopping by! The new album is out and off to a great
start. You can hear a few of the songs on the music player to the right, and
there are links in the post below that will take you directly to where
you can buy it. Have a look around -  there’s upcoming shows, videos,
lyrics and album notes on the music page (with guitar tabs coming soon),
a tour dates archive, some live songs you can download and lots more.
New stuff gets added all the time, so sign up for the mailing list and I’ll
keep you up-to-date. Thanks a lot for your support, I appreciate it !

I Will Miss The Trumpets and the Drums comes out today (2/23)!

Amazon.com AmazonUK emusic lala
mail order CD’s
Village Records The Undertow Store
in Chicago:
Laurie’s Planet of Sound The Different Strummer Avenue N Guitars

Here is a video collaboration with Diane Christiansen for the song ‘Mastodons’ from the new album. In addition to being a great singer and songwriter, Diane is an artist. The animation is part of a larger installation piece called ‘Notes To Nonself’ currently up at the Hyde Park Art Center in Chicago.
It’s best viewed full screen, if possible…

Mastodons from steve dawson on Vimeo.

Welcome to the new and improved stevedawsonmusic.com, thanks for stopping by! The new album, I Will Miss The Trumpets and the Drums, is available now exclusively as a pre-release  CD from the Undertow store . It will be officially available everywhere for digital download and on disc February 23, 2010. The video for the album’s first single, ‘Obsidian’ is below. Three new songs, ‘Today She Found The Way To Break My Heart’, ‘Obsidian’ and ‘Waiting’, can be previewed on the music player to the right (along with 10 other songs from Sweet Is The Anchor, Duets & Dolly Varden).

“There was a time when popular radio was defined by the craftsmanship and raw talent of folks like Al Green, Paul McCartney and Carole King. Steve Dawson would have fit in just fine. As part of Chicago’s criminally under-known Dolly Varden he’s churned out nothing but quality for 15 years, but his second solo outing, I Will Miss The Trumpets and the Drums, carries the timeless inflection of vintage Roy Orbison and George Harrision. Personal, philosophical, and subtly orchestrated, Dawson’s tunes sway with whispers of pedal steel, finely placed echo, and a tasty acoustic / electric guitar combo, all underpinning one of the great pop-rock voices of our time, a set of pipes both instantly appealing and flecked with warm, individual character. Think Ace-era Paul Carrack mixed with Elliot Smith and Big Star’s Chris Bell. Put into service for compositions packed with melody, texture and winning wordplay and you have a classic artist hiding in plain sight.” Link: Jambase article here

There will be an album release celebration concert at the Old Town School Of Folk Music in Chicago on May 16, 2010. Tickets are on sale now and are going fast. Opening set by Ingrid Graudins. All-star band for this concert will include Gerald Dowd (drums), Jason Roebke (bass), Jason Adasiewicz (vibes), Alton Smith (piano/organ), Joel Paterson (pedal steel and guitar), Diane Christiansen, Ingrid Graudins and Steve Frisbie singing, Tom Murray and Zack Kline on strings…and more!

Animation by Diane Christiansen,
with a remixed version of ‘Sweet Is The Anchor’

I have a project studio called Kernel Sound Emporium. Check it out!