Next Stage Arts Project and Twilight Music present contemporary folk singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist John Gorka, plus folk duo Lizzy Mandell and Barry Stockwell, at Next Stage on Sunday, June 4 at 7:00 pm.
John Gorka is perhaps the quintessential iconic singer/songwriter of the 1980’s folk scene. Hailing from New Jersey, he honed his craft and persona as a shy, wry and insightful singer/songwriter in the Greenwich Village “Fast Folk” and Boston music scenes. John got his start at Godfrey Daniels, a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsylvania, which is one of the oldest and most venerable music institutions in the country. After releasing his first album with Minnesota-based Red House Records in 1987, he recorded five albums with Windham Hill’s Will Ackerman’s High Street Records between 1989 and 1996. Since then he has released five more solo albums on Red House, plus one with label-mates Lucy Kaplansky and Eliza Gilkyson under the name Red Horse. He continues to tour, playing festivals, theaters and clubs all over North America and Europe.
Twisting, turning and tying words and phrases, John Gorka works every nuance of language to capture a wide array of topics and experiences woven into memorable melodies. His rich multifaceted songs full of depth, beauty, and emotion have been recorded and/or performed by the likes of Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith, Mary Black, and Maura O’Connell. John has graced the stage of Austin City Limits, Mountain Stage and etown, and has appeared on CNN. His song “Where No Monuments Stand” is featured in the documentary Every War Has Two Losers, about activist and Oregon Poet Laureate William Stafford.
Vermont-based singer/songwriter Lizzy Mandell’s debut album “Made for Flying” won Times Argus/Rutland Herald Tammie Awards for best singer/songwriter and best album in 2012. After releasing a collaborative album “Free Now,” she is currently working on her second solo album, and performing select concerts with The Stockwell Brothers guitarist and vocalist Barry Stockwell.
Next Stage is located at 15 Kimball Hill in downtown Putney, VT. Tickets are $25 Advance / $28 At the Door / $10 Virtual. For information, call 802-387-0102. Advance tickets are available at nextstagearts.org. Next Stage will provide a beer, wine, and cocktail cash bar.