St. Clair Productions presents singer/songwriter John Gorka with Antje Duvekot opening on Thursday, March 6, 8 p.m., at the Unitarian Fellowship, 87 4th St., Ashland. Tickets are $20 in advance, $22 at the door, $10 for teens 12-17 and free under 12. Tickets available at www.stclairevents.com, 541-535-3562 or at the Music Coop in downtown Ashland.
Gorka is touring in support of his new CD Bright Side of Down, which is being released on March 4. This is the first release in over four years from the acclaimed songwriter, widely regarded as “one of contemporary folk music’s leading
talents” (Vintage Guitar).
“With a tangle of songs that emotionally connect us all and leave a tender trace, John Gorka stimulates the cerebrum, keeps our smiles agile and fit and reconnects us with what really matters most in music: honesty. His atmosphere allows for the listener to feel his individualized attention, his lyrical tenderness, his care for the guitar and his true presence.” Brian DAmbrosio, Huffington Post
"I don't mind calling myself a folksinger," says Gorka, "although, I'm not so sure that's what I am. I'm a blend of folk, rhythm and blues and gospel….”
In 1984, Gorka took first place at the Kerrville Folk Festival. Since then he has toured with artists such as Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, Michael Manring, Christine Lavin, Dave Van Ronk, Cliff Eberhardt, David Massengill, Frank Christian and Lucy Kaplansky. Many well known artists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs, including Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. Gorka has graced the stage of Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage, etown and has appeared on CNN.
Duvekot holds three top songwriting awards including the Kerrville New Folk Competition's Best New Folk Award, Boston Music Award for Outstanding Folk Act, and Grand Prize in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Her first recording, Big Dream Boulevard, was produced by Seamus Egan of Irish-American group Solas. Her second, The Near Demise of the High Wire Dancer, and her latest New Siberia were produced by Richard Shindell. When her song "Merry-Go-Round" was used in a Bank Of America commercial campaign in 2007, Duvekot's career really took off.
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