‘Planting by the Signs’ is a sign of better days for songwriter S.G. Goodman

The idea of “planting by the signs” is rooted in the old-time practice of planting certain crops according to moon cycles passing through any of the dozen zodiac signs. It’s also the name of singer-songwriter S.G. Goodman’s new studio album, behind which she will appear at Terminal West on Wednesday.

The album gave Goodman a chance to reconnect with her Kentucky farming roots at a particularly tumultuous time in her life. In 2023, she not only had to navigate the unexpected loss of father figure, Mike Harmon, and her beloved dog, Howard, but she was still dealing with her estrangement from longtime collaborator and friend Matthew Rowan two years prior.

“It’s strange. I’m out on tour right now, and the last time I was on this routing as a headline tour was right before Mike passed away,” Goodman quietly said in a recent interview. “It’s been really interesting and very full circle coming back out here and going to basically all the same cities. … But even before I experienced Mike dying and my dog dying and just the burnout from being constantly on the road, I knew that I wanted to write about planting by the signs.

This collection of songs not only allowed Goodman to grieve but also reconcile with Rowan. In the process, she also brought him on board to the new project to co-produce alongside her and fellow longtime collaborator Drew Vandenberg.

“I’m thankful for it. Not everybody is open to seeing if there is something on the other side of being hurt. That’s the unknown. You can always sit in your grievances against somebody. The mystery part is if there is another feeling that I can feel. Can this be better? Over the course of the year that followed Mike’s passing, Matt and I patched things up and kind of reestablished our friendship. We ended up doing what we do best together, which is hanging out and making music together.”

The 11 songs on “Planting by the Signs” find Goodman singing with a world-weary tone that draws the listener in as she weaves character-driven tales. Along the way, she finds catharsis from real-world pain, whether it’s the nearly nine-minute ode to her beloved canine Howard (the forlorn “Heaven Song”) or Harmon’s death and Rowan’s reentry into her life (a dreamy “Michael Told Me”). One highlight is the ruminative “Nature’s Child,” written by Goodman’s college friend, Tyler Ladd (and the only song on the album not penned by her), which features the 30-something singer-songwriter sharing a haunting duet with Bonnie “Prince” Billy.