The reason Dawes’ music is so genuine seems very simple: It’s a reflection of the band mates’ guileless approach to songwriting and playing. As the festival season heats up and more folk rock wanna-be bands trod the boards, music such as that created by Dawes becomes even more precious. In a sea of folk rockers who are sometimes musically proficient but spiritually barren, Dawes is a throwback to true folk rock, in the best possible sense.

“It’s really great for us,” said Dawes’ frontman and chief songwriter Taylor Goldsmith. “I feel like in music today, all kinds of things are shifting from what is cool to what is not. I feel like in the folk community, that music is embraced by the whole work.”