An intimate monthly concert series featuring San Diego's finest songwriters, produced in partnership with Normal Heights United Church.  Hosted by the legendary Jeff Berkley! 
  • Address: 4650 Mansfield Street San Diego, CA 92116
  • Doors: 6:30pm, Music: 7-9ish pm (with intermission)
  • Food & Beverage: provided by our sponsors: Duck Foot Brewing Company, Flying Embers, Grace 2 Go Meals
  • Suggested Donation: $10+ (If you have the capacity, please be generous to these top-tier songwriters - their creative work is their livelihood! No one turned away for lack of funds)
  • Booking: ​Read info below and submit if you're interested!
Next Up - Friday, Oct 25:
MC Appreciation Edition!
The Neighborhood Kids
​Rob Deez 
Brothers Burns
ON DECK
IN THE NEWS
BOOKING BASICS
BOOKING: Interested in performing at Songwriter Sanctuary? Here's the deal:
  • WHAT DOES "IN THE ROUND" MEAN? It's a songwriter-focused show where artists take turns performing one song at a time. We usually do three rounds, a short break, then three more rounds, with each artist playing six songs total.

  • WHAT CONFIGURATIONS DO YOU BOOK? Since our sound tech is accommodating three acts at once, we *usually* limit bookings to solo or duo performers.

  • WHAT GENRES DO YOU BOOK? Any genre is welcome, but intimate, stripped-down sets with small live instrument setups work best.

  • WHAT ARE OTHER BOOKING CONSIDERATIONS? As an elder millennial SD songwriter, I do reserve the right to invite established and up-and-coming acts, even if they don’t submit. Buuuut I also want to make room for folks who aren't on my radar. If that's you, know this about me:

    It's Not About Numbers: I don’t care about your follower count, streams, or how polished your videos are. I care about your songwriting, performance style, and how you engage with your audiences (a must for an intimate, in-the-round format).

    Other Considerations: Location, performance experience, online presence, and easy access to your music/bio/promo materials are all secondary factors. They’re not singular deal-breakers but help with curating the lineup. Recommendations from trusted pals, pros, and alumni artists also go a long way. It's a big ol' jigsaw puzzle with only so many pieces and there's truly nothing personal if we don't reach out.

    Community Impact: I prioritize artists contributing to the safety and wellness of their communities through art, organizing, or activism. If you're out there strengthening your scene, speaking truth to power, and investing your energy toward building a better world, then I'm going to invest more time in exploring your work.

    Representation: I aim to showcase a range of artists and styles that reflect our vibrant songwriting community. This includes special consideration for queer artists with religious trauma—as a progressive and affirming venue, NHUnited provides an opportunity to heal and reclaim space. If any part of this paragraph makes you feel uncomfortable or annoyed, this series is probably not a good fit for you.

  • WHAT'S YOUR PAYMENT POLICY? 100% of pre-sale and day-of donations are split by the three acts.

  • ARE ARTISTS REQUIRED TO PROMOTE? While we’re working to build a regular audience and eventually offer guarantees, we currently ask featured acts to help promote the series. The venue is beautiful but not situated to attract street traffic, so we need your support in spreading the word to your fans about this relatively new series. You don’t need a huge following, but please have a small, reliable friend/fanbase before requesting a booking. Since we don’t take a door cut, your promo efforts directly benefit you and your fellow performers. As an artist myself, please know I loathe when venues don't take any accountability for promoting. Our little team is doing everything we can in our limited capacity to spread the word through traditional PR channels and I can't wait for the day I can revise this section with a hefty guarantee amount and no promo expectation whatsoever. But for the time being, please bear with us while we're in our "if you build it they will come" era.
 
  • I SUBMITTED A BOOKING REQUEST. WHEN CAN I EXPECT A RESPONSE? There are a few factors at play, primarily that San Diego is spoiled with no shortage of quality songwriters and performers, juxtaposed with the reality that we only run 10-11 shows per season. Finally, we are a mostly volunteer team who only has the capacity to reach out when it is a good fit. If it has been over a year since your last submission and you want to re-submit with updated music samples, we encourage you to do so! We're all doing our best! - thank you for your patience and understanding. If this was my full time job and I didn't have a toddler directing her huge feelings at me all the livelong day, I'd mail out handwritten consolation notes with words of encouragement. Seriously.
    ​
  • I AM AN ALUMNI ARTIST - WHEN CAN I COME BACK TO PERFORM? It may be awhile before we book you again because of the aforementioned looooong list of locals. You're on our radar for when we need a pinch-hitter - especially those of you who come out to support the series! You're also welcome to reach out to Normal Heights directly to organize your own one-off event - they are great to work with and have reasonable rental rates. Our alumni performers are always welcome to attend as our complimentary guests.

  • I'M AN ARTIST WHO REGULARLY ATTENDS; CAN YOU BOOK ME NOW? I'm so super thrilled you're here and supporting this community, and I do love a good community care moment, but that's not how booking works. I wish it was - I'd buy season tix to the Hollywood Bowl!

Thanks for reading my novel. Mama thrives on a overly-informed reader. If you read or partially skimmed the above and you're interested in performing, here's a button to press:
ALUMNI ARTISTS
Friday, Sep 27:
We The Commas
Shua
Lauren Ong

​Aug 30, 2024
Emily Afton
Julianna Zachariou
Veronica May
​
July 26, 2004
Angel René
Aaron Bowen
Mariela

June 28, 2024
RhythMx
Virr
Ben Parks

May 31, 2024
Hugo Anché
Ashley E. Norton
Stucky Leigh
​
April 26, 2024
Missy Alcazar
Bug Guts
Calman Hart
Guest host/poet Lizzie Wann
​
March 22, 2024
Mangosauss
Jesse Ray Smith
Pinch hitting for Shane Hall: Julia Sage, Marlo Smith, Joy Fuliga, & Jeff Jacobs

February 23, 2024
​Tori Roze & Johnny Alexander
Rachel Jay
Kai & Kimiko from Topeka Clementine

January 26, 2024
Astra Kelly
Neilson
Dave Booda

December 1, 2023
Josh Weinstein
Cheyenne Benton
Thea the Band

October 27, 2023
Shhhhh
Cathryn Beeks & Nisha Catron
Lady July
​
September 29, 2023
Julia Sage
Please Ask for Paul
​Paul Sage Cannon

July 28, 2023
Story & Tune
Anna Ballew
Jeff Jacobs

June 30, 2023
Kori Gillis
Flamy Grant
Joy Fuliga

June 2, 2023
James Spaite
Enter the Blue Sky
Rosa's Cantina

April 28, 2023
Joel Rafael
Gaby Aparicio
Michael Tiernan

March 21, 2023
Gregory Page
King Taylor Project
Lauren Leigh

February 24, 2023
Lee Coulter
Lisa Sanders
Mark Montijo

January 27, 2023
Story & Tune
Jeff Berkley
Lindsay White