'This is for the other people': Dawes hosts Eaton fire benefit with star lineup

Exactly 1 twelvemonth aft the devastating Eaton occurrence broke out, the Los Angeles folk-rock set Dawes volition contiguous an all-star payment performance connected Wednesday nighttime for victims of the blaze that killed 19 radical and destroyed much than 9,000 structures successful the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

Among those affected by the fire: the 2 brothers who’ve led Dawes for much than a decennary and a half.

Drummer Griffin Goldsmith’s Altadena location was destroyed past January, portion singer-guitarist Taylor Goldsmith mislaid his adjacent signaling workplace and its decades’ worthy of philharmonic gear; the siblings’ parents’ location successful Altadena burned down, arsenic well.

“I retrieve talking to my therapist aboriginal on, and helium was like, ‘Well, if you ever wondered what you and your household would beryllium similar nether the astir utmost circumstances — present you know,’” Taylor, 40, recalled with a laughter the different day.

Yet Wednesday’s amusement astatine the Pasadena Civic Auditorium “is not immoderate pity party,” Griffin, 35, said. “This is for the different people. And the crushed it feels bully to beryllium doing it is due to the fact that a batch of radical are successful overmuch much request than we are.”

With proceeds earmarked for the Altadena Builds Back Foundation, A Concert for Altadena volition diagnostic Dawes on with acts including Stephen Stills, Lord Huron, Aloe Blacc, Rufus Wainwright, Lucius, Jenny Lewis and Brandon Flowers of the Killers. Taylor’s wife, the vocalist and histrion Mandy Moore, is acceptable to perform, portion John C. Reilly volition service arsenic host.

Rounding retired the measure is Brad Paisley, the state prima (and part-time Angeleno) who joined the Goldsmiths to unfastened past year’s Grammy Awards ceremonial with a boisterous rendition of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” that besides featured Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent, Brittany Howard and John Legend.

The brothers anticipation to rise astatine slightest $500,000 from the show, which they organized with guitarist Eric Krasno, who volition besides perform, and Warped Tour laminitis Kevin Lyman, a chap Altadena nonmigratory whose location was damaged by fume successful the fire.

“It’s putting the spotlight connected thing that’s benignant of conscionable begun successful definite ways,” Griffin said of the slow-moving betterment process. “The satellite moves connected — that’s conscionable however things go. But these problems don’t hole themselves.”

Raised successful Malibu, the Goldsmiths formed Dawes astir 2009 and play strummy, country-inflected stone with echoes of Jackson Browne, the Eagles and Warren Zevon.

Brad Paisley performs onstage during iHeartCountry Live successful Burbank connected Nov. 11, 2016.

(Kevin Winter)

“To me, they’re similar the closest happening we person to that ‘once upon a clip successful Los Angeles’ benignant of sound,” said Paisley, who met Taylor done his acquaintance with Moore.

“I reached retired to Mandy astatine immoderate constituent aft they got joined and said, ‘Your hubby is similar my favourite songwriter going,’” helium recalled. “She told him that, and past helium reached retired and we became friends.”

In 2024, Paisley joined Dawes astatine Taylor’s dimly lighted workplace to chopped a unrecorded mentation of “House Parties,” from the band’s latest album, “Oh Brother.”

“Couple of months later, the spot was gone,” helium said. “It’s hard to believe.”

Asked however the occurrence mightiness person changed him, Taylor said, “I don’t privation to consciousness similar it’s changed maine astatine each — I don’t privation to springiness it that benignant of power.” He added, “I’m not comfy successful the unfortunate role, and I’m not saying that arsenic immoderate benignant of humble-brag.

“People travel up with their eyes wide and privation to springiness maine a hug, and I’m like, ‘Don’t beryllium silly — I’m fine.’ That’s my reflex. I don’t cognize if that’s bully oregon bad, but I defy it erstwhile idiosyncratic says, ‘Oh, I’m definite things are antithetic now.’ I don’t privation that to beryllium the case.”

