Dylan Dawkins, the multi-instrumentalist behind Persona La Ave, will play his first show at The Royal American since the pre-pandemic days July 16, supported by Savannah-based bands Chipper Bones and Basically Nancy.
Dawkins creates music that defies categorization — his eclectic work weaves funk, acoustic, experimental and ambient elements. The Persona La Ave discography is prolific and brimming with collaborations with other innovative local acts, like Human Resources, Youngster and Keon Masters, to name a few.
In fact, Dawkins considers himself “almost more [of] a record label” than solely a musician. “For any sort of efficient artist, you have to be able to tap into different things at different times. Every day I wake up and see where I am mentally and spiritually, and that’s going to inform the project I’m going to work on that day,” he said.
Of the recent shutdown, Dawkins mentioned that he turned inward, focusing on a mental-health reset and concentrating mostly on his own unique work. “If anything, I became more productive on my own projects during the pandemic because I just work out of my home studio for the most part,” he said. “It forced me to adapt to a different process. I stayed put, kept my head down, and my output probably tripled.”
The Persona La Ave band on July 16 will feature drummer Brett Nash, bassist Aaron Utterback of Human Resources, guitarist Paul Nederostek of Dead Swells, and keyboardist Baraka aka Geoffrey Dean, a longtime collaborator. “Everybody in the band is a genius in their own right. I just trust them,” Dawkins said.
Listeners can expect an array of Persona La Ave tracks: some recent singles, a few older songs that have been reworked and reimagined and some brand new unrecorded music.
Dawkins is looking forward to reconnecting with Savannah-based indie punk group Chipper Bones at the show, a 4-piece fronted by Kyle Brown and completed by drummer Jalen Reyes, bassist Josh Cook and guitarist Ryan Flannery. He’s also eager to join forces with garage rockers Basically Nancy for the first time. “They’re really rad,” Dawkins said. “It’ll be a really fun night. Pretty chill, but raucous rock n’ roll sort of experience.”
The Persona La Ave band is anxious to return to the fabled and iconic Royal American stage. “They really love musicians and take musicians seriously and provide a unique experience,” Dawkins said. “It always looks really good. It always sounds really good.”
Tickets for the show are $10. The doors are at 9 p.m and music is at 10 p.m.
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