|
Saturday, March 13
|
 |
|
Patty Larkin / John Gorka
|
|
Ticket Price: $22.50 adv / $25.00 dos
Doors at 7:00 PM, Show at 8:00 PM
|
 |
|
Patty Larkin
|
Patty Larkin is part of the urban-folk/pop music phenomenon that spun off of the singer/songwriter explosion of the seventies, reinterpreting traditional folk melodies, rock, pop, bossa nova, drawing on anything from Dylan (Bob) to Dylan (Thomas). A self described "guitar driven songwriter," Larkin has wound her way through soundscapes of evocative vocals, inventive guitar wizardry and imaginative lyrics. Her songs run from impressionistic poetry to witty wordplay.
In 2010 Patty Larkin releases a collectible collection of 25 love songs in celebration of 25 years in the recording industry. Here Patty has reworked 25 of her favorite songs in an acoustic, "unplugged" release, joined by friends along the way.
A follow up to her critically acclaimed WATCH THE SKY (Critics Choice-NY Times, Brilliant-Billboard), "25" is a one of a kind project that is at once intimate and universal, the voice of a generation of songwriters, simple and direct, yet the touchstone of one woman's song. Over her 25 year career, Patty Larkin has worked with some of the brightest stars in American music, honing a reputation as a "musician's musician" along the way. On "25" Patty is joined by friends and cohorts, troubadours, renegades, humorists, folk philosophers, dreamers, realists, poets, bards. People who defined a generation of music that wove inside and outside of the box, and sprang from a grassroots love of song, pouring onto the airwaves in an organic, trickle down of musical styles.
This project evolved in much the same way, with Patty looking for a way to celebrate the quarter of a century anniversary of her first album with some friends. Each artist was contacted individually and asked to come on and sing with Patty's unplugged version of her most requested love songs. Some of the artists were on the road during the recording time and found recording studios wherever they landed, some were in the midst of new releases, some were in the studio working on their own projects, and some were just plain busy with the business of life. The fact that each of these gifted and talented artists found the time and space to lend such beauty to this collection speaks to the pull of friendship and music that has spanned the years.
Here is a moment, a pause, the snapshot of a career that continues to grow and evolve along a creative, adventuresome path. Here's to "25", and 25 more.
|
|
John Gorka
|
Godfrey Daniels is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions in eastern Pennsylvania. A small neighborhood coffeehouse and listening room, it has long been a hangout for music lovers and aspiring musicians, and in the late 1970s, one of these was a young Moravian College student named John Gorka. Though his academic course work lay in Philosophy and History, music began to offer paramount enticements. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and acting as resident M.C. and soundman, encountering legendary folk troubadors like Canadian singer/songwriter Stan Rogers, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music inspired him, and before long he was performing his own songs — mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York City, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for many a major singer/songwriter) became a powerful source of education and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas’ Kerrville Folk Festival (where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed, and his stunningly soulful baritone voice and emerging songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him — Suzanne Vega, Bill Morrissey, Nanci Griffith, Christine Lavin, Shawn Colvin — had become his peers.
In 1987, the young Minnesota-based Red House Records caught wind of John’s talents and released his first album , I Know , to popular and critical acclaim. With unusual drive and focus, John hit the ground running and, when an offer came from Windhan Hill’s Will Ackerman in 1989, he signed with that label’s inprint, High Street Records. He proceeded to record five albums with High Street over the next seven years: Land of the Bottom Line, Jack’s Crows, Temporary Road, Out of the Valley, and Between Five and Seven. His albums and his touring (over 150 nights a year at times) brought new accolades for his craft. Rolling Stone called him “the preeminent male singer/songwriter of the new folk movement.” His rich multi-faceted songs full of depth, beauty and emotion gained increasing attention from critics and audiences across the country, as well as in Europe where his tours led him through Italy, Belgium, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Switzerland and Germany.
Other performers also discovered his songwriting. His material is championed by many — to date more than a score of artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. He also started sharing tours with many notable friends — Nanci Griffith and Mary Chapin Carpenter among them. All this has brought his music to an ever-widening audience. His video for the single “When She Kisses Me” found a long-term rotation on VH-1’s “Current Country,” as well as on CMT and the Nashville Network. John also graced the stage of Austin City Limits, appeared on CNN, and has been the subject of other national pro- gramming.
Finally in 1998, after five successful recordings, and seven years at Windham Hill/High Street, John felt the need for a change and decided to return to his musical roots at Red House Records. The choice was driven, in part, by the artistic integrity that the label represents in an industry where the business of music too often takes precedence. As John says, “Red House is in it first for the music, and so am I. It’s a good place to be.”
After Yesterday represents the first fruits of that reunion and reflects John’s continuing commitment to the craft of songwriting. Longtime fans will find in its twelve songs John’s trademark twist of lyric and attention to the details that so effectively evoke a time, a place, a person, or a range of emotion. But there are also the stirrings of new musical directions with the evocative addition of percussion from Ani DiFranco’s drummer Andy Stochansky. John also shares his joy at recent changes in his life (namely a 1996 marriage and move to Minnesota, followed by the 1997 birth of a baby boy — Bocephus Mahatma Sinatra Gorka) with cuts such as “Cypress Trees,” “After Yesterday” and “When He Cries.” There is a hardened knowledge, vented and voiced in “Thorny Patch” and “Wisdom.” Story songs and character studies, “Amber Lee,” “Silvertown” and “Zuly” engage the imagination, while a song like “Heroes” invites introspection.
Though a long way from Godfrey Daniels, John Gorka is still honored to be a part of the folk tradition — energetic acoustic music that is not a trend, not a fad, but an expression of everyday life. After Yesterday is the embodiment of that expression — another classic release where his rich baritone voice and unique songcraft weave together in a way that can only be described as “Gorka.”
|
|
|