“On 1 hand, it tin beryllium a defining facet of our set and our lives,” Griffin said of the occurrence and its destruction. “On the different hand, I deliberation what tin beryllium defining is the mode we determination guardant and however we tin proceed to assistance up this community.”

Taylor precocious visited a operation tract wherever Altadena Builds Back and Habitat for Humanity are rebuilding a location that burned down.

“They got maine truthful excited that I was like, ‘Can I travel backmost and beryllium a volunteer?’” helium said. “They’re already connected their 3rd oregon 4th home, and they’re doing them fast.”

Added Griffin: “That’s an astonishing occurrence story, and truthful however bash you marque that scalable? It’s a beauteous insurmountable-seeming occupation erstwhile you look astatine the macro of it. But focusing connected the micro tin beryllium truly important to consciousness like, OK, this is getting done.”

What bash the brothers marque of section officials’ handling of alleviation efforts?

“I don’t privation to get excessively cynical, but I couldn’t truly accidental that I consciousness similar the metropolis oregon region oregon authorities authorities person helped,” Griffin said.

“The bureaucracy makes itself wide truly quickly,” Taylor said.

Looking backmost connected the occurrence itself, Taylor said, “It’s truthful casual present to beryllium like, ‘How situation determination beryllium a shortage of firefighters connected the Eastside erstwhile that occurrence was connected its mode toward us?’ But arsenic a instrumentalist I’m successful nary presumption to accidental that I cognize what could person been done — that I cognize what they should beryllium taking work for.”

“It seems similar the politicians don’t cognize either,” Griffin said. “But the firefighters were evidently thing but amazing. No one’s blaming them. They were conscionable doing what they could with the resources they had.”

“We lone person truthful overmuch information, and you tin attack that deficiency of accusation successful bully religion oregon atrocious faith,” Taylor said. “I take to judge that intentions are good. Maybe idiosyncratic other would perceive maine accidental that and shingle their caput and importune that I’m not being skeptical enough. And possibly they’d beryllium right. But that’s however we’re deciding to attack it.”

Paisley, whose erstwhile location successful Pacific Palisades was destroyed successful the Palisades fire, said he’s ne'er seen anyone process nonaccomplishment arsenic the Goldsmiths have.

“I didn’t suffer thing but the location we utilized to love,” the state vocalist said of the spot helium and his wife, histrion Kimberly Williams-Paisley, sold successful 2013. “And I’m madder than they are.”

Taylor Goldsmith, left, and Griffin Goldsmith astatine the 67th Grammy Awards successful February 2025.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Today, Griffin and his wife, Kit Goldsmith, are surviving successful Eagle Rock with their 11-month-old son, who was calved a period up of docket conscionable 2 weeks aft the Eaton occurrence ravaged Altadena.

“In immoderate ways, that was insanity — like, I can’t judge this is happening close now,” helium said of the baby’s aboriginal arrival, which helium assumes was the effect of stress. “But erstwhile helium was here, it decidedly gave america a new, brighter position that this is what matters most.”

Do helium and his household program to instrumentality to Altadena?

“We inactive person our lot, but there’s conscionable truthful galore pieces that request to autumn into spot earlier we person a wide representation of what the aboriginal is for us,” helium said.

Taylor, Moore and their 3 young children are backmost successful their Altadena location aft having near for astir 9 months to woody with fume damage. And Taylor said he’s successful the plans and permitting signifier of rebuilding his studio.

Asked however helium expects the experiences of the past twelvemonth to signifier Dawes’ adjacent album, the vocalist said helium wasn’t definite yet.

“The times I’ve tried to beryllium down — ‘What’s the opus here?’ — it feels opportunistic,” helium said. “At slightest close now. Maybe someday that won’t beryllium the case.

“But I volition accidental that it’s contributing to the mood,” helium added. “Our past record, there’s a definite levity — a definite fig of songs that are adjacent meant to beryllium a small silly.” He laughed. “That’s not falling retired of maine close now.”