David Rawlings Machine

[Dotneck]

I just noticed a new show scheduled in a local venue...Old Crow Medicine Show and David Rawlings Machine (with gillian Welch).

Now I'm familiar with Gillian Welch...and I know that David Rawlings is her partner/co-writer etc. By the name David Rawlings Machine, I assume this is David's act...not Gillian's. Do any of you know how David Rawlings Machine with Gillian Welch differs from a Gillian Welch show (that features David Rawlings)?

[ducktrapper]

Good question. I've been wondering when the next, way overdue, Gillian Welch album will be coming out. I've also wondered if Rawlings was one of the least ego driven perfomer in music since the act was obviously Welch and Rawlings yet he apparently required no marquee posting. Anyway, I can't answer your question but I'm wondering too and would love to see or hear them called ... well, anything.

[NotRevGDavis]

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings played Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit in 2006. I was familiar with Gillian Welch but David Rawlings blew me away- one of the highlights of the day (actually the whole day was pretty much a highlight).
If David Rawlings has something else going I sure would like to hear it.

[Tycho]

Google is your friend!

http://www.myspace.com/daverawlingsmachine

"Alterrnative/Acoustic/Industrial"???

[Tycho]

There's also some stuff on YouTube.  Here they are doing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", and making it sound quite melancholy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEDdvUxtDPo

Sounds like the project might be a bit of a lark.

[Dotneck]

Google is your friend!

http://www.myspace.com/daverawlingsmachine

"Alterrnative/Acoustic/Industrial"???

I saw this website. I guess I just don't get myspace. From there I can see his tour dates...(which is helpful)...and a list of his "friends" (who cares)...but I still don't get a feel for the David Rawlings Machine. I'm going to look at the youtoob link now.....the last one I saw was Rawlings performing with Gillian Welch...

[bearsville0]

Good question. I've been wondering when the next, way overdue, Gillian Welch album will be coming out. I've also wondered if Rawlings was one of the least ego driven perfomer in music since the act was obviously Welch and Rawlings yet he apparently required no marquee posting. Anyway, I can't answer your question but I'm wondering too and would love to see or hear them called ... well, anything.

I agree with that ducktrapper!

I think it is still more appealing to sexists like me to promote the act as "Gillian Welch" and to only feature her picture on the album cover.

[dberch]

I love David Rawlings. His tone and phrasing never ceases to amaze me.  Love that old guitar he plays and really glad to see him still using it.

[ncognito]

I love David Rawlings. His tone and phrasing never ceases to amaze me.  Love that old guitar he plays and really glad to see him still using it.

Yeah, Rawlings really has a signature sound, and it's not just the unique tone of that arch top.  He has a very unique way of playing.  He supports Welch nicely, but at just the right moments, his playing is the very tasteful focus.  They really fit well together, musically.

          DAVE

[ducktrapper]

There's also some stuff on YouTube.  Here they are doing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", and making it sound quite melancholy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEDdvUxtDPo

Sounds like the project might be a bit of a lark.

What a hoot! He's got some Richard Thompson going there, as well. Down the page there's an outstanding version of a seldom covered Dylan song. Perhaps Gillian is tired of herself and all of her creations. Been there. Done that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv7KZxPydOc&feature=related   

[Tycho]

I love it when artists with a really distinct sound pick surprising covers that seem totally out of character. 

[bearsville0]

I love it when artists with a really distinct sound pick surprising covers that seem totally out of character. 

Agreed, like Richard Thompson doing Britney Spears' "Oops, I did it again."

[slickeronstate]

David Rawlings Machine is touring in support of his new CD titled A FRIEND OF  FRIEND, which was just released, Nov. 17th, 2009. 

The much anticipated debut album from Gillian Welch's secret weapon, Dave Rawlings, includes appearances by Ketch Secor, Willie Watson, Kevin Hayes, Morgan Jahnig (Old Crow Medicine Show), Benmont Tench (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers), Nate Walcott (Bright Eyes) and Karl Himmel (Neil Young), and of course, Gillian Welch.

Check the tour dates on the link below. Maybe you can catch them. I have tickets for the Chicago show at the Abbey Pub on Dec. 6th.   

http://www.daverawlingsmachine.com/

[Stackabones]

I just noticed a new show scheduled in a local venue...Old Crow Medicine Show and David Rawlings Machine (with gillian Welch).

Now I'm familiar with Gillian Welch...and I know that David Rawlings is her partner/co-writer etc. By the name David Rawlings Machine, I assume this is David's act...not Gillian's. Do any of you know how David Rawlings Machine with Gillian Welch differs from a Gillian Welch show (that features David Rawlings)?

Well, in a nutshell, the only differences are 1) Rawlings takes the lead vocal role and 2) they dress more casually when they perform (t-shirts/jeans instead of suit and dress).

I just picked up the album last night. If you like Gillian, you'll like this stuff. Although you'll hear why Gillian has had the role of lead vocalist in their duo. While Rawlings certainly can sing, he's much better as a harmony vocalist, methinks.

Good stuff here.

[Dotneck]

I heard a couple tracks from his CD on the radio on Friday night. I enjoyed them (no surprise.) He's playing locally again in a couple weeks...I may see if I can get out that night (but this is a busy time at work so I'm not sure). Would like to see his play though...

[ncognito]

I really like Rawling's playing style, and his guitar has a nice dry, yet woody tone.  What does he play, anybody know?

          DAVE

[Dotneck]

He plays an old Epihone archtop...one of the basic models...maybe a Zenith....

[flathead]

I really like Rawling's playing style, and his guitar has a nice dry, yet woody tone.  What does he play, anybody know?

          DAVE

GILLIAN WELCH AND DAVID RAWLINGS

Gillian Welch’s main guitar is a ca. 1956 Gibson J-50 with a factory-installed adjustable bridge. "It’s pretty much just like a J-45," she says. "It’s blond, and it’s got a big ugly pickguard on it." A couple of years ago, she picked up a five-string Vega Senator banjo, which she’s specially modified "with a little bit of bubble wrap shoved under the head."

David Rawlings gets his signature, midrangey guitar sound from a 1935 Epiphone Olympic archtop with a carved top and plywood mahogany back and sides. He likens its sound to that of a resophonic guitar. "I bought it without a bridge," he says, "and had a one-piece mahogany bridge made for it. I think with a top this small it really behooves you to get as much stuff touching the top as you can, because the top doesn’t have that much flex to it." He says his guitar is unique in that every note on every string plays at the same volume. "It doesn’t have any dead spots or any high spots—which is very, very strange," he says. "It makes it fun to play lead, because you don’t have to worry where you’re at. It’s not much of a solo instrument, but I can’t really play by myself worth a darn, so it doesn’t make much of a difference."

Welch and Rawlings switched their stage amplification rig in 1996 from pickups and DIs to external microphones. Rawlings explains that the change has made setting up for shows easier, although they do need to be a bit more hands-on during setup than they used to be. "We carry Shure SM-58s and SM-57s," Welch says. "Fancy microphones can be very difficult. The one thing that’s nice about the Shures is that their quality control is low enough that they are all different. They’re like snowflakes. If we carry a complement of eight microphones, we can go into a hall and find the right one for the room and the system. We play the microphone game; we swap them out." "And it’s easy to control volume by changing the proximity to the mics," Rawlings adds.

Here is a great utube video that show it off really well. flathead

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DsOptdGU7E&feature=related