Aaron Dessner facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Aaron Dessner
Dessner at Way Out West in Gothenburg, Sweden, 2014
Background information
Birth name	Aaron Brooking Dessner
Born	(1976-04-23) April 23, 1976 (age 49) Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.
Occupation(s)	Record producer songwriter instrumentalist
Instruments	Guitar piano keyboards vocals
Years active	1998–present

Aaron Brooking Dessner (born April 23, 1976) is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He is famous for being a founding member of the rock band The National. He also co-founded the indie rock duo Big Red Machine with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon.

Aaron Dessner is also well-known for working with pop superstar Taylor Swift. He helped create her popular albums Folklore and Evermore, and The Tortured Poets Department. Folklore even won the top award, Album of the Year, at the Grammy Awards!

Besides these, Dessner has written and produced songs for many other artists like Ed Sheeran, Gracie Abrams, Sharon Van Etten, and Girl in Red. He also helps organize music festivals like Eaux Claires and Boston Calling Music Festival. In 2022, he received an honorary doctorate for his work in music. In 2023, Rolling Stone magazine named him and his twin brother, Bryce, among the greatest guitarists of all time.

Early life

Aaron Dessner grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his twin brother, Bryce Dessner. He was raised in a Jewish family and has Polish and Russian Jewish roots. Dessner has shared that his Jewish background influences his music, especially the "meditative patterns" and repeating sounds found in some prayers. He went to high school at Cincinnati Country Day School and later studied Modern European History at Columbia University.

Music career

The National

Aaron Dessner and his brother Bryce were friends with Bryan Devendorf since childhood. In 1998, they joined Bryan's band, which became The National. The band also included Scott Devendorf (Bryan's older brother) and Matt Berninger.

Their first album, The National, came out in 2001 on Brassland Records, a label Aaron co-founded. After their second album, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003), gained attention, they signed with Beggars Banquet Records. This led to their third album, Alligator (2005), which was praised by critics and helped them reach more fans.

In 2007, they released Boxer, which was a huge success. Songs from this album were used in TV shows and movies. In 2008, an instrumental version of their song "Fake Empire" was even used in a presidential campaign video.

The band continued to release successful albums like High Violet (2010) and Trouble Will Find Me (2013). Trouble Will Find Me was even nominated for a Grammy Award. In 2017, their album Sleep Well Beast won a Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album. They released I Am Easy to Find in 2019, and in 2023, they surprised fans with two new albums: First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track.

Aaron Dessner has produced or co-produced all of The National's albums since Alligator. Many of their albums were recorded in his home studios, including his garage and attic!

Big Red Machine

In 2008, Aaron Dessner sent a song idea to Justin Vernon (from Bon Iver) for a charity album. Ten years later, they officially formed a band called Big Red Machine. Their first self-titled album came out in 2018.

The duo released their second album, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last?, in 2021. This album featured many guest artists, including Ben Howard, Sharon Van Etten, and Taylor Swift.

Other production work

Aaron Dessner is a very busy producer! He has worked with many different artists, helping them create their albums.

• He worked with Sharon Van Etten on her album Tramp (2012).
• He produced Local Natives' album Hummingbird (2013), which critics praised for its rich sound.
• He also produced albums for the Lone Bellow (Then Came the Morning in 2015 and Half Moon Light in 2020) and This Is the Kit (Bashed Out in 2015).
• In 2016, he produced Lisa Hannigan's album At Swim, which was very successful in Ireland and the UK. He also produced Frightened Rabbit's album Painting of a Panic Attack that same year.

A big moment in his career came in April 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Taylor Swift reached out to him, and they worked together to create her eighth studio album, Folklore. This album was a surprise release and won Album of the Year at the Grammys! Dessner continued to work with Taylor Swift on her next albums, Evermore (2020), Midnights (2022), and The Tortured Poets Department (2024). He also helped with her re-recorded albums like Fearless (Taylor's Version) and Red (Taylor's Version). After working with Taylor Swift, many other artists wanted to collaborate with him at his studio.

He also co-produced Ben Howard's album Collections from the Whiteout (2021). Dessner has also produced charity compilation albums like Day of the Dead and Dark Was the Night to help fight AIDS/HIV.

Film scores

Aaron Dessner and his brother Bryce have also composed music for movies. They worked together on the scores for:

• Big Sur (2013)
• Transpecos (2016)
• C'mon, C'mon (2021)
• Cyrano (2021)

Collaborations

Aaron Dessner often works with many different musicians and artists.

Day of the Dead

In 2016, Aaron and Bryce Dessner created and produced Day of the Dead. This was a huge charity tribute album to the band Grateful Dead. It took four years to make and featured over 60 artists and 59 songs, lasting almost 6 hours! All the money raised helps fight AIDS/HIV. The National also contributed songs to this album.

Forever Love

"Forever Love" is a special project Aaron and Bryce Dessner created with Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson and musicians Gyða and Kristín Anna Valtýsdóttir. It combines visual art, performance, and live music, all based on songs written by the Dessner brothers. It first premiered at the Eaux Claires Festival in 2015.

The Long Count

"The Long Count" was a large music and art project in 2009. Aaron and Bryce Dessner worked with visual artist Matthew Ritchie to create a show based on the Mayan creation story, Popol Vuh. It featured a 12-piece orchestra and guest singers from famous bands.

