Charles Wesley Godwin, Richard Simeonoff

Tickets available locally at Smith Rock Records & Higher Elevation Smokers Gallery (Brooks St.)Bio:For a while there, Charles Wesley Godwin was in something of a funk. A typically prolificwriter, and one who over his first two critically-acclaimed albums had proven himself to be a reflective and soulful songwriter and singer a storyteller in the vein of his heroes like Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Bruce Springsteen Godwin found himself in a state of stasis last year. To hear him tell it, he was frozen in place unable to find the words to what he hoped would become his new songs and under a level of pressure hed never previously experienced.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. Its where my heart was guiding me: to be super personal and dig right into the weeds of my life. The resulting LP, Family Ties Godwins 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.Demoed on a Tascam 4-track (thanks to his love for Springsteens 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 Godwins life tuneful tales of the native West Virginians 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. Theres 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 Id never utter a single word that isnt 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.As for how his life has changed in recent times? Godwin says if anything its just become ever even more fulfilling. Theres a lot more people at my shows and theyre a lot more excited than ever before, he says with a sense of satisfaction.