Dave Goddess is Making a Scene
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Making a Scene Presents an interview with Dave Goddess
Dave Goddess is a man on a mission. It’s all about making music that’s honest, and creating a sound that can move an audience while still managing to satisfy himself.
“At the very least, it’s authentic,” Goddess confides, “I’ve never made any choices based on making money or having hits or being popular. Maybe that’s not the best career strategy, but screw it. I try to keep it personal and real. That’s not to say that every song is about me, but just that there’s a core of truth, soul, or deeper meaning involved.”
That earnest approach will again become evident with Goddess’ upcoming album, Once in a Blue Moon, which is due for release this February. Co-produced by Dave Goddess and Konrad Carelli, it boasts ten songs flush with the extraordinary power and raw passion Goddess and his group have become known for over the course of the current decade.
“For me, the biggest challenge these days is not make my recordings sound too perfect,” Goddess suggests. “With all the technology available, you can make the tempo precise and all the performances flawless. You can auto-tune the vocals. I think it’s important not to be seduced by these possibilities, because in the end, your track will have no spirit and you’re left to try and figure out why it sucks.”
Fortunately, that’s one thing Goddess has never had to contend with. After his initial album, 2012’s aptly titled Something New, and the three EPs that followed — Blown Away in 2014, Beautiful World in 2016, and 2017’s Last of the West Side Cowboys — Goddess has demonstrated a clear commitment to the cause, that is, a stirring sense of determination and defiance shared by a crack band that he credits for their no-holds-barred live performances.
It’s little wonder that the The Philadelphia Inquirer said of Goddess’ work, “Amid the drive and 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.”
That drive and dynamic was instilled in Goddess early on. As he tells it, “My uncle, who I was very close to, was a songwriter, and I remember him and his writing partner sitting around the kitchen table with a guitar knocking out tunes. This was when I was maybe seven or eight years old. They went through the whole process and I watched–recording sessions, record releases, getting their songs on the radio. I thought it was the greatest thing ever. So I picked up the guitar myself. Got in bands when I was a teenager and just kept at it. Tried to quit a few times but couldn’t.”
He eventually relocated from his native Allentown, Pennsylvania to New York City. Since forming the Dave Goddess Group in 2012, the band has built a rabid following both at home and on the road, where they spend much of their time touring. Along they way they’ve garnered positive press and international airplay.
“At some point, you realize that the most unique thing you have to offer is yourself,” Goddess muses. “We’re nothing more — but certainly nothing less — than a rugged, road-tested, absolutely authentic rock and roll band. We want to lift people up with our music—make them think and feel. We want them to have fun and be inspired. If we continue to do that, I think there will be an audience that will always be eager to follow.”
