From: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org (good-noise-digest) To: good-noise-digest@smoe.org Subject: good-noise-digest V1 #22 Reply-To: good-noise@smoe.org Sender: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org Errors-To: owner-good-noise-digest@smoe.org Precedence: bulk good-noise-digest Thursday, October 8 1998 Volume 01 : Number 022 Today's Subjects: ----------------- (long) When did you first hear John Gorka? [Jay Votel ] Re: BOUNCE message [Chris Thorpe ] Re: When did you first hear John Gorka? ["Amy Kelly" ] Re: When did you first hear John Gorka? [DLMTX@aol.com] First hearing [Susan Krauss ] ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 06:52:00 -0400 From: Jay Votel Subject: (long) When did you first hear John Gorka? Hey everybody: The taping discussion got me thinking about the first time I heard John Gorka. I thought maybe we could discuss that in this group. I'll bet the stories are interesting. I think it was back in 1987 when I was working at a small newspaper in Cambridge, Md., that one of the reporters there named Tracy turned me on to "I Know." She copied the album she had onto a cassette for me. Tracy was a singer and I was a guitarist/songwriter. We both landed in journalism, naturally. Tracy said, handing me the tape, "I know you're gonna like this." Little did she know. The two of us even performed together a few times -- strictly traditional folk stuff for kids. I started learning how to play "Branching Out." Tracy and I both moved on to other newspapers within the year. I was married at the time and my wife and I both liked the Gorka tape so much that we wore it out. I have since replaced it. We didn't have a CD player back then, so whenever Gorka would release a new album, we would get the cassette. I still have those cassettes and I have started replacing all of them with CDs. I also have bought two copies each of John's last two CDs. The tapes usually go where I go. My daughter Jackie also loves John Gorka and has met him. Once in Philadelphia, she took a copy of "Jack's Crows" up to the stage exit and waited for him to come down the steps. He took a pen and changed the title to "Jackie's Crows." Needless to say, he has another fan for life. Her favorite song is "Stranger in My Driver's Seat," which she has never heard him sing despite repeated requests. John always says he is moving away from his "Crime and Punishment" series of songs. Now he is into his "Fatherhood" series. I can't say exactly what it is about John's music that stirred something inside me. It is the combination of his voice, his lyric writing and his honesty that all struck me at once. It's the whole package. His clever lyrics grabbed me. Being a writer, I always am drawn to those who can pack a whole lot into a lyric and John certainly does that. He has a way with words and the emotions associated with them. He can twist them and shape them, especially with his voice and musical presentation, into art that is quite meaningful to me. I never get tired of hearing him. His music has been a great comfort and inspiration to me. The point of this post is to convey to the discussion group the idea that, although I am not typical, I'm sure, it was a friend who turned me on to John Gorka. If I had waited for the radio or MTV to do it, I would have been lost. I have since found a few stations that play his music on occasion -- I even saw him on TNN once singing "Good Noise." But if it weren't for that friend with a tape, my life sure would be different. Because I have attended John's concerts, I have heard and met Lucy Kaplansky, Hugh Blumenfeld, Keith Grimwood and Ezra Idlet (Trout Fishing in America.) And through the other artists, I have been introduced to many more. It all started from that one homemade tape. I now have a CD and cassette collection that numbers into the hundreds. I travel hundreds of miles to go to concerts and festivals. I buy T-shirts. I buy tickets for friends and take them to shows with me. I buy CDs and pass them on as gifts, too. These artists also have inspired me to continue my writing and performing. I helped form a bluegrass group three years ago and our first CD -- with four of my original songs on it -- is scheduled to be released Oct. 19. Did it all start with John Gorka? No. I had an interest in folk music to start with. But John is doing what I have always dreamed of doing -- being a songwriter, touching people with music. Now my dreams are turning into reality, too. I owe John a great debt of gratitude. But mostly, I think I owe one to Tracy and her tape. - -- Jay Votel ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 16:02:34 +0200 From: "Erik =?iso-8859-1?Q?Bj=F8rgum?