Rocking ‘n’ rolling again: Bob Woods Trio works its magic at the Geezers Gig

Photo by Tom Durkin Bob Woods tears it up while playing at the Crazy Horse Saloon in downtown Nevada City.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Fridays, they play kickass country rock ’n’ roll. The no-cover gig definitely draws an over-40 crowd – but these “geezers” are way too busy proving you’re never too old to rock ’n’ roll.

The Geezers Gig goes from 5 to 8 p.m. on every other Friday at the Chief Crazy Horse Saloon at 230 Commercial Street in Nevada City. The band will be performing on the following Fridays this month: July 2, July 16 and July 30.

For more information on the Bob Woods Trio, visit www.myspace.com/bobwoodsmusic. For more information about the Chief Crazy Horse Saloon and its live music schedule for the month, visit chiefcrazyhorseinn.com or call 530-470-8443.

By Tom Durkin

For The Nevada City Advocate

“Party like an animal and be in home in bed by 10!”

They call it the Geezers Gig

For the last year and a half, the Bob Woods Trio has been drawing a full house every other Friday at the Chief Crazy Horse Saloon in downtown Nevada City.

From 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., they play kickass country rock ’n’ roll. The no-cover gig definitely draws an over-40 crowd – but these “geezers” are way too busy proving you’re never too old to rock ’n’ roll.

Based in Sacramento, with a second home in Nevada City, Woods has been playing smoking hot lead guitar since the early ‘70s with a variety of well-known Northern California bands, including Tokpela and his own renowned ‘80s band Hillbilly Cadillac.

He’s also played lead with the Foothill Flyers, the Shay Dillon Band, Cousin Cricket, Gary Campbell and the Stardust Cowboys, and Sticky Vikki and the Pinecones.

Moreover, he’s played with Bob Kirchen (Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen), Tiny Moore (Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys), Albert Lee (Emmylou Harris’ Hot Band), Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Pete Grant (Grateful Dead), and Gene Parsons (Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds).

And that’s just hitting the high spots in his nearly 40-year musical odyssey, which shows no signs of slowing down. He’s also playing at more regional venues like the Party in the Park in Auburn, where in June he performed with one of his idols, 70-year-old outlaw country music legend Billy Joe Shaver.

At the Crazy Horse, the Bob Woods Trio continues to rock the rafters with long-time local bassist Billy Smart (also of Buck Love and the Humperheads) and retired rocket scientist Skip Alan Smith on drums. (Seriously, Smith helped design the solar panels on the International Space Station.)

Together, Woods, Smart and Smith put out a highly danceable wall of sound with an ever-changing playlist that ranges from Woods roots in rockabilly to their ever-popular surf set to straight-ahead rock ’n’ roll.

While covering early rock classics like Chuck Berry’s “Nadine,” Woods also plays many of his original songs, including hard-charging standards like “Hillbilly Cadillac” and “Rockabillytation” to plaintive ballads like “Last Train to Moraga” and his latest, “Hillbilly Heart.”

Although he can clearly hold his own with the best on his well-worn Fender Telecaster, Woods has few regrets that he never hit the big time.

Perhaps, the opening lines of his song “A Minor Leaguer’s Life” summarize his life philosophy:

I never set out to be a star.
Hell, I just set out to make the team.