'It Looks Like a Nuclear Bomb Went Off.' Dawes' Taylor Goldsmith on the L.A. Fires
By Jonathan Bernstein
January 10, 2025
Taylor Goldsmith is the lead singer and songwriter of Dawes, the L.A. band he started with his brother Griffin in 2007. Until a few days ago, Taylor, Griffin, his parents, and Dawes’ former bassist Wylie Gelber, all lived minutes from each other in Altadena, California. Taylor’s main house is still standing as of this writing, but his parents, brother, and former bandmate Gelber have all lost their homes in the past few days as a result of the devastating Los Angeles fires. As of Friday, Goldsmith was staying in Sherman Oaks with his wife, Mandy Moore, and their three kids, before decamping to a rental home in Palm Springs in search of clean air. The following is his account of the past 72 hours.
We evacuated at 7 p.m. the night of the Eaton fire. We were told yesterday morning by two separate neighbors that our house is gone. They said, “Your house is gone, we see it on fire.” They were hysterical. We were hysterical. Their houses were gone, too. We were processing that. You always just think you’re going to be spared.
Then, a few hours later, I was texting with our old bass player, Wylie Gelber, who’s still one of my best friends and still lives in the neighborhood. Wylie was like, “Bro, I’m in Altadena right now. I have a gas mask on. I’m going to all of our friends’ cribs to see what’s there and what’s not.” He found out his house was gone. He found out my brother’s house was gone. Then he called me and was like, “Dude, I’m on your property. Your studio is a three-story fire. Your garage and guest house is rubble. But I’m standing at your door right now and your house is here. But your house is going to burn down soon. Is there a way in? Can I get you anything?”