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April 4-6, 2025

Word of South

Danny Goddard

Outside of a venue in Chattanooga, Tennessee, musician with the New 76ers and local artist Danny Goddard found himself in deep conversation with a peddler. The man was seated on the stoop outside the bar with his dog and guitar trying to earn spare change while Goddard picked his brain. He’s willing to learn something about music from anyone and everyone—his lifelong quest is to find what connects humans emotionally to music.

The answer is still a mystery to Goddard, whether he’s playing a show for two thousand people or twenty. While the crowd dictates the energy of any given performance, he finds himself onstage transcending the mechanics of playing an instrument and falling into a trance. When Goddard does notice the audience, he’s amazed to see such a dynamic range of emotions from weeping to hugging, hanging from the rafters or dancing up a storm.