Worth The Whiskey

Richard Schroder has been refining his craft as a songwriter for a decade. In that time, he’s found his voice and developed an authentic style that includes country, rock, folk and holiday music. “I’m deeply proud of the work I’ve made.”

Richard’s team includes Steve Seskin, a Nashville hit songwriter (Tim McGraw, Kenny Chesney). “No one’s had a greater impact on me than Steve.” Nashville producer Matt McClure (Lee Brice, Blake Shelton) oversees Richard’s work. “There’s nothing like making music with Matt and world-class musicians.”

Schroder’s made eight albums: Drive (2017), Skyline (2019), The Stillness (2021), Allegory (2022), Storyteller (2023), Rainy Day Instrumentals (2024), Nashville Drive (2024), Nothin’ Like Christmas Eve (2024), and All Love (2025).

He’s had songs featured on popular TV and is among the top 2% of artists on Spotify. One of his songs, “Don’t You Grow Up on Me Now,” has over 10,000 fan-created videos on TikTok / Instagram.

Nashville Girl

ILC 2024 Sermons

Bishop Larry L. Booker - 2024.09.11 WED PM PREACHING - He That Overcometh Shall Inherit All Things

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07 Cole O'Sullivan - Girl From San Fransisco

Needle Fall Down

Gravity

Don't Wake Me Up

If you were to get lost one night and take a few wrong turns, you may find yourself surrounded by steep ridges and dark hollers outside some small Appalachian saloon. There’s also a good chance you’ll hear Union Sound Treaty, playing from within. You’d experience the full band breakdowns that empower an entire crowd to produce a resounding bass beat with the heels of their feet, haunting stories, the whine of a pedal steel, or the touching songs that seem shaped by the very landscape and the people who live there. Made distinctly unique by the powerful, time-weathered voice of singer/songwriter Charles Wesley Godwin, guitar riffs by the classically educated guitarist John Schooley, bass with vintage taste by bassist Shawn Wilhelm, and the steady methodical rhythm provided by drummer Ross Justice, Union Sound Treaty stands apart in a music world saturated by thousands of hopeful artists and bands all trying to “hit it big” someday.

Union Sound Treaty is based out of Morgantown, West Virginia. Outsiders may not exactly view this as the most ideal location for a band to base its music career. However, it does allow the boys to exist on an island of creativity, remain close to their roots, and play out…A LOT. Union Sound Treaty was founded in the latter part of 2015. Charles had searched for months at regional open-mics and songwriter nights to find like-minded musicians who had aspirations of playing original songs for a living. Thanks to a mutual friend, Charles was able to cross paths with Shawn and John. The three soon hatched a plan of starting the group that would eventually become Union Sound Treaty. Charles grew up with Ross and the two spoke often about each other’s music. So, when it came time to find a drummer for the band, Charles knew Ross was the critical piece this band needed. 

Union Sound Treaty fell upon great fortune in March 2016 when they were given the opportunity to go to Blackbird Studios in Nashville, TN. They would begin work on what would become their debut album, Next Year (released November 4th, 2016). In the same room where Chris Stapleton’s Traveler was tracked, the boys of Union Sound Treaty laid the foundations of what would become an impressive debut. “With Next Year you also feel like you’re listening to a record of a band that is only going to continue to get better, and you’ll be listening to them and Charles Godwin for years to come. These guys have a bead on what really resonates in country music with listeners.”- Saving Country Music

The boys of Union Sound Treaty take their audiences for an intense ride of hopeful highs and woeful lows with their blend of country, americana, southern rock, bluegrass, and blues sounds. Show goers can rest assured they won’t be hearing any of the ear numbing clichés so often reused and reworded. Instead, audiences may find themselves in the shoes of some well intentioned yet desperate criminal on the run, a hard working Appalachian giving up on the world to go find solace at the bottom of a glass on a Mexican beach, or a musician having a bit of fun hearted humility realizing a lingerie fashion show is not the stereotypical “first gig” for most beginning young artists.

Union Sound Treaty is certainly not vanishing into the abyss of bands that once were. The boys were honored to have Next Year grace the list of “Saving Country Music’s Most Essential Albums List For 2016” alongside other such artists as Hayes Carll, Luke Bell, Sturgill Simpson and Brandy Clark. Union Sound Treaty continues to pound the pavement entertaining audiences all over the Appalachian and Mid-Atlantic United States. With each day more and more show goers, critics, and industry insiders become acquainted with Union Sound Treaty. Whether by live show or giving a listen to Next Year, it’s easy to see that Union Sound Treaty is going somewhere on a path cut in their own unique way.

Needle Fall Down

Union Sound Treaty

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