A Country Musician’s Ode to Rural California

Joyce Woodson wrote “Sprinklers of Salinas” as an ode to her rural past--in California.

“Just as a lot of country singers sing about the South, I like to sing about California,” she said. “The western country is just as charming and worthy of writing about. I’m representing a scope of people who grew up in rural California.”

Woodson’s emotion-packed tunes--she accompanies herself on guitar--usually focus on her feelings about her beloved West. Growing up on a 50-acre farm in San Juan Capistrano instilled in her an appreciation of California’s rich farmland and picturesque landscapes. Western themes--cowboys, outlaws, ponies and ghost towns--abound in her music.

When she was 16, her family moved to a tract-housing development about 1 1/2 miles from the farm. “To jerk me out of an environment I was used to, that loss was very traumatic,” she said. “Sprinklers of Salinas” commemorates the beauty of the land she once knew.

Woodson has been writing western/folk music for about 15 years, and her career has picked up momentum over the past two years as she has toured more in California, Texas, Arizona and Washington and other places in the Southwest. She’s also developing a core of fans who follow her from one date to the next, especially in Southern California, where she performs frequently.

For those who are used to Woodson performing with her backup musicians Marty Rifkin (Dobro) and Denny Croy (stand-up bass), Woodson’s solo performance tonight at Bebop Records should prove atypical.

“It’s like a sitting-at-your-kitchen-table performance,” Woodson said. “I do a lot more talking and developing rapport with the audience. It’s a get-to-know-me type situation.”

The informality of such setups makes Woodson’s performances much more intimate, something she says would never work at a place like the Palomino, where she recently appeared.

“The more you risk, the more the kick is. I know that from experience,” she said. “The more I trust the listener, there’s this opening up. It’s a moving experience.”

Many of the 200 songs in Woodson’s repertoire are quiet and introspective, she said. She likes to use direct language and incorporate family values. On the average, she will compose a song a week, but often she discards the work she has created. Over the years, the process of writing a song has taken on a therapeutic role.

“When I don’t write, there’s an undefinable uncomfortableness,” she explained. “A song often begins with something inside of me that is unresolved. The struggle comes out in a song. I come to a conclusion about what I’m investigating. When I finish, I have a sense of serenity and a product, too.”

Bebop Records is at 18433 Sherman Way , Reseda. Admission to the 8 p.m. show is $5. For information , call (818) 881-1654.)