Songs from the Heart

LINER NOTES

Harmony To End Homelessness

 In the spirit of singer-songwriters Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and Utah Phillips, the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project (aka the Sierra Roots Project) is keeping alive the tradition of music for social justice.

Funded by a grant from the Upstate California Creative Corps, the Sierra Roots Project has commissioned and collected songs by local singer-songwriters about homelessness. Sierra Roots is a nonprofit based in Nevada City, California, that serves homeless people on the streets of Nevada City and sister city Grass Valley.

Juliet Gobert’s song “No Place to Go” was the inspiration for the Sierra Roots Project. Juliet is a talented singer-songwriter and leader of her band the Heifer Belles. Juliet has two other songs on this album. “This Is My House” is about a child she met in a homeless encampment when she was a social worker. Juliet composed “It’s a Silent Night” about a homeless woman and her dog specifically for the Sierra Roots Project.

Along with Juliet, Bob Woods, a world-class guitarist, was commissioned by the Sierra Roots Project to write songs. His song “I Had a Job” speaks to the all-too-common experience of how losing a job can result in homelessness. “Where’s Homer?” directly confronts the real-life experience of Woods’ friend Homer Wills, an older, disabled musician who suffered the injustice of being forced to move from a place where he was safe and welcome to a remote area of the county because of outdated code violations.

Legendary folksinger and homeless advocate Bruce “Utah” Phillips lived his last years in Nevada City where he inspired and mentored local musicians like Paul Emery, Paul Kamm and Peter Wilson.

A team member of the Sierra Roots Project, Paul Emery engineered most of the songs on this album. Also an accomplished musician, he sings a Utah Phillips song, “Larimer Street,” which is also about forcing people to move.

Paul Kamm and Eleanore MacDonald have contributed two songs on this album. “Daniel Lee” tells the sad story of a homeless man. Kamm and Phillips collaborated on “Ship Gonna Sail,” an inspirational anthem affirming the multi-generational struggle for social justice. Versatile musician Joe Craven plays rhythm with his face on this cut.

Peter Wilson, another friend of Phillips, sings “I Am an Old Man.” Brendan Phillips plays banjo for this song by his father.

Heather Grove, Walt Webb and Stephen Greenberg were winners in a Sierra Roots Project singer-songwriter contest. Heather’s song “Someone Without a Home” tells of a volunteer’s encounter with a woman in a homeless shelter. Walt offers up a  passionate rendition of his composition “Homeless Prayer – Longing for Home.” A socially conscious attorney, Stephen sings “Work for Food” and his contest-winner, “Yes, in My Backyard (A YIMBY Song).

The creative director of the Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project, Tom Durkin, has experienced homelessness and is an outspoken social justice advocate. His  original song is “If, A Homeless Daydream.”

 The Sierra Roots Project wishes to express its sincere gratitude to everyone who “gets it” that we’re all in this together. And we especially want to thank the Wild Eye Pub, Nevada County Arts Council,  The Union newspaper, YubaNet online regional news service, and the Nevada County Board of Supervisors and staff for working with us to find and implement creative solutions to our homeless/housing crisis because it is in the shelter of each other that we live.

   Tom Durkin, Creative Director

Sierra Roots/No Place to Go Project