Dark Was the Night

In 2009, Aaron and Bryce Dessner produced Dark Was the Night, a big charity album for the Red Hot Organization. This album has raised over $2 million for AIDS charities. Many artists who contributed to the album also performed at a special concert at Radio City Music Hall.

Aaron Dessner performing with The National at Byron Bay Bluesfest, Easter 2016

Other contributions

Aaron Dessner often collaborates with his brother Bryce. They have performed with famous orchestras like the Copenhagen Philharmonic and the American Composers Orchestra.

Dessner also contributed music to the documentary Racing Dreams and helped write the song "Think You Can Wait" for the movie Win Win. He also played a role in The National's music for the HBO show Game of Thrones. In 2012, he teamed up with Grateful Dead guitarist Bob Weir for a live webcast to encourage voter registration.

Curator

Aaron Dessner helps organize and choose artists for several music festivals.

Eaux Claires Music & Arts Festival

This festival was founded and curated by Dessner and Justin Vernon. It first took place in 2015 in Justin Vernon's hometown of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. They wanted the festival to encourage different music styles to blend together.

PEOPLE Festival

The PEOPLE Festival is a non-profit music event in Berlin. Aaron Dessner, his brother Bryce, and Bon Iver help curate and produce it. The first festival was held in 2016.

Boston Calling Music Festival

Boston Calling is another music festival that Dessner helps curate. It started in May 2013 and now takes place once a year at the Harvard Athletic Complex in Allston.

Record labels

Aaron Dessner has helped start two record labels:

• 37d03d: He co-founded this label with Justin Vernon and Bryce Dessner.
• Brassland Records: He founded this label with Alec Hanley Bemis and Bryce Dessner. It has released albums by The National, This Is the Kit, and others.

Musical equipment

Aaron Dessner often plays a 1965 Gibson Firebird guitar, which he bought online and had fixed up. For recording, he also uses a 1972 Fender Telecaster. When he performs live, he usually plays his Firebird and a 1963 Fender Jazzmaster.

For his guitar sound, he uses different amplifiers, including a 1959 Fender Champ, a 1960s Fender Princeton, and a 1970s Music Man amp.

Personal life

Aaron Dessner married Stine Wengler around 2016. They have three children. He is a big fan of soccer and supports the English team Liverpool F.C..

Awards and nominations

Aaron Dessner has won and been nominated for several awards, especially the Grammy Awards.

Grammy Awards

Discography

With The National

• The National (2001)
• Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003)
• Alligator (2005)
• Boxer (2007)
• High Violet (2010)
• Trouble Will Find Me (2013)
• Sleep Well Beast (2017)
• I Am Easy to Find (2019)
• First Two Pages of Frankenstein (2023)
• Laugh Track (2023)

With Big Red Machine

• Big Red Machine (2018)
• How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? (2021)

Film scores

• Big Sur (2013)
• Transpecos (2016)
• C'mon, C'mon (2021)

Production and songwriting credits for other artists

Key

Indicates songs solely written or produced by Aaron Dessner

Year	Artist	Album	Notable Songs	Produced with
2016	Frightened Rabbit	Painting Of A Panic Attack	"Death Dream", "Get Out", "I Wish I Was Sober"	Sole production
2019	Adia Victoria	Silences	"Clean", "Bring Her Back", "Pacolet Road"	Adia Victoria, Aaron Dessner
2020	Eve Owen	Don't Let The Ink Dry	"Tudor", "Lover Not Today", "Mother"	Sole production
	Taylor Swift	Folklore	"The 1", "Cardigan", "The Last Great American Dynasty", "Exile"	Taylor Swift, Joe Alwyn, Jack Antonoff
2021	Taylor Swift	Evermore	"Willow", "Champagne Problems", "No Body, No Crime"	Taylor Swift, Bryce Dessner
	Taylor Swift	Fearless (Taylor's Version)	"You All Over Me", "We Were Happy"	Taylor Swift
	Taylor Swift	Red (Taylor's Version)	"Better Man (Taylor's Version)", "Nothing New", "Run"	Taylor Swift
	Gracie Abrams	This Is What It Feels Like	"Rockland", "Camden", "Hard to Sleep"	Sole production , Blake Slatkin
2022	Taylor Swift	Where the Crawdads Sing (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)	"Carolina"	Taylor Swift
	Taylor Swift	Midnights	"The Great War", "Would've, Could've, Should've", "Hits Different"	Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff
2023	Gracie Abrams	Good Riddance	"Best", "I Know It Won't Work", "Full Machine"	Sole production , Matias Tellez, Brian Eno
	Ed Sheeran	-	"Boat", "Salt Water", "Eyes Closed", "Life Goes On"	Sole production , Max Martin, Shellback, Fred Again
	Taylor Swift	Speak Now (Taylor's Version)	"Electric Touch", "When Emma Falls in Love", "Foolish One"	Taylor Swift
2024	Taylor Swift	The Tortured Poets Department	"So Long, London", "But Daddy I Love Him", "Loml", "The Smallest Man Who Ever Lived", "Clara Bow"	Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff
	Bess Atwell	Light Sleeper	"Everyone Who's Not In Love With You Is Wrong", "Release Myself", "Sylvester"	Sole production
	Gracie Abrams	The Secret of Us	"Felt Good About You", "Risk", "Blowing Smoke", "Us"	Gracie Abrams, Audrey Hobert, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Julian Bunetta

See also

In Spanish: Aaron Dessner para niños