Richard Dawson | |
|---|---|
 Dawson performing in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | 24 May 1981 |
| Origin | Newcastle upon Tyne, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer-songwriter |
| Instrument(s) |
|
| Labels | |
| Website | richarddawson |
Richard Michael Dawson (born 24 May 1981)[1] is an English progressive folk singer-songwriter from Newcastle upon Tyne.[2] His 2014 album Nothing Important was released by Weird World and was met with critical acclaim.[3][4][5] His 2017 album Peasant received similar acclaim, and was chosen by The Quietus as their album of the year.[6] In 2019, he released the album 2020, again to critical acclaim.[7][8] Henki, a collaborative album made with the Finnish band Circle, was released in 2021,[9] followed by another solo effort, The Ruby Cord, in 2022.
YouTube Encyclopedic
-
1/3Views:3 388423 81627 277
-
Richard Dawson - Bonus CD (The Magic Bridge)
-
Richard Dawson - Jogging (Official Video)
-
Richard Dawson - Horse and Rider (Official Video)
Transcription
Career
Dawson grew up in Newcastle and became interested in singing as a child, attempting to emulate American singers such as Faith No More's Mike Patton.[10] He worked in record stores for 10 years before starting a professional music career. He bought an inexpensive acoustic guitar[3] but accidentally broke it. After the guitar was repaired, he found it had a unique sound and he has used it as his main instrument.[2]
Dawson's music has been described as a deconstruction of folk music, done in an English style, similar to what American Captain Beefheart did with blues music.[2][5] Dawson himself cites Qawwali,[10] a form of Sufi devotional music, Kenyan folk guitarist Henry Makobi[2] and folk musician Mike Waterson[11] as influences on his work. The albums The Glass Trunk (2013) and Nothing Important (2014) feature collaborations with harpist Rhodri Davies, who Dawson describes as "somewhat of a kindred spirit".[10][11] Dawson and Davies released a collaborative album, Dawson-Davies: Hen Ogledd,[12] in 2013 and Dawson has also released solo material pseudonymously under the name "Eyeballs". Dawson has also performed in the groups Hot Fog with Mike Vest (Bong)[citation needed], Moon with Ben Jones and Sarah Sullivan (Jazzfinger), and played a handful of shows on guitar with Khunnt.[11]
Since Nothing Important, Dawson has played the guitar through a Fender and an Orange amplifier in series.[10] He also used synthesized sounds from an iOS application, ThumbJam, and played saxophone despite having only a rudimentary knowledge of the instrument.[10]
Lyrically, Dawson's material deals with dark subjects such as death. For The Glass Trunk, he searched a database in the Tyne and Wear archives for "death" and took inspiration from old news stories involving murder and bodily harm.[3][13] The track "The Vile Stuff" from Nothing Important describes a continuous narrative of events, including one where Dawson pierced his hand with a screwdriver attempting to crack a coconut shell while on a school trip.[5]
Discography
Albums
- Richard Dawson Sings Songs and Plays Guitar (2007)
- The Magic Bridge (2011)
- The Glass Trunk (2013)
- Nothing Important (2014)
- Peasant (2017)
- 2020 (2019)
- The Ruby Cord (2022)
Compilations
- Stick In The Wheel presents From Here: English Folk Field Recordings Volume 2 (2019)
- Republic of Geordieland (2020)
Collaborations
- Dawson May Jazzfinger Clay with Nev Clay, Ally May and Jazzfinger (2009)
- Moon — Diseasing Rock Who with Ben Jones and Sarah Sullivan (2011)
- Dawson-Davies: Hen Ogledd with Rhodri Davies (2013)
- Bronze by Hen Ogledd (Richard Dawson, Rhodri Davies, and Dawn Bothwell) (2016)
- Mogic by Hen Ogledd (Richard Dawson, Rhodri Davies, Dawn Bothwell, Sally Pilkington, Will Guthrie) (2018)
- Free Humans by Hen Ogledd (Richard Dawson, Rhodri Davies, Dawn Bothwell, and Sally Pilkington) (2020)
- No Wood Accepted (EP) by Hen Ogledd (Richard Dawson, Rhodri Davies, Dawn Bothwell, and Sally Pilkington) (2021)
- Henki (2021) with Circle
Additionally, over 60 releases with Sally Pilkington as Bulbils[14] during 2020-2021.
Soundtracks
- Motherland (2008)
As Eyeballs
- Europa (2008)
- The Roof of The World (2008)
- Sea of William Henry Smyth (2008)
- Seal-Skin Satellite (2008)
- The Invisible Castle (2009)
- The Quest (2009)
- Thief of Men (2009)
- Treasure (2009)
- Eyeballs/Gareth Hardwick split (2009)
- Eyeballs/White Dwarf Spiral split (2009)
References
- ^ Rogers, Jude (26 October 2019). "Richard Dawson: anthems for a blighted nation". The Guardian.
- ^ a b c d Weingarten, Christopher R. (20 November 2014). "Richard Dawson – Dej Loaf, Oliver Heldens and 8 More New Artists You Need to Know | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ a b c Cook-Wilson, Winston (5 November 2014). "Richard Dawson: Nothing Important". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ Gardner, Noel (1 November 2014). "NME Reviews – Richard Dawson – 'Nothing Important'". NME. IPC Media. Retrieved 15 December 2014.
- ^ a b c Hann, Michael (20 November 2014). "Richard Dawson: Nothing Important review – remarkably original folk". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ Riley, Danny (1 June 2017). "The Quietus | Reviews | Richard Dawson". The Quietus. Retrieved 24 December 2017.
- ^ Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (11 October 2019). "Richard Dawson: 2020 review". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Richard Dawson – 2020 – Album review". Loud And Quiet. Retrieved 29 January 2020.
- ^ "Richard Dawson & Circle - Henki (CD) | Domino Mart". Domino Recording Company. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Nugent, Cian (3 December 2014). "Richard Dawson by Cian Nugent". Bomb magazine. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ a b c McKeating, Scott (26 February 2013). "The Ancestor's Tale: An Interview With Richard Dawson". The Quietus. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ Bliss, Abi (November 2014). "Galaxy of Scars". The Wire (369): 40. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ Wheeler, Harry (5 March 2014). "Richard Dawson – The Glass Trunk". Folk Radio. Retrieved 16 December 2014.
- ^ Bulbils on Bandcamp
External links
| Authority control databases: Artists |
|---|
This page was last edited on 30 May 2024, at 11:19