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| Review
by "Mr C from
Planet
Chocko" NJ bred folk singer/songwriter – John Gorka performed at the Ringwood Public Library in NJ last Sunday as part of the New Legacy Concert Series to a crowd about 150+ strong! It’s always fun driving to the shows in Ringwood because the library is nestled up in the mountains which provides a beautiful backdrop for the performances! And of course listening to the Gorka live is always a treat because of his clear & soulful baritone voice, his funny intros to his songs, his storytelling, and catchy hooks. Sometimes I wonder if John twilights as a comedian because he is just that hilarious! He has a great knack of knowing how to connect with his audience by poking fun at himself to break the ice. He started his matinee set by stating that he knew the audience was curious as to what a “Gorka” looked like. And that the picture of himself on the programming bill looked like his son. He thought about coming out saying that he was John Gorka’s dad and that he couldn’t make it to the show so he would be filling in for the afternoon! That got a few chuckles out of the salt & peppered haired crowd! Another fun story was at the Newport Folk Festival when the late Earl Scruggs, a legendary bluesgrass banjo player was playing on stage and John Gorka seized an opportunity to talk to Pete Seeger about finger picking on the banjo. Gorka proceeded to tell Seeger that the brain releases oxytosin (not oxycontin) when playing and Seeger just looked at him with a blank stare! John Gorka’s lyrics range from the funny to the witty then back to the somber with love and hope in these ever changing troubled times. John is a true documenter of life – observing, writing, and singing about the everyday. Some sad & heart wrenching but beautiful tunes that he played on his set that afternoon included ‘I saw a stranger with your hair’ & ‘Love is our cross to bear’ as well as a song of unearned advantage – ‘Ignorance and privilege’. Gorka also played some tunes that he re-recorded with his Red Horse band on Red House Records like ‘Blue Chalk’, ‘Wayfaring Stranger‘, & ‘If these walls could talk’. Some of my favorites from the set included some blues tunes that he created on his miniature G-sharp guitar like ‘Baby Blue’ & ‘Where the bottles break’ as well as ‘Houses in the fields’ & ‘Down in Milltown’ on the piano. Some of the more funnier songs that he sang at the Ringwood Library were ‘I’m from New Jersey’ & ‘People my age’ which he jokingly said he wasn’t looking forward to playing. People my age was the antithesis of Dar Williams’ song ‘Aging well’. I really dig how Gorka uses his emotion, facial expression, and clever play on words to tell us a colorful story with his voice and guitar play. It was such a wonderful performance as witnessed by the unanimous standing ovation after the show. He ended his set with a ‘Coda for Bill’ (tribute to Bill Morrisey). My favorite contemporary folk acts to watch live are Lucy Kaplansky, Dar Williams, & of course – John Gorka! If you get a chance to see any of these 3 play live – do it! |
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