ohn Gorka entertains packed crowd with folk music
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by Kristine Cannon on January 21, 2010

John Gorka plays to a packed crowd at the Coconino Center for the Arts on Sunday. Gorka was in town for a one-night performance as he continues his tour through the US. Chad Sexton / The Lumberjack
Rolling Stone magazine dubbed him "the pre-eminent male singer-songwriter of the new folk movement" back in 1991. With more than 160 tickets sold for a 200-seat auditorium, John Gorka performed at the Coconino Center for the Arts (CCA) Jan. 17.

With his country, acoustic, folksy sound, Gorka booked his show at the CCA, where many loyal fans were expected to attend.

Matt Ziegler, owner of Greenhouse Productions and coordinator of the event, said Gorka was scheduled to meet the needs of folk music fans in Flagstaff as well as to promote and showcase events in diverse genres.

"[Gorka is] a big name in the East Coast folk scene, [where there's] great singer-songwriter stuff," Ziegler said. "Shows like that always tend to do pretty well out here; there's a lot of folk music fans. I mostly was familiar with his stature. He wouldn't be at that level if he wasn't a quality musician."

Originally from Pennsylvania, Gorka began his singer-songwriter career in the late '70s, before touring throughout the '80s all the way to the present day — nationally and all over Europe. Despite the longevity of Gorka's career, he continues to emphasize the importance of weaving simplistic guitar- and piano-based music with lyrics critics described as poignant, heartfelt and witty.

"I think the strength of what I do comes from what I have in common with others, not what is different," Gorka said. "There are songs about love and loss, about chasing your dreams, soldiers, war and peace, crime and punishment, love, nutrition, barnyard animals, and big behinds … so there are some universal themes."

John Gooby, a Flagstaff resident, has been a fan of Gorka for 18 years. He arrived nearly an hour early for the show and said he compares Gorka's musical styling to those of modern-day singer-songwriters.

"I like [Gorka] mainly for his stories, which have absolutely beautiful words," Gooby said. "If you like the singer-songwriter tradition — like Jack Johnson and Ben Harper — he's more on the folk side than that, but it's the same type of stories he creates."

According to Ziegler, Gorka's music is authentic and always has a story to tell.

"He's carrying on a really old tradition of being a troubadour, traveling around the country and sharing his music with people — something people were doing 100 years ago," Ziegler said.