The beginning of Godwin in the music scene…
Charles Wesley Godwin is a force to be reckoned with these days, so if you are craving more of his music, you must check out Union Sound Treaty.
Union Sound Treaty was the first band that Godwin played with, and they are pretty damn good. While they are no longer together, their singular album Next Year is filled with killer tracks. This group is great because you still get the vocals of Charles Wesley Godwin, which all his fans adore him for, foot-stomping beats, and incredible lyrics.
“Needle Fall Down” was an old Union Sound Treaty song that made its way onto Godwin’s sophomore solo album, How The Mighty Fall.
The whole album is well worth a listen, but a standout song is “Peaked,” if you like a humorous little ballot. The entire premise of “Peaked” talks about how Godwin and his group peaked during their first-ever performance.
“I never saw myself playing music in front of people, let alone for a living. But I was studying abroad in Estonia and folks started listening to me practice. Then one night, I got called up to play a few songs at a concert I was at, and that seemed to go pretty well.
Then that next week, I got a call from a fashion designer. She asked me to play for a show that Friday. So I said yes, and it went like this…”
He says, kicking off the intro of the song.
As he goes into the lyrics, he discloses to listeners that the fashion designer he was playing for was a lingerie designer. The men of the Union Sound Treaty were too distracted looking at the half-naked women in the crowd, they might have messed up some words, but they were in heaven.
“Well, I peaked the first show I ever played
And I can’t beat singin’ Springsteen to get paid
I got the words all wrong to every damn song
I was lookin’ at the girls walkin’ ’round in thongs
Well, I peaked the first show I ever played.”
Now, it is up for debate if the lyrics are fact or foe, (I’m leaning towards the notion that Charles Wesley Godwin and the boys of the Allegheny High haven’t hit their peak just yet) but regardless this song is one of the most clever I’ve heard in a second.
Give me any country song and add some humor, and I will likely giggle through it. “Peaked” hits the nail on the head.
While we love our sad country here at Whiskey Riff, this lighthearted ditty is perfect for mixing between a few tear-jerkers.
And believe it or not, there’s actual footage that gig he “peaked” at:
Look at where Godwin is now, singing about those Seneca skies.
