SONG: "For Goodness Sake"
ARTIST: Chuck Ragan
ALBUM: "Live At Skaters Palace"
YEAR: 2014
PLACE OF ORIGIN: Gainesville, Florida
YEARS ACTIVE: 1993 - present
WHAT I THINK THE SONG IS ABOUT:
"For Goodness Sake" appears to be about slowing down to appreciate life, your surroundings and the one's you love. It seems like everything is moving so fast that it's hard to stop and cherish the simple things in life and the things that are most important. It's important to be grounded and it's important to maintain your core beliefs. I chose the live version of "For Goodness Sake" from the 2014 album "Live At Skaters Palace". You can check out the original studio version of the track on Chuck Ragan's 2009 album "Gold Country".
CHUCK RAGAN DISCOGRAPHY (Full length albums only):
2007 - Feast Or Famine (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2007 - Los Feliz (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2008 - Bristle Ridge (w/ Ausin Lucas) (Ten Four Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2008 - Chuck Plays Frankfurt (Yuma River Conspiracy Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2009 - Gold Country (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2009 - Live At Hafenkneipe Zurich (Leech Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2011 - Covering Ground (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2011 - Life At The Cafe Du Nord (Ten Four Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2013 - Live At Skaters Palace (Uncle M Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2014 - Till Midnight (SideOneDummy Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2016 - The Winter Haul Live (w/ The Camaraderie) (Ten Four Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
2016 - The Flame In The Flood (Ten Four Records)
* did not chart on the Billboard 200
MY THOUGHTS ON CHUCK RAGAN:
Chuck Ragan, the pride of Gainesville, Florida, got his start in the music scene back in 1993. Of course, he is most known for being in the influential punk outfit Hot Water Music. With Hot Water Music, Ragan and the boys have released 9 studio albums, 4 compilations, a few live albums and a slew of splits and EP's. In 2005, Ragan stepped away from Hot Water Music and the remaining three members went on to form the short lived The Draft. Ragan really wanted to focus on a solo, acoustic project at that time. He released his debut solo album in 2007, called "Feast Or Famine". Shortly after that release, he dropped "Los Feliz" in the same year. In 2008, he released an album with folk artist Austin Lucas called "Bristle Ridge". It was around this time that Ragan had a vision of a folk/Americana type tour called "The Revival Tour". It would feature many punk rock singers from major groups performing stripped down sets and also had most of the artists jamming together throughout the show. The tours were pretty consistent from 2008 till 2012 and they featured Ragan, Laura Jane Grace (Against Me!), Dave Hause (The Loved Ones), Tim Barry (Avail), Brian Fallon (The Gaslight Anthem) and Dan Andriano (Alkaline Trio) to name a few. In 2009, Ragan released "Gold Country". 2011 saw him drop "Covering Ground" which features a duet with Brian Fallon of The Gaslight Anthem on the song "Meet You In The Middle", which is a fantastic song! 2014 saw Ragan complete his fifth studio album for punk label SideOneDummy Records when he released "Till Midnight". This was his first solo album to feature a full band, which he named The Camaraderie. Ragan's most recent release was 2016's "The Flame In The Flood" which is actually the soundtrack for a video game. Though Chuck Ragan left Hot Water Music in 2005, he quickly reunited with them in 2007 and to this day they still are releasing new music and touring. I would say that Chuck Ragan was one of the first punk rock singers to start playing solo acoustic shows. It kinda has been a revolution of sorts. Tim Barry (Avail) has embarked on a long solo career. Dave Hause (The Loved Ones) has pretty much been focusing all his time on his solo stuff. You also had Tony Sly (No Use For A Name) and Joey Cape (Lagwagon) coming out with solo records. Mike Ness (Social Distortion), Russ Rankin (Good Riddance), Jim Lindberg (Pennywise), Greg Graffin (Bad Religion), Vinnie Caruana (The Movielife) and Kevin Seconds (7 Seconds) have also all come out with solo material and have done acoustic tours. I'm not sure if Ragan was the first to do it, but he's definitely a pioneer of it. His stuff with Hot Water Music is awesome and they are an extremely influential band but his solo stuff really shines a light on how f'n good he is as a songwriter and singer. I was really blown away by his talents. I love whatever he does. I get excited when new Hot Water comes out and I get equally excited when he puts out new solo material. I know Brian Fallon is from Jersey, but Chuck Ragan might be punk rock's Bruce Springsteen!
SIMILAR ARTISTS:
Dave Hause
The Gaslight Anthem
Brian Fallon
Tim Barry
Sundowner
TEN CHUCK RAGAN SONGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT:
1. Meet You In The Middle
2. Something May Catch Fire
3. Symmetry
4. For Broken Ears
5. Nomad By Fate
6. Non Typical
7. For Goodness Sake
8. The Boat
9. The Flame In The Flood
10. Bloody Shells (w/ Austin Lucas)
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