“Dave Goddess Group are torchbearers for the three-chords-and-the-truth gold ring…building a following one true believer at a time.”
-The Alternate Root
Dave Goddess makes real music that rings with passion and truth. It doesn’t have to be lofty; it just has to be genuine. “It’s a voluntary act,” he maintains. “Nobody’s put a gun to my head and said, ‘write that song or else.’ I don’t even know why I do it other than to please myself, and that’s not easy. Hopefully, an audience can connect with what matters to me and hear something that matters to them. And I never make musical choices in search of popularity. That might be a bad career move, but I don’t care.”
Goddess’ new six song EP, Kitty Hawk, offers a fine example of those intentions. Due for release on May 30th, it features Goddess himself on vocals, guitars and keyboards, Mark Buschi on bass and backing vocals, Robbie Bossert on pedal steel guitar, Craig Kastelnik on keys, and Valerie Borman on backing vocals. Together, they create raw, rootsy soundscapes that set just the right tone for Dave’s simple, poetic imagery.
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“Sometimes, when I’m looking for inspiration or just trying to shake things up, I’ll grab my guitar, hit the road, and allow myself to simply get lost,” Goddess explains. “I’ll explore a place I’ve never been before and then find a motel and hunker down to write. That’s how the new EP began. I found myself in Kitty Hawk North Carolina, near the site of the Wright Brothers’ first flight. Knowing a bit about them, I decided to check out the Wright Brothers Museum. Their ingenuity, intelligence, courage and perseverance led them to accomplish a truly amazing feat. They failed many times but refused to quit, and as a result, they conquered the sky and changed the world. I found their story very inspiring.”
It also provided a leaping-off point — in a very real sense. However, as Goddess explains, other possibilities appeared as well. “As I was walking toward a tower that marks the spot of the Wright Brothers’ first glider experiments, I met a sweet young couple. They had a beautiful little child with them, a girl with curly blonde hair. I asked them to take a picture of me and that’s what I used for the cover of the EP.”
Kitty Hawk unfolds like a rambling collection of short stories. The songs are rough, ragged, and soulful. Take the rocking “Tin Foil Hat,” with its jangly drive and catchy refrain. Its message is clear. “It’s about all the disinformation that flies around these days that seems to pit people against one another,” Goddess suggests. “so I decided to write about a guy who falls for a girl who buys into all the conspiracy theories — things like a faked moon landing, the existence of Bigfoot, chemtrails, Paul McCartney really being dead, aliens walking among us. He thinks she’s crazy, but he’s fascinated by her, and in the end he decides, ‘I don’t judge her, I just love her, and we agree to disagree.’ I think that’s a pretty good message for all of us in these times.”
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The rootsy, haunting “Wild and Willing” took shape when Goddess found himself in Mexico. “It was a hot night under a full moon,” he recalls. “I was with my wife, and it was just magical. I got an idea to reimagine a song I’d written earlier when I was tuned into rock and roll. I turned it into a quiet ballad. It’s about keeping that adventurous spirit alive inside and never settling for anything less. Enough is simply not enough.”
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Goddess says that the catchy rocker “Someone Worth Waiting For” is about a guy who never left his hometown. “He’s a dreamer, but he’s stuck in a dead-end job and hangs out at a pool hall with his low-life friends. He does pretty well with the ladies, but he can’t seem to find true love. But that doesn’t stop him from looking.”
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The songs are both moving and memorable, whether it’s the stubborn defiance of “Pretty Soon I’ll Be Too Late,” the nostalgic ache of “Hey Romeo” or the easy lope and twang of “Lucky Guy.” “On Kitty Hawk I tried to keep it personal and real,” he observes. “I try to get to the heart of things. I tell stories and release them into the world. Feel free to fill in the blanks, create your own meanings, and take from them anything that resonates with you.” And though the music may be frayed around the edges, the message always remains simple and straightforward. It’s anthemic and rocking one moment, intimate and vulnerable the next.
Think Tom Petty following the flight path of the Byrds.
It’s hardly surprising then that Goddess says he was also inspired by any number of vintage roots rockers, and he cites The Band, Creedence Clearwater Revival, The Grateful Dead, Neil Young, and, naturally enough, Bob Dylan as his primary references. “They’re all unique, but I admire the straightforward simplicity of their music,” he suggests. “I soak in the influences and filter them through my own off-kilter brain. In the end you realize that the most unique thing you have to offer is yourself.”
These days Goddess has a lot to live up to. He formed the Dave Goddess Group in 2012, recording the aptly titled Something New. Three EPs followed—Blown Away in 2014, Beautiful World in 2016, 2018’s Last of the West Side Cowboys. 2020 brought a full album--Once in a Blue Moon. In 2022 he reached new heights, releasing the acclaimed album Back in Business which garnered strong reviews, international airplay, and a series of successful videos.
The success of Back in Business inspired him to do exactly what the title suggests. “I decided to get out and play a little more,” Goddess insists. “I’ve been doing stripped-down acoustic shows with my longtime friend and partner Mark Buschi on bass. I’ve also done some unplugged dates with a loose group of people I like working with. Robbie Bossert on pedal steel guitar, Steve Bennett on drums, Valerie Borman on vocals. I like playing in listening rooms where it’s quieter and people pay attention.”
The critics have always liked what they’ve heard throughout the course of a career that’s yielded a steady output of compelling material. Americana UK declared, “Goddess has pretty much mastered his chosen craft.” Nick Cristiano in the Philadelphia Enquirer agreed, writing “Dave Goddess Group… is major league all the way…Amid the drive and the clarion uplift, Goddess has poured his heart and soul into the best songs of his life, songs that resonate deeply beyond their passion and energy.” Thomas Gerbase of Medium added his praise while saying, “Dave Goddess sounds a battle cry for rock and roll.”
Madison Blom of Imperfect Fifth may have summed things best when he said, Goddess writes “songs that touch the deepest part of the soul and ring true with the heart’s desires.”
That’s been Dave Goddess’s intent all along. “We want to lift people up with our music — make them think and feel,” he said. “We want them to have fun and be inspired. We give it our all, and as long as we continue to do that, I think there will always be an audience that will be eager to follow.”