=" Subject: Re: (long) When did you first hear John Gorka? Jay Votel wrote: > Hey everybody: The taping discussion got me thinking about the first > time I heard John Gorka. I thought maybe we could discuss that in this > group. I'll bet the stories are interesting. Hi there, Norway calling! My first time listening to John Gorka is not a "fancy" story, but somehow interesting although you can't get his albums in a recordstore in Norway. First I found David Wilcox, another aoutstanding singer/songwriter you all probably know, got in touch with a very nice girl (Cindy) on the Wilcox-list. Me and my wife went over to Los Angeles in 1997 to visit Cindy and saw David Wilcox live twice. Cindy played for us cd's of both John Gorka and The Story. Thanks to www.cdnow.com I have every CD from David Wilcox, John Gorka and The Story (Jonatha Brooke/Jennifer Kimball). Love them all!!!! Now I'm doing my personal promoting for getting norwegians into the music of these wonderful artists. BTW: John Gorka used to be on the same recordcompany (Windham Hill) as a friend of mine; Oystein Sevag http://www.sevag.no :-)) Sincerely, Erik Bjorgum __________________________________________ D E S I G N P A R T N E R A S Kilgaten 33, 3217 Sandefjord. Norway. Phone +47 33 48 46 10. Fax +47 33 48 46 11. http://www.designpartner.no ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 16:15:17 +0200 From: "Erik =?iso-8859-1?Q?Bj=F8rgum?=" Subject: Sorry.... sorry.....sorry.....sorry..... about the url!!! Lets get i right shall we: John Gorka used to be on the same recordcompany (Windham Hill) as a friend of mine; Oystein Sevag http://www.sevag.com Sincerely, Erik Bjorgum __________________________________________ D E S I G N P A R T N E R A S Kilgaten 33, 3217 Sandefjord. Norway. Phone +47 33 48 46 10. Fax +47 33 48 46 11. http://www.designpartner.no ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 11:19:42 -0400 From: Chris Thorpe Subject: Re: BOUNCE message From: Andrew Subject: First heard John... ...on a sampler Wyndham Hill sent me. Why don't they send me more! I bought five CD's as a result. The tracks on the sampler were from Out of the Valley and I was able to buy it straight off the shelf at my local record shop. Which is odd because all the others have been hard to find. I've ordered the new one from CD-Now but it won't come until after it's been released. Something to look forward to. I have to say I wasn't sure about Out of the Valley at first. Like all John's albums you've got to listen quite few times to get the tunes and the meanings into your head. At first I thought, there's not much to this, but somehow I found myself putting it on just one more time... and then putting it on again. I've only heard him once on the radio here (in the UK), when Nanci Griffith choose some of her favourite tracks for a special BBC radio programme she was hosting. John's "The Gypsy Life" was one of the tracks she chose. Cheers Andrew ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 08:52:08 PDT From: "Amy Kelly" Subject: Re: When did you first hear John Gorka? I had only heard the album "Good Noise" when I saw John Gorka a few years ago at Falcon Ridge. I couldnt believe I was really seeing him live. He sang with Lucy Kaplansky and Catie Curtis. It was fabulous. I must have annoyed the audience, I kept yelling out "Good Noise", and that was the last tune he did, with the ladies. It was amazing. He has this quiet grace on stage, that is so powerful. That's my first JG experience - short and sweet. Amy Amy E. Kelly akelly99@hotmail.com http://people.ne.mediaone.net/kakelly/amy/ "Feasts and seasons, faith and frailty. Wounds and healing: always surprise me. Hope and hatred, loss and passion: Source of all beauty, always surprise me." --Amanda Udis-Kessler (from "Always Surprise Me", recorded by Hunter Green) ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 10:23:04 PDT From: "Kevin Rent" Subject: Re: (long) When did you first hear John Gorka? My John Gorka story is quite unique... I have a routine when I go to my local library... I often do what I call, random pickings. The way I usually do it is, I go in, look through the CD's, tapes and records and pick out something by someone I know absolutely nothing about. It was on one of these excursions about 5 or so years ago that I picked out Jack's Crows by someone I knew absolutely nothing about... Mr. Gorka. Well, I get home, and put the CD into my player... and to be honest I was awestruck from the first chord! That CD did not leave my player, or my house, to return to the library when it was due... I ended up paying somewhere close to $10 in fines because I enjoyed the CD so much... The next time I was at the store where I buy my music, I ordered in a copy of Jack's Crows and have been adding John's albums to my collection ever since. John's rich voice, his lyrical sense, and wonderful musicianship are what has kept me in rapt attention all these years. His songs speak to the heart of human relationships, and though some may have a negative overtone, they are, for the most part, uplifting. It is also through John's music that I have gotten into so many other artists. All these artists, however diverse, draw me back to John's music. John, it seems, speaks directly to me when I am feeling low, or when I want to dance around my room alone, singing Baby Blues, Can't make up my mind, or have a laugh at Edgar the Party Man. Though Edgar, to me, is a fun song, it does have so many different layers. We can laugh at loneliness, but when we laugh, we are recognizing the fact that we often are seek the warmth and closeness of human relationships. Though we may want people to leave us alone at times, we often want the intimacy that they offer. This is a theme traced throughout John's music. Ultimately John calls us to recognize the importance of others, and the joy each and every person brings into life. Perhaps John's new album, which revolves around fatherhood will usher in a different sense of joy. The joy brought by bringing a new baby into the world... Though I only got to hear John sing live once, and for only 4 or so songs *at the Stan Rogers Folk Festival in Canso, Nova Scotia, Canada.