by
The Signal
@
7pm
DAYSEEKER embody what a rock band can be in the 21st century. Untethered from rules and agnostic of genre confines, the Southern California quartet—Rory Rodriguez [vocals], Gino Sgambelluri [guitar], Ramone Valerio [bass], and Mike Karle [drums]—exist outside of any and all boundaries. As such, they seamlessly absorb culture at lightspeed, layering hypnotic hard rock and metallic catharsis above soundscapes punctuated by glistening post-pop, experimental indie, and alternative R&B. Tallying hundreds of millions of streams, selling out shows, and earning acclaim from the likes of Alternative Press and more, the band crystallize this outlier vision on their 2022 fifth full-length offering, Dark Sun [Spinefarm Records].
And yet, what would ultimately inspire the man was right in front of him all along: family.
“I had to get back to the basics,” says the introspective, self-aware artist of what finally set him and his new songs free. “I decided I was going to write about my life and my family. It’s where my heart was guiding me: to be super personal and dig right into t“Overall, it feels more grownup,” observes Rory. “It’s less like we’re scene kids trying to be a rock band, and we’re actually a group of guys making rock music on our terms. We realized we were happier creating this way.”
Grinding on a series of independent releases, DAYSEEKER reached critical mass with 2019’s Sleeptalk. The title track “Sleeptalk” impressively gathered 25 million Spotify streams and over 4 million YouTube views on the music video. Meanwhile, “Burial Plot” surpassed 12 million Spotify streams, contributing to over 125 million streams total for the LP. Inciting rave reviews, Alternative Press applauded, “DAYSEEKER are doing more than following along with the trend of blending genres. They’ve paved the way to something new and exciting that music has been craving for some time now.” Beyond touring with The Devil Wears Prada and We Came As Romans, they sold out headline dates and even performed Sleeptalk in its entirety on the road. Along the way, the band recorded what would become Dark Sun with regular collaborator and producer Daniel Braunstein. During this time, Rory experienced trials and tribulations with the passing of his father, yet felt the utmost joy in the birth of his daughter. This cycle of life permeated the process.
“My dad was a musician, and we bonded a lot,” he says. “I lived with him up until three years before he died. When I took a natural interest in music as a kid, he was really excited. He had Parkinson’s on top of cancer, so his quality of life wasn’t great. I’m happy he’s at peace, because he was really struggling towards the end. My daughter was a big surprise, and it was nice he got to meet her. I think he’d be excited to know we made an album about my experience with him. Hopefully, it helps other people dealing with the same situation.”
he weeds of my life.” The resulting LP, Family Ties —Godwin’s forthcoming third album, set for release on September 22 via Big Loud Records — is a truly stunning achievement, and the culmination of years of hard work to arrive at this point.
Demo’ed on a Tascam 4-track (thanks to his love for Springsteen’s seminal Nebraska) and then recorded with his bandmate and longtime producer, Al Torrence, at one of his dream studios, Echo Mountain in Asheville, North Carolina, Family Ties is a portrait of home, of relationships, of lessons learned and lived. Perhaps most excitingly, the 19-track release showcases a tunesmith at the peak of his powers — melding melody with memories, workmanship with wisdom.
“All it was was just a matter of time and continued grinding,” Godwin says without hesitation of what he believes has now allowed him to meet this moment — ready to unveil his most intensely personal and accomplished material yet, all while continually playing to some of the biggest crowds of his career.
The songs that comprise Family Ties are themselves portals into Godwin’s life — tuneful tales of the native West Virginian’s friends, family and foundation. Yes, Family Ties is an intensely intimate affair — images set to tune, so many of them specifically created for his own family members. There’s the unflinching “Miner Imperfections,” penned for his father; the mournful and contemplative “The Flood” for his mother; the beatific “Gabriel” for his son (“I guess what I am saying/is I am here to stick with you/if I could I’d never utter a single word that isn’t true”); the mournful yet hopeful “Dance in Rain” for his daughter; and the love letter that is the slow-rolling “Willing and Able” for his wife.
“It feels like I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be,” Godwin declares of the fortunate place he and his musical journey have taken him. There’s confidence behind this statement, to be sure, but Godwin can readily admit it was hardly a given he’d ever make it here. Having not taken up the guitar until roughly age 20, and only performing for others when his friends encouraged him one night to do so while studying abroad in Estonia, building his career has been a steady — albeit highly fruitful — climb. He started gigging intensely in the mid-2010s and independently released his stunning debut album, Seneca, in 2019. Like so many musicians however, the
pandemic would put a wrinkle in his plans: Godwin explains how he was unable to properly tour behind Seneca and, in turn, couldn’t build up the momentum and fanbase he’d hoped for.
Thankfully, hard work and dedication rarely go unnoticed: when musicians were able to return to the stage, Godwin and his longtime band, the Allegheny High, hit the road behind his second album, 2021’s How The Mighty Fall, and pounded the pavement in a major way. They rarely took breaks from the road, performing every night “as if we were at Madison Square Garden” even when the crowds weren’t always massive. It helped that he had the support of his bandmates: Godwin’s affection for Allegheny High is palpable. “They’re my ride-or-dies,” he says of the Allegheny High. “They believed in me enough to go out on the road with me even when I couldn’t afford to pay a band. Other people aren’t willing to do that.”
“To me, the live show has been the great equalizer,” Godwin continues. “After COVID, we went out there and just played our asses off everywhere all the time, every week. The tour never stopped. And we just built it ear by ear. We were just making this thing grow organically by putting on such a good show with so much heart. Eventually, I got momentum back on my side and just kept on going.”
This trend — building up his fanbase in a grassroots manner and letting the music and live show speak for itself —continues to this day: whether he’s headlining his own rowdy, raucous gigs, or opening for close friend and musical comrade, Zach Bryan, Godwin says his live performances have never been more rewarding. Or lively, for that matter. Perhaps it’s because, as he proudly says, the brand of music he traffics in — namely story songs with a head full of heart and history — seems to be having a true moment. “My shows will range from like 18-year-olds to 80-year-olds,” Godwin notes with a smile of his diverse, highly-enthusiastic and ever-growing fanbase. “That’s a pretty unique thing.”
As for how his life has changed in recent times? Godwin says if anything it’s just become ever even more fulfilling. “There’s a lot more people at my shows and they’re a lot more excited than ever before,” he says with a sense of satisfaction. “I don’t feel like a fish out of water anymore. I had fun when it was just 100 people back in 2021. Now that it’s 10 or 20 times that, it’s just even better.”
May 8
-
7pm
The Signal - Concert Hall
21 Choo Choo Avenue, Chattanooga, TN, 37402
The Signal
$
39.63-58.02
Disclaimer: The accuracy of the information above depends on the information provided by organizers and third parties.