S.G. Goodman – Planting By The Signs
Today, S.G. Goodman announces her third studio album, Planting by the Signs, due out June 20 via her very own Slough Water Records / Thirty Tigers. Her first album in three years, it is a reminder of the Kentucky born and raised singer-songwriter’s razor-sharp lyricism, singular voice and seamless blend of indie rock and subtle rural influences.
Out today is “Fire Sign,” the first offering from the new album, a self-reflective rocker with old time phrases and an unforgettable hook.
S.G. says about “Fire Sign,” “After touring relentlessly for 2 years, ‘living like the sun don’t shine / on the same dog’s ass everyday,’ as the song puts it, I came off the road questioning my purpose and choices. People are quick to tell you that you are not working hard enough, but slow in telling you that you are working hard enough. That seems to be up to you, as well as your ‘why?’. Despite this burnout and other personal setbacks, I found the fire to keep pushing and to make what I believe is my best record yet. ‘Who’ll put the fire out?’ The only person who can put my fire out is myself.”
While on the road, promoting her debut Old Time Feeling and 2022’s Teeth Marks, she zig-zagged across the nation with a touring schedule that would make even the most seasoned road dog wince. Amidst the non-stop performances, she endured the loss of her own dog Howard, as well as the death of her friend and mentor Mike, who died tragically in an accident in her hometown of Murray, KY. She parted ways with long term collaborator Matt Rowan due to the strenuous nature of the road, but after the death of Mike, they reconciled.
Life dealt blows, but she didn’t stop. Until she did. When she returned home to Kentucky to write the next album, she hit a wall, because she hadn’t paused for years. So she took stock – a few shrooms for inspiration– got back to nature, and looked back to the ancient Appalachian wisdom of planting by the signs, i.e. the idea that cutting your hair, or laying down shingles, are best timed to lunar and planetary cycles.
S.G. says, “As an “old story keeper,” I’ve centered myself around the idea that passing down stories and sayings connects us through generations. This notion was a driving force in the creation of this album as a whole, as I was compelled to share the concept of planting by the signs with my nieces and nephews.”
The result is eleven tracks of her best material yet. Inspired by love, loss, reconciliation, and the aforementioned ancient practice, highlighted by the critically-acclaimed and award-winning artist’s singular voice and her penchant for juxtaposing vulnerable folk music with punchy rock ‘n roll, replete with chiming guitars, ethereal atmospherics, and her DIY ethos. Goodman provides a timely reminder that the only way forward is together, and that we must always take into account humanity’s dependence on and responsibility to the natural world.
In the fall of 2024, Goodman decamped to the Nutt House in Sheffield, AL, alongside co-producer Drew Vandenberg (her co-producer on 2022’s Teeth Marks), guitarist/songwriter Matt Rowan, her longtime musical collaborator with whom she parted ways and then reconciled in the span between albums.
With her two collaborators and a cast of musical characters including Goodman tracked what is by no exaggeration her best record to date. With songs like “Fire Sign,” “Satellite,” “Snapping Turtle,” “Michael Told Me,” “Heaven” and “I’m In Love,” Planting by the Signs finds Goodman exploring this old story and other themes in the only way she knows; with a fresh musical and lyrical perspective, vivid, incisive detail, and a heaping dose of empathy and compassion.
UPCOMING DATES
WITH TYLER CHILDERS, TRAMPLED BY TURTLES, LORD HURON
4/3 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Arena +
4/4 – Miramar Beach, FL – My Morning Jacket’s One Big Holiday
4/13 – Charlottesville, VA – John Paul Jones Arena +
4/19 – Lexington, KY – Kroger Field +
5/29 – Jacksonville, FL – VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena +
5/30 – Gainesville, FL – Heartwood Soundstage
6/1 – Orange Beach, AL – The Wharf Amphitheater +
6/27 – Lexington, KY – The Burl (w/ Secular Pets)
6/28 – Lexington, KY – The Burl (w/ Nick Harley)
7/5 – Duluth, MN – Bayfront Festival Park “
8/7 – Pittsburgh, PA – Stage AE ^
8/8 – Columbus, OH – KEMBA Live! ^
8/9 – Rochester Hills, MI – Meadow Brook Amphitheatre ^
8/27–8/28: Tønder, DK – Tønder Festival
8/31: The Hague, NL – Once in a Blue Moon Festival
+ w/ Tyler Childers
“ w/ Trampled By Turtles
^ w/ Lord Huron
#s.g.goodman