CANADIAN-BORN STEVE DAWSON was well into the second act of his music career when the pandemic hit. After a successful run as an artist, sideman and producer north of the border, the guitarist had relocated to Nashville. He set up a busy studio there while continuing to record and tour with, among others, future Americana superstar Allison Russell’s band Birds of Chicago. Remarkably, Dawson has found the past two years to be some of his most productive.
For starters, he recorded three solo records, the first of which, (Black Hen Records), offers a master class in all things slide, from the Cooder-tastic “Dimes,” to the Weissenborn-style Hawaiian inflected “Kulaniapia Waltz.” He also continued his terrific podcast, , which features in-depth player-to-player interviews with musicians, including guitarists Ariel Posen, Guthrie Trapp, Charlie Hunter, Jim Campilongo, et al. And he set up a remote recording on the making of his record and the joys of multiple amps.
