Chrys Weedon | Entertainment Editor
John Gorka was born into the world of music in a small coffeehouse in Pennsylvania in the 1970s. The coffeehouse, Godfrey Daniels, was a hotspot for musicians and a place that Gorka frequented often, even living in the basement for a time. There at Godfrey Daniels, he met a myriad of musicians who inspired him and he quickly started writing his own music.
Gorka’s first album, “I Know,” was released in 1987. He released his 14th album on January 19, 2018.
Gorka visited Western on Jan. 18 as a visiting artist. As part of the Smith’s Fine Arts series, Gorka came to play his music and share the wisdom he has gathered through his years of making music and touring.
“Of course, I’ve been influenced by mainstream stuff. But I think of myself as something of an insider, and I have always felt that it was better to really strongly affect a small number of people, than to reach a big number of people only superficially or temporarily,” said Gorka in a story in the Huffington Post by journalist Brian D’Ambrosio.
Gorka’s songs are strongly characterized by the storytelling element. Each song takes the listener on a journey. Songs like “Mennonite Girl” and “Edgar the Party Man” are both examples that show off Gorka’s storytelling abilities. Along with his more structured, storytelling songs, Gorka has multiple pieces that are more funny and lighthearted, like “People my Age” and “Like my Watch.” On stage, Gorka is jovial, cracking jokes and telling stories about his travels and his music career.
Behind the scenes, however, Gorka is shy and subdued. Earlier in the afternoon on Friday, Jan 19, Gorka held a song writing workshop to impart his knowledge of the craft and share his writing techniques. He often deflected attention to his instruments and his songs.
“Personally, I wanted to push myself out of my comfort zone,” commented Sage Kiernan-Sherrow, a junior pursuing an English degree with a literature concentration.
“What I got out of it was that you have to be comfortable forcing yourself to create even when you don’t want to,” said Kiernan-Sherrow, “and experimenting with your work when you’re stuck.”
The songs of John Gorka are clearly products of many different influences, but they all have a strong theme of honesty through each one of them. Each melody, each lyric, feels like a secret memory or poem. Gorka’s music can be found on Spotify and iTunes. His website can be found at johngorka.com.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
Photo courtesy of Ashlynn Norton
