Date: Fri 12-Feb-1999

Publication: Bee

Author: SHANNO

Quick Words:

Gorka-Yesterday-Edmond-WPKN

Full Text:

John Gorka's Return Encompassed East To "Yesterday" Music

(with photo)

BY SHANNON HICKS

John Gorka's latest album, called After Yesterday , is so new, most of the

people who turned out for the singer-songwriter's concert at Edmond Town Hall

last week were unfamiliar with any of the new material.

Fortunately, Gorka's endearing stage presentation -- from his wonderful

anecdotes to his feigned confusion, and even his admission at one point to

forgetting the words to one of his own songs -- so charmed everyone at the

February 4 concert, he had a captive audience through the duration of the

show.

The concert was a benefit for radio station WPKN, but the auditorium at the

town hall held a relatively small audience for the popular performer.

Nevertheless, Gorka charmed everyone who showed up. Generations of the folk

genre were in the auditorium, which became evident when, while the grown-ups

were clapping after a performance of "Cypress Trees," off the new album, a

very young voice called out "Will you play `My Invisible Gun'?" About a lyric

and a half into the song, the singer pulled out a lyric sheet for reference,

but the request was fulfilled and dedicated, personally, to a young fan named

Adam.

The concert offered a selection of songs that dated back to the singer's first

album, I Know . Regardless of the songs' age, they were all enjoyed. Older

songs generated appreciative applause right from the beginning notes by fans

who were thrilled to hear tunes they could sing along to.

With the new material -- including "When The Ice Goes Out" and "When He

Cries," both from After Yesterday -- Gorka drew his audience so well into his

performance circle, it was enjoyable to listen to the new material as it was

being presented, just for the sake of hearing each mini-story's outcome.

Gorka presented a stripped-down performance of his material last week,

accompanying himself with either his guitar or, for a few songs, a piano. The

new album offers the songs with Gorka on vocals and a variety of instruments,

backed by a group of well-known folk musicians, everyone from NAIRD Guitarist

of the Year Dean Magraw to the vocalist (and Red House Records labelmate) Lucy

Kaplansky. Whether accompanied by a full band or as a lone musician, Gorka's

songs were certainly celebrated last week on the Newtown stage.

WPKN always brings terrific performers into Newtown for the concerts it

sponsors. If you are going to ask people to buck up some of their hard-earned

money, the promised show had better be a good investment...especially if the

station is going to ask people to show up for concerts a few times each year.

With John Gorka's concert last Thursday, the 'PKN tradition of excellent music

for a very reasonable ticket price continued.