“Goodman said she would be working to hone her own thoughts and feelings about equality and her perception of the exploitation of Southerners and the working class. She said a big message behind her most recent songwriting excursions is an attempt to inspire progressives who are born and raised in the South to remain there and improve their communities, rather than abandon the South for other geographic locations that might more widely share their same ideas. ”
"The Savage Radley's Standout Debut Album" - Interview with Cowboys and Indians
"Composed of Kentucky-raised songwriter Shaina Goodman and former punk drummer Stephen Montgomery, The Savage Radley have taken elements of their musical past and created a genre-defining new album, Kudzu. On it, their harmonious folk-country sound animated by Goodman’s mystical voice makes for a unique musical experience." - Kristen Brown
"Review: The Savage Radley gallop through the rural south on ‘Kudzu’" B-Sides and Badlands
"Singing about hometowns and one’s upbringing is a tale as old as time. From such standards as Johnny Cash’s rendering of “My Old Kentucky Home” (a Stephen Foster original) and Dolly Parton’s “My Tennessee Mountain Home” to modern hits like Miranda Lambert’s “The House That Built Me,” Dierks Bentley’s “Home” and Little Big Town’s “Boondocks,” roots can be well-plotted and thriving in supple, nourishing soil. But too often, roots are lodged in barren, sickly flakes of earth, ignored by their caretakers and left to survive on their own. When they do break the surface, finally, they are far more robust and sinewy. It is from that dire but paramount place Shaina Goodman approaches her band’s debut album." - Jason Smart, B-sides and Bandlands
"Debut The Savage Radley, 'Hammers' { A lesson in conflict. }" Feature article from Impose Magazine
With the release of their new album Kudzo, The Savage Radley are a folksy southern rock duo ready to paint real world experiences with their music. S. Knox Montgomery (Drums) and Shaina Goodman (Vocals, Guitar) create stories with their wholesome sound, and this is reflected in the video for “Hammers”. - Ian Schneider
"Review: The Savage Radley -- Kudzu" Featured article on Adobe and Teardrops
"The Savage Radley is joining a new wave of Southern bands and artists that are re-examining their Southern identity. Like their album release day twins Lee Bains III and the Glory Fires, Kudzu portrays the complex relationship of wanting to be proud of your roots while acknowledging those roots flourished in rotten soil. Kentucky-raised singer-songwriter Shaina Goodman and her band have crafted a sound that flirts with indie rock while remaining just shy of Southern rock, reminiscent of Mount Moriah though more straightforward sonically and lyrically. While some of the songs on Kudzu are personal -- what's a country album without a love song or two? -- Kudzu picks up stream on the second half of the album and never looks back." - Rachel Cholst
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"LISTEN: The Savage Radley's Shaina Goodman on Making Music for Debut Album, 'KUDZU'"
"Creativity is often described as an itch that must be scratched, and the relief afterwards yields art. Lead singer for The Savage Radley, Shaina Goodman, says writing music is a need inseparable from the rest of her life. Goodman grew up in far-western Kentucky near the Mississippi River." Chad Lampe WKMS
"STREAM: The Savage Radley, 'Kudzu'" Feature on The Bluegrass Situation
Kudzu tells the story of a modern-day South. A good songwriter -- or any good writer for that matter -- writes about what they know. These songs follow that tradition of storytelling. It's about personal experiences coming of age in a modern rural landscape. The land itself has its own story to tell. If you listen to it, you can hear it. It's in the dirt and on the river, coming from the forgotten farmlands and small town college parties. It's a sound that could eat the South. -- S. Knox Montgomery
"The Savage Radley, The TVD First Date and Video Premiere, 'Milk & Honey'” featured article on The Vinyl District
More than anything else, our local music community has shaped our band’s relationship with vinyl. I have lived in Murray, KY since age 5, and Shaina moved to town in 2007 to pursue a degree in philosophy. Murray is home to an independent record store, Terrapin Station. It has served as a mecca for music lovers in Western Kentucky since 1985. The owners were a couple of Deadheads back in the day, and followed the band on tour for over 33 shows before settling into their own record store. There is nothing quite like it in a several hundred-mile radius, and it’s a wonder the place even exists at all in a town with a population of less than 20,000.
-S. Knox Montgomery