Seneca Creek is the new single from West Virginia-based songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin, a deeply introspective character sketch about the oft-romanticized agrarian lifestyle of Appalachia. It’s a threadbare tune featuring acoustic guitar and Godwin’s singular vocal delivery, as he croons about a life he has lived and left behind. It’s neither a positive or negative outlook on such a life–rather a “call it as you see it” offering to listeners. The video shows Godwin performing in-studio, letting the song speak for itself. This version of the song is the last track on his debut album Seneca, (out on 15th February) a moving snapshot of his 26 years of life and well-soiled roots in the Appalachian hills.
Godwin shared the following on the song:
“Seneca Creek” is about my grandparents and their life together. It’s biographically written from the perspective of my Grandad. I think this song is a representation of the ups and downs we all go through in living a full life. No one is perfect and the same goes for my grandparents. However, they stuck together and followed through with their commitment to one another. Of all the songs on the album, this one is nearest and dearest.
“Back in December of 2017, I was listening to Ray LaMontagne’s “Empty” live version and I remember how moved I was by Eric Heywood’s peddle steel performance. I got to thinking that he would be perfect to record the peddle steel part on this song. So, I began trying to research Eric a little bit to see if I could find contact information or anything that might help me get in touch. Sure enough, I found an interview that he’d done some years back where he stated “I am excited about unknown future projects – creating new music with collaborators new and old.
“I sent that bit to Al Torrence, my producer, and said: “Bingo, that’s our guy.” Of course, Eric didn’t have any contact info on the interwebs that I could find (probably to guard against a flood of people wanting him to record… just like me). So I reached out to artists that he tours with, thinking it was at least worth a shot. I had my heart really set on this. Luckily, Jeffrey Foucault, being the cool fella that he is, got back to me and put us in touch. Despite Eric having a thousand things happening at once, he took the time out of his very busy schedule to record a peddle steel part that surpassed all expectations. I’m thrilled with how the song turned out.”
Seneca is released on 15th February 2019
Find out more here: http://www.charleswgodwin.com/
Photo Credit: Ashley Stottlemyer