Dave Godowsky

Tracklist:
1. The World’s Fair (feat. Gene Ween)
2. Better Just To Be
3. My Time
4. So & So, By & By
5. Ghost
6. The Ballad Of The Man (Feat. Sadie Dupuis)
7. Diving Bell
8. What’s Her Name? What’s His Face?
9. Good Graces
10. Foolish Grin

BIO:

Dave Godowsky’s songs combine emotion, intellect, and humor, occupying a distinct place in the songwriting world of the past decade. His first two records, All You Love Is Need (2009) and Pregret (2016) span a diverse range of influences, earning him diverse accolades as well - from praise from media like Billboard and Boston Globe to opening spots for bands like Bon Iver and Counting Crows.

His musical career has extended beyond the artist side, however, touching every part of the music industry over the past 15 years.

On the business side, he managed others’ careers (including Against Me!, Cass McCombs, Okkervil River, and Speedy Ortiz), discovered & signed talent as label A&R (including Nathaniel Rateliff, Son Volt, Delta Spirit, and Sondre Lerche), served as Phish’s publicist, and ran a major music venue in North Carolina. All while actively maintaining an active career as an artist himself. As a performer, his path has been equally diverse, from recording in-studio with artists like Lianne LaHavas and Adam Duritz, to co-writing with Ween front man Gene Ween, to performing on Letterman with a GnR cover band.

“To me, my career feels cohesive and unified, because every venture has shared the common thread of great songwriting,” explains Godowsky. “I’ve always followed that as a beacon – I work with songwriters I respect; it doesn’t necessarily matter if it’s as a manager or a co-writer.” While it’s a unique career path in the 21st century, Godowsky notes that it’s far from unique historically. “I look up to people like Andrew Loog Oldham, Kit Lambert, and Ahmet Ertegun. They set the precedent and standard for being able to guide the careers of great artists on both a business level and a creative level. And they did it with artists like Ray Charles, The Rolling Stones, B.B. King, and The Who.”

Today, Godowsky finds himself in Boston, recently becoming both a husband and a father. “I’m at a high point in my life personally, professionally, and creatively,” says Godowsky. “Every day I wake up and try not to take that for granted.”

This is strongly evidenced on his new album, Cuts. The songs are infused with introspective positivity, equally analytic and grateful. According to Godowsky, the intent was not necessarily to express inner peace, but to inspire others’. “In the writing and recording processes, I focused my and the band’s energy on trying to stay Zen,” he says. “The goal was to create a sort of ‘musical Xanax’…to make an album that people could listen to and feel a little calmer and more grounded, without compromising its message or intellectual integrity. It’s positive even though it’s not always happy.”

The album ranges from upbeat roots-y pop songs (“Better Just To Be,” “So & So, By & By,”) to tongue-in-cheek irony (“The Ballad of the Man,” “What’s Her Name? What’s His Face?”) to pensive ballads (“Good Graces,” “Ghost.”) The songs lean heavily on sardonic wit and sincere lyricism, with an emphasis on melody and concision. Guests Gene Ween (“The World’s Fair”) and Sadie Dupuis (“The Ballad Of The Man”) lend their vocals, while the musical arrangements are largely centered around the presence of harpist Mairi Chaimbeul. Cuts was mixed by GRAMMY-winning engineer Chris Shaw (Bob Dylan, Public Enemy, Weezer) and mastered by GRAMMY-winning engineer Emily Lazar (Vampire Weekend, Sia, Coldplay).