2 Shades of Grey is a musical duo made up of two of my favorite humans. Yes, I am biased. But you would be too if you spent just 5 minutes talking to the human forms of sunshine. Bobbi and Jeff form their duo with Bobbi on guitar and vocals and Jeff on bass and backup vocals (with a healthy dose of dad joke comedic relief). I first met them at the Vista Bar open mic a couple years ago, and since then, they have become like family. They love playing music together and making people feel welcomed, heard, and included. It’s all smiles in their presence on stage and off.
Our interview consisted of hours spent in Bobbi’s kitchen, sipping coffee amongst the walls lined with handmade guitars and mandolins. Bobbi and Jeff are skilled woodworkers and creators with multiple business ventures that keep them busy outside of music. They each became musicians a little later in life. Like most things they’ve pursued in their paths, they’ve done so with dedication, practice, and persistence.
Bobbi grew up in Twin Falls in a family of woodworkers. She always loved music and took a basic course in guitar as a teenager but didn’t get a chance to take music seriously until her early 30s. She married and had five children (that she knows of) early in life, and it kept her world busy with raising a family. She and her ex-husband owned a cabinetry business that allowed her woodworking skills to flourish. Always seeking something new and challenging, Bobbi decided she wanted to learn how to build guitars. After trying to get on with a local luthier and getting denied, she taught herself with a simple build kit, a how-to book, and trial and error. Since that day, she has built many guitars with various woods, mandolins, and strum sticks. These are often given to family members as gifts for holidays and special occasions. Bobbi and Jeff took on the task of making strum sticks and canjos for both of their extended families one year, laughing about the Christmas Eve scramble to get them completed. She hand-built the guitar she plays on stage today with her favorite wood to work with: Bubinga. It has a beautiful tone. She walked me through the delicate process of selecting types of wood for their sound and durability, noting that the Bubinga Rosewood has been her favorite to work with.
During the cabinetry business years, the success drew a need for a bigger shop. A lot was purchased in Garden City, and a barn-raising party with friends turned into the start of a band. Bobbi and the group decided everyone in their band of friends would learn how to sing and learn an instrument. Bobbi took on the keys. For the next 20 years, they practiced, played private gigs, and threw an annual party at the Policeman’s Clubhouse. Shifting band members and life changes brought Jeff along later in the band’s existence; he was just hanging around to listen at the time. They needed a bass player, so Jeff stepped in to learn. Bobbi advised him on a few notes and how to fix the broken bass they’d been using.
The band eventually began to dissipate, with members taking on other life priorities. Bobbi and Jeff set off on their own, creating 2 Shades of Grey. While they missed the band setting with its energy, they’ve always had one goal: to entertain. Bobbi took to learning guitar, and in January 2020, they attended their first open mic as a duo. They kept this up once a week until the pandemic hit. Practice continued in the downtime. Once the world started to reopen, they went right back into the open mic circuit, often attending Willi B’s and making connections with fellow musicians.
Jeff played drums in his adolescence, but he described it more as a way to get together and party. His band of rowdy friends never got into gigging, but it gave him an opportunity to experience a band setting. Growing up in Fresno, he had the chance to see some impactful music in the Bay Area during his teenage years. Jeff got to experience a golden age of live music in an intimate setting: Led Zeppelin, BB King, Santana, Cream, Emerson Lake & Palmer, and Buffalo Springfield, to name a few. He became a real estate broker in 1974 and had some great success in the field. After some life changes, he moved to Boise in the early 90’s, bringing his daughters with him. He did odd jobs while getting his real estate license in Idaho and ended up running a large, successful real estate company until his divorce in 2008. With the market being what it was during the recession, he did appraisals for the banks and kept busy. During this time he met Bobbi and got involved in the band, dedicating his time to learning bass when the opportunity presented itself. During the Covid years, Jeff purchased a leatherworking business. Much like Bobbi, Jeff is a self-starter; he had no previous leatherwork knowledge before purchasing the business and took the time to excel in the trade through hands-on learning. Since then, he has made quality guitar straps, hat bands, magnets, and more. I bought a beautiful black leather guitar strap from him about a year ago that I absolutely adore. He also decided to get into woodworking and jewelry around the same time.
Together, Bobbi and Jeff also have a business called Just In Case Coffee Deck. The Just in Case Coffee Deck is a coffee catcher placed underneath your coffee pot in case it overflows. They have several patents on the invention they had professionally designed and finalized by an engineer. It’s manufactured right here in the Treasure Valley. They talked about the patenting process and how long it took to establish. They kept at it just like every other goal they’ve ever had in life. It comes in a hydrodipped design or plain black and has been a nice success on the ol’ interweb.
Both Bobbi and Jeff are some of the most industrious people I’ve ever met; they’ve taken chances and opportunities to learn something new at every turn in their lives. And then, they excel at it. They’re tinkerers and engineer-brained in their approach to anything. With everything they have going on, they continue to be present at several open mics during the week and gigging whenever possible. They light up the stage with their energy and good-humored demeanors. They’re very much country and add their own style to each song they cover. With setlists involving anything from Janis Joplin to Imagine Dragons, they’re able to entertain in any environment. To be in their company is to be chatting and laughing. They’re usually the last to leave any party, regardless of the setting. You can invite them out to things like emo karaoke at Terry’s dive bar, dancing at late-night gigs, costume parties, or post-show after-parties, and they will fit in seamlessly, always with a smile on their face and true enjoyment of their surroundings. They support the local music scene with so much heart, showing up for friends’ gigs, supporting open mics, and making a positive impact on every individual they come in contact with.
You can contact 2 Shades of Grey and follow them on Facebook to see where they’re playing.
Need a handcrafted, quality gift? Support any one of their businesses below!
BoJean Studios
Elk River Studios
Just In Case Coffee Deck
Spuzzos Market
Live to Lift Jewelry
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