Dave Rawlings Machine

Guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer David Rawlings is best known for his longtime collaboration with musical partner Gillian Welch, with whom he has written and recorded a number of critically acclaimed folk and neo-traditional albums. He has also produced and collaborated with artists like Old Crow Medicine Show, Ryan Adams, Robyn Hitchcock, and Conor Oberst, among others. In 2009, he launched his solo career, releasing his debut album, Friend of a Friend, under the name Dave Rawlings Machine. Essentially a continuation of his partnership with Welch, but with his songs and voice taking the lead role, the band also featured members of Old Crow Medicine Show, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, and several others. Like his work with Welch, the album was largely in the neo-traditional acoustic style and showcased his high lonesome tenor vocals and inventive guitar work played, as always, on his signature instrument, a 1935 Epiphone arch-top guitar. After Rawlings’ involvement in various other projects, including his and Welch’s fifth LP, Dave Rawlings Machine returned again in 2015 with their sophomore LP, Nashville Obsolete, again on Welch’s Acony Records. ~ Timothy Monger