* I wish John would come to Canada more... either that or I should move to Minnesota and be his neighbor... I'm sure he'd lend me sugar, or extra tea... If he gives us such musical gifts time after time, he'd surely be generous with such things as tea and sugar. John, if you're out there... Thank you! You are a living legend, though you are probably humbled by this, you truly are. And legends need not be dead... "cause legends call us to live"* I can't say how much your music has meant to me both emotionally, physically, and spiritually... I don't think that it was a fluke that I found your music. I think that it was meant to be. Thank you for your continued tenderness, and kindness. * from That's How Legends are Made, the album, Land of the Bottom Line. At that, I must sign off... until next time... take care of yourself, and others. Regards, Kevin ______________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 14:17:33 -0400 From: "Bates, Marie E." Subject: RE: BOUNCE message My husband and I were introduced to John Gorka when friends invited us to his concert. Since we wanted to spend the evening with friends and are open to different musical artists, we went. I'm glad that we did. We were instant fans! Now John is one of our favorite artists. Also, like others mentioned in their messages, we have discovered other artists because of John. We are now fans of David Wilcox, Richard Shindell, Brooks Williams and others. But, John still remains to be my favorite! We have converted many of our friends to be John Gorka fans. Now we all go to the concerts together. Many of these converts, in addition to my husband, are musicians as a hobby. I've seen John Gorka several times and just bought tickets to see him on November 20th. I would like to travel to some of the other concerts within the state of Pennsylvania, but my current schedule doesn't allow. Take care. Marie in Pittsburgh, PA > -----Original Message----- > From: Chris Thorpe [SMTP:haviland@erols.com] > Sent: Wednesday, October 07, 1998 11:20 AM > To: good-noise@smoe.org > Subject: Re: BOUNCE message > > > From: Andrew > Subject: First heard John... > > ...on a sampler Wyndham Hill sent me. Why don't they send me more! I > bought > five CD's as a result. > > The tracks on the sampler were from Out of the Valley and I was able to > buy > it straight off the shelf at my local record shop. Which is odd because > all > the others have been hard to find. I've ordered the new one from CD-Now > but > it won't come until after it's been released. Something to look forward > to. > > I have to say I wasn't sure about Out of the Valley at first. Like all > John's albums you've got to listen quite few times to get the tunes and > the > meanings into your head. At first I thought, there's not much to this, but > somehow I found myself putting it on just one more time... and then > putting > it on again. > > I've only heard him once on the radio here (in the UK), when Nanci > Griffith > choose some of her favourite tracks for a special BBC radio programme she > was hosting. John's "The Gypsy Life" was one of the tracks she chose. > > Cheers > Andrew > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 7 Oct 1998 21:34:18 EDT From: DLMTX@aol.com Subject: Re: When did you first hear John Gorka? I was a folkie from the early 70's on, but had lost track it all during the late 70's and early 80's having moved to NE Missouri and SE Iowa for a few years. The only radio I could find in Kirksville,MO was a pre-recorded mainstream -something style of music with no actual human attention to the listener. I moved to Texas and finally discovered NPR when the Gulf War occured and I was hungry for news. The public radio station in Corpus Christi, Texas had the folk show on Sunday nights right when I was beginning my weekly panic of making lessons and grading papers. In the midst of all that rush of joy at finding all the new folkies including John Gorka and his song " Stranger with Your Hair" which I fell in love with at first listen. I have seen him twice since then at a little club on the bayfront in Corpus and got to speak with him and thank him for allowing his "Gypsy Life" to appear on the compilation Cd "Silverwolf Homeless Project". And...............on Friday I have plans to see him again in Berkeley!!! Anyone else going? Deb In Fresno ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 07 Oct 1998 22:21:42 -0700 From: Susan Krauss Subject: First hearing I first heard John on a Fast Folk record I think. I may have heard him first at the Speakeasy or Folk City even before the Fast Folk record. I started hanging out in Greenwich Village in 1982 after college when the whole new folk scene was happening, with John and Christine Lavin and Shawn Colvin and Suzanne Vega and Lucy Kaplansky (first go round). I can't remember exactly but it was early - long before his first record came out. I see him Friday night in Berkeley for the umpteenth time. I guess I relate cause I'm from New Jersey. For those who get NPR's West Coast Live, John will be a guest this Saturday (10/10). susan ------------------------------ End of good-noise-digest V1 #22 *******************************