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This summer, July 20-24, 2015, Steve Earle will don his teaching cap once more to present his most refined and in-depth course yet: Camp Copperhead. This fully immersive learning experience will take place at the Full Moon Resort, about 30 miles west of Woodstock in the enchanting Catskill Forest Preserve. Earle will be the primary instructor, with about 100 students in attendance. This once-in-a-lifetime experience offers students uniquely intimate access to a true master craftsman. It’s open to people of all levels of skill and enthusiasm. The cost is all-inclusive, covering classes, meals, and accommodations. Details at http://camp-copperhead.com/
“I am so looking forward to Camp Copperhead 2015,” says Earle. “Songwriting, like any form of art, is a living process and this year’s camp will combine my long time beliefs about songwriting as well as what I’ve learned in my own continuing education about the work I love the most.”
Discussing his vision for Camp Copperhead, Earle explains, “It’ll be an intensive, all-day-long songwriting workshop, which I’m going to teach every minute of. I love to teach. I have fun doing it. Last year’s Camp Copperhead was a continuation of something I’ve been involved in for a few years. It started with an eight-week course I taught in February of 2000 at the Old Town School of Folk Music in Chicago. Then I taught a condensed version of that over a four-day period at Jorma Kaukonen’s Fur Peace Ranch a couple of summers ago.”
In regard to his methodology for teaching: “All I can do is tell people the way in which I write songs. But I’m certainly not presenting it as the only way to write songs. My approach to songwriting has evolved a lot over the years, and there are many different factors that will have their influence on the process, as well as the results.
To me, the real art of songwriting comes down to having the tools. The inspiration is the easy part. You might get a chorus or a first verse from inspiration, but everything else requires work. Some of this camp will be about inspiration — we talk about stuff that is outside of songwriting, such as the things I read and the things I see, in theater and in films, and I travel a lot, and all of those things find their way into my work. But most of what we’ll cover is about writing those second and third verses — the work part!”
Earle is zealous about writing and teaching, but pragmatic as well. “I can’t teach anyone to be a songwriter,” he admits. “But I can teach the things that I’ve learned — from doing it — that make you a better songwriter if you already are one. Even if you weren’t put on the planet to be a songwriter, I think you’ll appreciate and understand songwriting better through taking this course.”
At Camp Copperhead each morning, Earle will present a class on a specific aspect of writing. In addition to his extensive classes there will be poetry and guitar workshops in the afternoons — time when students can pair up to work on their assignments under Earle and his team of instructors’ supervision. An open mic every night after dinner offers students the opportunity to play the brand-new songs they’ve written.
“One of the coolest things I saw last year was a lot of people exchanging telephone numbers,” Steve states. “In a situation like this, the opportunity is there to make friends for life. Sharing in a creative environment like a songwriting camp brings people closer together than they normally would be. Whether this will be your first time at Camp Copperhead or you are returning for a second year, I think everyone will come away with something very special, and we’ll be glad to have you.”
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