West Virginia is far more than meets the eye. A native of Morgantown, singer-songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin paints a rich and honest portrayal of his homeland and its people with his debut album. Seneca is a moving snapshot of his 26 years of life and well-soiled roots in the Appalachian hills, a backdrop that has given birth to some of the most intelligent and hard-working people in the country.
When you partake in his gripping storytelling, it comes as no surprise that Godwin’s shared bills with the likes of Shooter Jennings, Tyler Childers, Colter Wall, Luke Combs, Aaron Watson, David Allan Coe, Sundy Best, Waymore’s Outlaws and Nicholas Jamerson. Godwin is truly at home on stage and alongside like-minded musicians who go against the grain and shake up the status quo.
“This album will give people a really good look into what it’s like culturally in Appalachia. People have a way-off view from the outside of what we’re all about, what our priorities are and how smart we are,” says Godwin. The record is steeped to perfection in gentle mountain streams and a way of living that is surprisingly universal. Through earnest, sinewy craftsmanship, he mitigates the stereotypes that plague the state and reconfigures expectations.
“Coal Country” brings the listener into the reality of coal workers and their families with a sharp, warm humanity.
“This song, in particular, is not an attempt to make any statement about what’s right or wrong. It’s my best attempt to examine the current state of things. I wrote it in 2016. At that point, I was trying to put into words the emotion and reality of the way things stand. It’s not necessarily good or bad. It’s a little bit of both. I tried to give a perspective of what happened and what came out of it and how I see things playing out, for better or worse.”…..READ MORE
