S.G. Goodman Keeps the Stories and Songs Flowing in Portland, OR (SHOW REVIEW/PHOTOS)

When S.G. Goodman played Portland, Oregon’s Pickathon festival this summer to a packed and sweaty crowd in the Galaxy Barn, it was safe to say she won over just about every person in attendance. She was one of the most buzzed artists of the festival and clearly that appearance paid off when the Kentucky artist returned to Portland for a sold out show at the Doug Fir Lounge on a blustery Tuesday, March 7th. Goodman is still touring her ass off in support of her 2022 album Teeth Marks (REVIEW), a superb and sprawling work of gothic Americana-rock that showcases her talent for embracing the Southern literary tradition and translating it into her music. 

The first thing to know if you’re seeing S.G. Goodman is that you’re in for not just a musical performance, but a night of storytelling. Goodman often takes time between songs to share her own quips and observations – in her proudly worn Kentucky accent – that are darkly humorous and put the audience at ease as if sitting with her at a bar. The only downside of this is that it sometimes breaks up the momentum of what could be a more impactful rock show. Luckily, the talent of Goodman and her young band is robust enough to make up for any downtime. In Portland, they leaned heavily into Teeth Marks and gave the early part of the set enough power to balance out the quiet moments and the storytelling. Opener “Work Until I Die” carried a heavy bass line interspersed with slices of spiky guitar to make for a 70s psych-punk throwback. “Old Time Feeling” was played in a similar vein with its Rolling Stones-meets-Velvet-Underground cranking. The highlight tune “If You Were Someone I Loved” brought to mind the alt-country glory days of the Heartless Bastards before Goodman stripped away the band and laid down her distinctive falsetto on the solemn Southern hymn conclusion. The quiet tone continued with the swooning and heartfelt “Space and Time,” comically introduced by Goodman with a story about almost dying on icy roads. One of the catchiest songs is the title track from the new record, which was slow building before a proper rock-out session gave way to the stomping beat of “The Way I Talk,” which featured a guitar solo that spiraled into a mine shaft of glorious oblivion. 

In between nearly very song there were the kind of stories that reminded the audience S.G. Goodman is one of those timeless Southern characters that only come along so often. Though her set was short and sweet, and arguably could’ve packed in a few more tunes, it felt good when she reached the big rocking moment during “Keeper of the Time.” It was this song that captured what she does best, contrasting tender, poignant lyricism and vocals with explosive flourishes. 

All photos by Greg Homolka

Related Content

2 Responses

  1. Wow!
    Neil Ferguson. Your Article is so lame. Why did you write it with such a passive aggressive tone?
    It’s pretty clear that you didn’t like SG Goodman’s banter.
    Are you so stuck in the the past that you think every rock show you see needs to have the same old dried up structure as a “jack me off session”?
    Is build, builD, buiLD buILD BUILD Come all that you can comprehend?
    Maybe you liked the banter, but you just couldn’t keep your proverbial penis hard for a even a minute or two on your own while an artist expressed themselves in their own self governed way.
    FYI. Music performances here in the 21st century need no longer adhere to the old ideas and structures set up by the tiny brain in a man’s penis.
    Things ebb and flow now dude! Get used to it, because build build build and squirt is on it’s way out. Keep Portland weird.

    1. haha weird take you have on it and it was hardly a passive aggressive tone or even negative for that matter. Thanks for the entertaining comment. Hope to see you at a rock show.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

New to Glide

Keep up-to-date with Glide

Twitter