NEVADA COUNTY, Calif. November 8, 2023 – It takes somebody special to write songs that move you and that you want to hear or sing again and again.
Two of Nevada County’s best-loved singer/songwriters, Bob Woods and Juliet Gobert, will teach a professional clinic for aspiring singer/songwriters from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon, Nov. 19, at the Wild Eye Pub in Grass Valley.
This is not an entertainment event. It’s a real workshop designed for young, diverse and emerging musicians (of any age). Bring your instrument and a notebook, because there will be time to work on writing a song and receive one-on-one coaching from Woods or Gobert.
This educational songwriting clinic is hosted by the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project (SR/NPTGP), which is funded by a grant from the Upstate California Creative Corps.
This workshop is free, but reservations are required, and space is limited. All participants will receive an SR/NPTGP T-shirt.
Meet the teachers
From blues to country, Americana to rock, Woods and Gobert each have their own bands, playing their own originals. For the last 10 years, they have also collaborated both as a duo and as the Bob Woods Trio featuring Juliet Gobert.
Gobert is the founder and leader of the all-woman band the Heifer Belles. She also wrote “No Place to Go,” the haunting theme song of the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project.
The Bob Woods Trio (which often features guest star performers) founded the highly popular Geezer Gig at the Crazy Horse Saloon in Nevada City more than 15 years ago. Woods also plays with the Earles of Newtown big band and steps in as the go-to lead guitar for several dance bands.
At the Nov. 19 workshop, Gobert and Woods will each break down the process they used to create some of their favorite songs.
Sign up, sing out
If you wish to apply to attend this workshop or have questions, please write to info@sierra-roots.org with the following information:
If there are more applicants than space available, priority will be given to applicants who answer all the questions, write compelling statements of interest and show the most potential to benefit from free this clinic designed to foster new creative talent in Northern California.
This workshop will mark the beginning of the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Singer/Songwriter Contest for high-impact songs that speak to the current homeless/housing crisis. The contest will be open to everyone, but workshop attendees will receive special training on this topic.
Details about the songwriting contest will be announced Nov. 19.
The Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project is a campaign to raise public awareness and initiate civic action for innovative solutions to homelessness and the lack of affordable housing. It is funded by a grant from the Upstate California Creative Corps, which is a new program of the California Arts Council.
Tom Durkin is editor of SR/NPTGP Media and creative director of the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project, which is funded by a grant from the Upstate California Creative Corps. Durkin may be contacted at tomdurkin@sierra-roots.org or www.project.sierra-roots.org.
The Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project is funded by a grant from the Upstate California Creative Corps.