Dave Goddess has discovered he is an Americana musician.

Goddess was the vocalist and guitarist for Daddy Licks, a group that was arguably the Lehigh Valley’s top rock group in the late 1970s and the 1980s with its EP, “I Got Wheels.” But he has consistently written songs that have more depth and meaning than typical rock fare.

Goddess now finds himself in a genre he calls roots rock, which reflects the pronounced country and folk influences in his songs, which range from easygoing to rocking.

As a reflection of this change, Goddess is coming back to the Valley from his New York City home to appear for the first time at Southside Bethlehem’s Godfrey Daniels, a venue where many famed acoustic acts have performed.

The Dave Goddess Group is in concert at Godfrey Daniels, 8 p.m. Nov. 24.

Goddess has played many other Valley venues over the years, including Godfrey’s next-door neighbor The Funhouse. “But,” he says, “we were too loud to play at Godfrey’s.”

In an interview at a coffee shop on Southside Bethlehem, Goddess says, “This will be a special unplugged version of the band. It will be all-acoustic except the steel guitar.”

The other band members are Mark Buschi, stand-up bass; Robbie Bossert, pedal steel, and Chris Cummings, drums.

“You can tell that a song is good if it sounds good in its simplest form. I wanted to strip down my music to the basics, relook at everything and approach it in a different way.

“I have been playing in a duo with Mark [Buschi]. We added a couple of players to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what people will think.”

Goddess does not have any doubts, however. “It sounds great. I’m looking forward to the show.”

The Dave Goddess Group released three singles this year.

“Hey Romeo” is about his uncle. Says Goddess: “When I was a kid he lived with us. He was the closest thing I had to a father. He was a standup comedian and radio DJ who traveled all over the place. He would work on songs and I would hear them on the radio. I wound up that way myself.”

“Someone Worth Waiting For” is about “a lovable screw-up that can’t quite get it together,” Goddess says. “He hangs out with his friends and doesn’t have much of a job. Women really like him, but he can’t find the right one for him. He is a romantic at heart.”

“Pretty Soon It Will Be Too Late” says “don’t waste time. There is a lot of stuff I want to do,” says Goddess. The song’s singer (partly Goddess himself) feels out of date and out of touch, but he is mellowing out and coming to grips with things.

The Dave Goddess Group has a total of three albums and three EPs. The latest album is last year’s “Back In Business,” which came about because of the Covid pandemic shutdown. “Everything was so screwed up. I could hardly go outside in New York City for five months. I was recording the whole time. But I wanted it to be positive,” Goddess says.

“I try to write regularly. I used to use sheets of paper, but now I use my phone.

“Every once in a while I will reach into my pocket and find something I put down on a piece of paper. Then I’ll write a song about it.

“I stay open to ideas, keep my eyes and ears open, and keep my antenna up. If you live in New York City something happens almost every day.

“I do what inspires me. I don’t have a plan, don’t try to write hits, and I don’t make any career moves. I do what I want to.”

Goddess was born in Allentown and graduated from William Allen High School. With the Daddy Licks band, he played 250 nights a year. “We played from Boston to Florida, once to 10,000 people. But when you are working that often, it’s hard to write songs.”

The Dave Goddess Group’s songs are played on hundreds of radio stations, and he finds pockets of support in various places across the United States. But he admits it is difficult to be heard when streaming services like Spotify add 50,000 new songs a day.

And radio play is not enough for him.

“It’s hard to feel it. Joy is a big part of music. I try to put that out and make it contagious in live shows, so people can have a good time.”

Tickets: Godfrey Daniels box office, 7 E. Fourth St., Bethlehem; 610-867-2390; https://godfreydaniels.org