S.G. Goodman Releases Poignant Single "Michael Told Me"
- Crucial Rhythm
- Jun 7
- 6 min read
NEW ALBUM
PLANTING BY THE SIGNS
OUT JUNE 20 VIA SLOUGH WATER RECORDS/ THIRTY TIGERS
ADLINE US TOUR THIS FALL WITH DATES IN NYC, LA, NASHVILLE AND MORE
S.G. Goodman released her new single “Michael Told Me” the fourth from her forthcoming third studio album, Planting by the Signs, due out June 20 via her very own Slough Water Records / Thirty Tigers. Goodman will also be embarking on a headline tour across the U.S. starting this September with dates including NYC’s Bowery Ballroom, L.A.’s Troubadour and Nashville’s Basement East – full dates below and more information here.
“Michael Told Me” is an expertly constructed song that spans the distance between grief and reconciliation using the city of Los Angeles as a narrative anchor. That's where S.G. Goodman and her longtime collaborator Matt Rowan fell out due to the grueling nature of touring, which led to a two-year period of silence between the two friends. Los Angeles is also where Goodman learned the news that her father figure and mentor, whom she lovingly referred to as “Murray Dad Mike,” had died tragically in a freak accident involving a tree. She was on the road when she learned this news, and trucked on. But that grief opened up a line back to Matt. A line that led to the making of this album, of two friends reuniting and co-producing, and recreating musical magic in the studio, in honor of their shared father figure.
Says S.G., “The grief of losing a father figure amounted to needing all of my chosen brothers. We told each other that we loved each other, and Matt told me he would take care of Mike’s partner and all of our friends while we finished up our run. The song “Michael Told Me” was started shortly after our falling out in 2021, and the song fully revealed itself in the winter of 2024.”
“It is a song of reconciliation, and a testament to my relationship to two great men who believe that there is something worth getting to on the other side of feeling hurt. Our friendship had been pruned back for a time, but Mike had always assured me that new growth would come, and I believed him. It truly is one of life's greatest gifts to understand and to experience love that can overcome ruptures.”
“Michael Told Me” follows the release of singles “Snapping Turtle,” “Satellite” and “Fire Sign,” which have collectively received critical acclaim from the New York Times, KCRW, Relix, Stereogum, FLOOD, Consequence, Pitchfork, Brooklyn Vegan and more.
Her first album in three years, Planting by the Signs 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.
She recently spoke to Stephen Deusner at UNCUT about the making of this record, who described her “distinctive sound that mixes Americana songwriting with post-punk guitars” and her voice as a “grainy, intimate tremolo that sounds like it comes from another time.” S.G. told Uncut that this album “is about beliefs – which ones we hang on to and how those beliefs evolve over generations.” Uncut also spoke to some of her musician fans including Jim James, who said “When I first heard her, I was spellbound,” and Will Oldham – who appears on the new album – who says, “Big power, big vulnerability and an awareness of the vital container of a song inherently is, for exploration of emotion and humanity.”
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.
ABOUT S.G. GOODMAN:
Kentucky-born and raised indie rocker S.G. Goodman catapulted on to the scene in 2020 with her debut album Old Time Feeling – possibly the worst time to emerge, and yet, her talent was undeniable. She immediately garnered attention from NPR, Rolling Stone, and more, and took her show on the road across the world, gaining fans and followers, even landing a fan in Tyler Childers, who covered her song “Space And Time” from her debut. “Space And Time” was also covered by Mereba and Dev Hynes/Blood Orange for the Paul Schrader film Master Gardner. In 2022, she released Teeth Marks, a critical darling that leveled her up, gaining praise from the New York Times, landing her an NPR Tiny Desk, landing on Pitchfork and NPR’s Best Of lists, and earning her the Best Emerging Artist Award at the 2023 Americana Awards. She clocked over 150 performances in 2023 alone, including headlining sold-out tours and opening for the likes of Tyler Childers and Jason Isbell from Red Rocks to the Grand Ole’ Opry.
Now, after a fruitful reprieve, S.G. Goodman is back and better than ever.
UPCOMING DATES WITH TYLER CHILDERS, TRAMPLED BY TURTLES, LORD HURON:
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 ^
+ w/ Tyler Childers
“ w/ Trampled By Turtles
^ w/ Lord Huron
SUMMER EUROPEAN TOUR:
8/23 - Falkenberg, Sweden - Rootsy Summer Fest
8/24 - Stockholm, Sweden - Stockholm Roots
8/26 - Oslo, Norway - Belleville
8/28–8/29 - Tønder, Denmark - Tønder Festival
8/31 - Den Haag, Netherlands - Once In A Blue Moon Festival
9/2 - London, UK - Oslo Hackney
9/4 - Manchester, UK - Gullivers
9/5 - Bristol, UK - Louisiana
U.S. HEADLINE FALL TOUR:
9/18 - Dallas, TX - Kessler Theater *
9/19 - Houston, TX - Heights Ironwork *
9/20 - Austin, TX - Antone's *
9/23 - Tucson, AZ - Club Congress *
9/24 - Pioneertown, CA - Pappy & Harriet's ~
9/26 - Los Angeles, CA - Troubadour ~
9/27 - San Francisco, CA - The Chapel *
9/30 - Portland, OR - Aladdin Theater *
10/1 - Seattle, WA - The Crocodile *
10/3 - Salt Lake City, UT - The State Room *
10/4 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater *
10/22 - Atlanta, GA - Terminal West +
10/24 - Nashville, TN - Basement East +
10/25 - Asheville, NC - Eulogy +
10/26 - Saxapahaw, NC - Haw River Ballroom +
10/27 - Washington D.C. - The Atlantis +
10/29 - New York, NY - Bowery Ballroom +
10/30 - Philadelphia, PA - World Cafe Live +
11/1 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair +
11/2 - Northampton, MA - Iron Horse +
11/4 - Toronto, ON - The Great Hall +
11/5 - Ann Arbor, MI - The Ark +
11/7 - Chicago, IL - Lincoln Hall +
11/8 - Minneapolis, MN - Fine Line +
11/10 - St. Louis, MO - Off Broadway +
* w/ John Calvin Abney
~ w/ Becca Mancari
+ w/ Fust
FOLLOW S.G. GOODMAN
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