Dawes Founding Bassist Wylie Gelber Announces Departure After March and April Shows
Photo Credit: Marc Millman
Dawes bassist Wylie Gelber will depart from the band following a string of previously announced shows slated for the spring. The group’s frontman, Taylor Goldsmith, shared the news via social media this morning, noting that Gelber will shift his focus to being a “designer/contractor/builder.”
Taylor Goldsmith’s post began with a stark statement, “So I have some really tough news.” Then, he followed up by cutting into the meat, “After these two runs in March and April, my main man Wylie Gelber is going to be leaving the Dawes lineup.”
“Some of you may have noticed him building basses, guitars and pedal boards for the band through the years. Well, this kind of handiwork of his goes way beyond the music realm and he has become something of a designer/contractor/builder all rolled into one,” the guitarist added.
After exuding support, Goldsmith dug into his shared history alongside Gelber, “We’ve been playing music together since he was 15 and I was 18 and Griff was 13. I don’t know what being a musician is without him. He has set the bar for what great bass playing sounds like to me. It’s gonna be hard and tears have been shed but change always leads to some kind of newfound strength and Dawes isn’t going anywhere, I promise.
Dawes came together in 2009, consisting of musicians: Gelber, Taylor Goldsmith, Griffin Goldsmith (drums) and Tay Strathatrian (keys). The City of Angels ensemble has delivered eight studio albums since its conception, including their most recent drop, 2022’s Misadventures of Doomscroller.
Following today’s announcement, Gelber will join his bandmates for a final round of tour dates slated for March and April. The founding bassist will take his last stand on stage with Dawes in the coming months. Visit the band’s official website to learn more about the upcoming tour.
Scroll down to read Taylor Goldsmith’s official statement via Instagram.
