Zach Dawes

Zachary Edwin Dawes is an American musician, producer, engineer, and technician born on July 2, 1985. He serves as the bassist for Mini Mansions and has composed music for numerous television hits including 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' and 'Nobody Wants This'. His production work on 'Norman Fucking Rockwell!' and 'Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd' earned him two Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, cementing his status as a pivotal figure in modern music production and supervision.

Quick Facts

Birth name

Zachary Edwin Dawes

Born

2 July 1985

Birthplace

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Spouse

Molly Grassini, September 25, 2022

Genre

Indie rock
psychedelic pop
rock

Occupation

Musician
songwriter
audio engineer
producer

Instrument

Bass guitar
guitar
keyboards
drums

Associated acts

Mini Mansions
The Last Shadow Puppets
Brian Wilson
Lisa Marie Presley
Alexandra Savior
Lana Del Rey

Lore & Background

Zach Dawes grew up in Encino, California, where his musical journey began on the piano before he switched to bass to fill a role in a childhood band. He later majored in Film & Digital Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz. His career took a significant turn assisting and engineering for T Bone Burnett, playing bass on soundtracks for 'The Hunger Games: Songs from District 12 and Beyond' and 'Inside Llewyn Davis', as well as Lisa Marie Presley's 'Storm & Grace'. Dawes has toured extensively with Mini Mansions, Sparks, The Last Shadow Puppets, and Courtney Barnett. His collaborative spirit shines through his work with Este Haim on the Netflix show 'Nobody Wants This' and his extensive songwriting contributions to Sharon Van Etten's film projects.

Reader's Guide

For those tracking Dawes' credits, note his specific contributions: he co-wrote and produced songs for Sharon Van Etten's 'Remind Me Tomorrow' (2019) and 'We've Been Going About This All Wrong' (2022). His film scoring includes 'Grease Rise of the Pink Ladies' (2023), Angelyne (2022), and HBO's 'Generation' (2021). In his personal life, he married partner Molly Grassini on September 25, 2022. The wedding was a notable gathering attended by members of Arctic Monkeys, Warpaint, and his own band, Mini Mansions. While he is not a member of Arctic Monkeys, his presence at the wedding and his bass work on 'Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino' represent the closest professional links between him and the Sheffield group.

Did You Know?

Dawes switched from piano to bass because the band he was starting needed a bass player.
He earned two Grammy nominations for Album of the Year for his producing work with Lana Del Rey.