Sweet Is the Anchor
Steve Dawson grew up in small-town Idaho during the dark ages of Ronald Reagan and theUrban Cowboysoundtrack. To fight the boredom, he spent hours and hours obesessing over his parent's record collection. His dad, a renowned wildlife illustrator, had a huge wall of soul, R&B and jazz LPs, and his step-mom had all the 60s and 70s basics: the Beatles, the Stones, Dylan... and country music was everywhere--on the town's only radio station, in the park at night, propelling summer parades--and it all dug into his consciousness. When he was 13, he took guitar lessons from one of Idaho's mountain fiddle champions and started writing songs. Later he taught himself to play piano by hammering away on the family upright. His first professional gig was at the Silver Dollar Saloon in Bellevue, ID, at age 16, playing guitar with Cadillac Carl and the Road Rangers.After high school Dawson spent some time at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, but eventually settled in Chicago. There he formed Stump the Host, a group that wore its rock, soul and country influences on its sleeve. At the heart of the band were Steve's melodic, hook-filled songs and the plaintive two-part harmony singing of Dawson and his wife, Diane Christiansen. After releasing a 7" single on Minty Fresh and signing a publishing deal with Polygram, Stump the Host called it quits.In the mid '90s Dawson and Christiansen formed a new band called Dolly Varden. Dolly Varden's stylistic influences were less obvious, and Dawson's songwriting developed a new subtlety and depth. Over the course of four albums and steady touring, the band has built a devoted following in the US and Britain. Critics fromRolling Stone, Mojo, and theVillage Voice, among others, have praised Dawson's gift for melodic, evocative songwriting and the group's soulful vocal harmonies. His songs have been compared to the short stories of Raymond Carver for their use of language and dark, introspective subject matter.In 2004 Steve expanded his home studio and recorded his first solo album,Sweet Is the Anchor, singing and playing nearly all the instruments. Some of Chicago's best young jazz musicians appear on a few songs (including drummer Frank Rosaly and bassist Jason Roebke), and former Stump the Host violinist Tom Murray adds layered string parts on the Al Green-inspired "Love Is a Blessing." The album was completed in early 2005 and mixed by Matt Pence (American Music Club/Centro-matic).