Goodwin by Goodwin

The different interpretations that the various musicians would bring to the songs would make each show a special event.

Goodwin took the stage for the first time on February 22, 2002, at the Wreck Room in Fort Worth. The club was packed: friends, local musicians who knew Goodwin by reputation, and fans of the members' previous bands. Goodwin played, and the crowd went wild. More shows followed. After a few lineup changes, Matt Hembree on bass and Damien Stewart on drums completed the Goodwin lineup in late 2002.

By early 2003, the local press had begun to notice Goodwin as well. The local entertainment paper, the Fort Worth Weekly, published several very favorable pieces on Goodwin, including a full-length feature article in August 2003. The critics at both the Weekly and at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram chose Goodwin for honors in their yearly best-of issues: Best Local Band of 2003 [Star-Telegram] and Best Unsigned Band of 2003 [Fort Worth Weekly]. Local radio also began to show interest, and Goodwin became regulars in the studio on KTCU and had their early recordings aired on several specialty shows on commercial radio.

Throughout the second half of 2003, Goodwin was working on material for their debut CD. In true DIY fashion, the band recorded the songs using a dubious collection of pawnshop microphones, eBay discoveries, closeout recording equipment, and tired old computers. The band traded mixes of the songs in mp3 format through their web site to keep each other updated on progress. When recording and mixing were done, the band enlisted the aid of Toby Sheets, an award-winning local mastering engineer, to add the finishing touches.

The results? Released to a full house at the Wreck Room on January 31, 2004, the self-titled CD packs 11 songs of smart, aggressive rock. This is not a CD to relax to. From the power-pop opener "Song" to the cathartic closer "Under", Goodwin is solid rock goodness.

What have the critics said about Goodwin?

From the opening "Song," Goodwin delivers the goods, capturing the dynamism of the band's live show and throwing into brilliant relief the exquisite pop sense of guitarist Daniel Gomez' songwriting. Quite simply, it's the best rock album I've heard in five years... - Ken Shimamoto, Fort Worth Weekly

Fame's always a coin toss, with Fort Worth bands usually coming up tails, but Goodwin's disc is a cut above what most local bands spit out. It's guitar-driven pop-rock, yet it sounds like the type of multi-layered indie-rock you might have heard back in the early to mid-'90s -- stuff like Inch, Arcwelder and Silkworm. Texture, white noise, insanely catchy melodies and Tony Diaz's ironhanded vocals collide in a creative way on just about every song. -- Malcolm Mayhew, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Fantastic debut from this Texas band who remind of us of fellow Texans Blue Cartoon, but also bring to mind a less edgy "Copper Blue" Sugar, as well as some Replacements, Psychodots/The Bears and the long-departed Who Hit John. - NotLame.com

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