CONCERT REVIEW:American Folk: John Gorka

John Gorka’s voice—deep, resonant—is for me forever connected to “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day,” a song he contributed to the Windham Hill III Christmas compilation a number of years ago. The carol is joyous and exuberant, announcing the birth of Jesus, but Gorka brings with him all of his introspection and melancholy.

Introspection and melancholy were combined with self-deprecating wit, great guitar work, and beautiful songs in John Gorka’s concert in Cedarburg, Wisconsin, on Friday night. The Wisconsin Singer/Songwriter Series brought us another fine artist; in fact, Gorka is a returning artist to the series. I first saw him live last year as a part of this series.

John Wesley Harding says that he “uses humor as a defense mechanism,” but Gorka uses humor to accentuate his quirks, making me feel confident in myself despite my own quirks. He invites the listener to admit and share in our failures, riding out the songs to a more confident place.

Gorka makes up his set list as he goes, often playing a game with the audience of choosing between two songs based on where his capo is on the fret board. What emerges, however, is an artist who gauges his audience well, finding a balance between his humor-laced tunes, his driving rhythms, and his ballads.

He began on Friday with “When the Ice Goes Out,” as a spring song that he only thought to include minutes before the show as evidenced by his use of a songbook. After this came the theme song of sorts, “I’m from New Jersey,” which sets the tone of humor and humility (“I’m from New Jersey/I don’t expect too much”). To round out this prelude, Gorka said, “It was such a beautiful day I wanted to sit in a dark room and sing sad songs.”

Gorka’s song often combine different musical elements. “I Saw a Stranger with Your Hair” moves from typical folk song to more of a rock anthem chorus (“feet didn’t touch the ground”). “Mean Streak” moves more into the acoustic blues found in Chris Smither. “Where the Bottles Break” is about Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, but is similar to Bruce Springsteen’s description of New Jersey.

He also included some piano songs, all ballads, which are reminiscent of Bruce Hornsby or Marc Cohn. Or is that pianist, to assume that he must sound like other pianists when he plays piano?

“Old Future” from the new album, Old Future’s Gone, combines those elements of sadness and hope of which I see running through Gorka’s music. The song is like a dark night in the city, beneath a rusty bridge, but then with a picked solo in the middle, Gorka starts turning on the street lights. It’s a lonely hill in the country, but the people start appearing in the small town at the foot of the hill. Sadness and hope, a combination that yields a “jaunty song of sadness” in “Always.” A combination that meant we were laughing even while knowing just how true the sadness and darkness is in our own lives.

Gorka’s shows have good-sized pauses in between songs with some stories and comments. Like you might say of some major league pitchers, he works slow. Gorka even makes fun of his own pace saying, “My shows didn’t use to be this smooth.”

The second set closed with Gorka announcing that this would be a sing along, a cover version of Curtis Mayfield’s “People Get Ready.” Here the hope sprang to the top as the crowd joined in on this Gospel tune. The sorrow felt through some of Gorka’s songs finds such a sweet balm in this reminder of salvation from the Lord. Much like how Greg Brown ended his concert at Cedarburg a month earlier, Gorka brings out the Gospel more than I find in many “Christian” concerts. Through the humility and honesty of all his sad songs, we were prepped and ready to hear that Good News song.

He gave us 2 songs in the encore including “If I Could Forget to Breathe” which to me is similar to the message of the prophets and one I’d like to use for MonDevotions in the future. The concert concluded after nearly 2 hours of music from Gorka.

I hope to post an interview here with John Gorka soon along with a review of the new album, Old Future’s Gone.

Justin Roth
Opening for John Gorka was Justin Roth, a fellow Minnesotan. Roth played four songs of great guitar and strong vocals. He started with the finger-style instrumental, “Fatima’s Waltz,” followed by another waltz, “She Dances.” The song, “Savior,” is Peter Mayer-like with its percussive guitar style. He closed with the title track of his fifth recording, Shine.

The crowd gave Roth a wonderful ovation, but he was not allowed to come back out for an encore. (This is something that I think could be allowed in a venue where there is such a supportive audience, an informal approach, and a desire to hear new music). Even though Roth didn’t get to play more, I plan on posting an interview with him and a review of his newest album in the future.

Thank you to the Wisconsin Singer/Songwriter Series for continuing to bring in such great artists to Cedarburg.

John Gorka’s Set List for April 2, 2004
1. When the Ice Goes Out (After Yesterday)
2. I’m From New Jersey (Jack’s Crows)
3. I Saw a Stranger with Your Hair (Land of the Bottom Line)
4. Let Them In (The Company You Keep) - piano
5. Mean Streak (Land of the Bottom Line)
6. Always (Old Future’s Gone)
7. Riverside (Old Future’s Gone)
8. People My Age (The Company You Keep)
Break
9. Dogs & Thunder (Old Future’s Gone)
10. Raven in the Storm (Land of the Bottom Line)
11. Old Future (Old Future’s Gone)
12. Blue Chalk (Between 5 and 7)
13. Part of Your Own (Between 5 and 7)
14. Where the Bottles Break (Jack’s Crows)
15. Down in the Mill Town (I Know) - piano
16. Night is a Woman (Jack’s Crows) – piano
17. O Abraham (The Company You Keep)
18. Houses () – piano
19. People Get Ready (by Curtis Mayfield)

Encore
20. If I Could Forget to Breathe (Temporary Road) – album available for free download at www.johngorka.com
21. Soldier After All (Old Future’s Gone)