BEGIN:VCALENDAR METHOD:PUBLISH VERSION:2.0 CALSCALE:GREGORIAN PRODID:-//NONSGML Sandhills Development\, LLC//NONSGML Sugar Calendar Fe eds v3.4.0//EN X-WR-CALNAME:John Gorka X-WR-CALDESC:Portland Downtown X-WR-TIMEZONE:America/New_York BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 DTSTART:20221106T060000 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 DTSTART:20230312T070000 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VTIMEZONE TZID:America/New_York BEGIN:STANDARD TZOFFSETFROM:-0400 TZOFFSETTO:-0500 DTSTART:20221106T060000 TZNAME:EST END:STANDARD BEGIN:DAYLIGHT TZOFFSETFROM:-0500 TZOFFSETTO:-0400 DTSTART:20230312T070000 TZNAME:EDT END:DAYLIGHT END:VTIMEZONE BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:John Gorka DESCRIPTION:ADVANCE PURCHASE: $35\nAT THE DOOR: $45\nAll tickets will in cur an additional $7.00 surcharge.\n7pm doors - 8pm show\nALL AGES\n\n†śâ€¦the leading singer/songwriter of the New Folk movement” – Rollin g Stone\n\nFrom New Jersey\, John Gorka is a world-renowned singer-songw riter who got his start at a neighborhood coffeehouse in eastern Pennsyl vania. Though small\, Godfrey Daniels was and is one of the oldest and m ost venerable music institutions and has long been a hangout for music l overs and aspiring musicians. In the late 1970’s\, John was was one of these aspiring musicians. Although his academic coursework at Moravian College lay in Philosophy and History\, music began to offer paramount e nticements. Soon he found himself living in the club’s basement and ac ting as resident MC and sound man\, encountering legendary folk troubado urs like Canadian singer-songwriter Stan Rogers\, Eric Andersen\, Tom Pa xton and Claudia Schmidt. Their brand of folk-inspired acoustic music in spired him\, and before long he was performing his own songs – mostly as an opener for visiting acts. Soon he started traveling to New York Ci ty\, where Jack Hardy’s legendary Fast Folk circle (a breeding ground for many a major singer-songwriter) became a powerful source of educatio n and encouragement. Folk meccas like Texas’ Kerrville Folk Festival ( where he won the New Folk Award in 1984) and Boston followed\, and his s tunningly soulful baritone voice and original songwriting began turning heads. Those who had at one time inspired him – Suzanne Vega\, Bill Mo rrissey\, Nanci Griffith\, Christine Lavin\, Shawn Colvin – had become his peers.\n\nIn 1987\, the young Minnesota-based Red House Records cau ght wind of John’s talents and released his first album\, I Know\, to popular and critical acclaim. With unusual drive and focus\, John hit th e ground running and\, when an offer came from Windham Hill’s Will Ack erman in 1989\, he signed with that label’s imprint\, High Street Reco rds. He proceeded to record five albums with High Street over the next s even years: Land of the Bottom Line\, Jack’s Crows\, Temporary Road\, Out of the Valley and Between Five and Seven. His albums and his touring (over 150 nights a year at times) brought new accolades for his craft. His rich multifaceted songs full of depth\, beauty and emotion gained in creasing attention from critics and audiences across the country\, as we ll as in Europe where his tours led him through Italy\, Belgium\, Scotla nd\, Ireland\, Holland\, Switzerland and Germany. He also started sharin g tours with many notable friends—Nanci Griffith and Mary Chapin Carpe nter among them. All this brought his music to an ever-widening audience . His video for the single “When She Kisses Me” found a long-term ro tation on VH-1’s “Current Country\,” as well as on CMT and the Nas hville Network.\n\nIn 1998\, after five successful recordings and seven years at Windham Hill/High Street\, John felt the need for a change and decided to return to his musical roots at Red House Records. The choice was driven\, in part\, by the artistic integrity that the label represen ts in an industry where the business of music too often takes precedence . The 1998 release After Yesterday marked a decidedly different attitude towards making music for John\, and his next release The Company You Ke ep held fast to his tradition of fine songwriting\, yet moved forward do wn new avenues. Its fourteen songs displays John’s creative use of lyr ics and attention to detail. Andy Stochansky played drums and shared pro duction credits with John and Rob Genadek. Ani DiFranco\, Mary Chapin Ca rpenter\, Lucy Kaplansky and Patty Larkin contributed stellar guitar wor k and vocals to this fan favorite. Old Futures Gone was informed by his life as husband and father of two young children and also contained the colorful experience of many hard years on the road. Writing in the Margi ns followed in 2006 and was an engaging collection of sweet and serious songs that spanned many musical genres—folk\, pop\, country and soul†”and featured guest vocalists Nanci Griffith\, Lucy Kaplansky and Alice Peacock. Now with this\, his 11th studio album\, he returns to his roots with So Dark You See\, his most compelling and traditional album to dat e.\n\nIn addition to his 11 critically acclaimed albums\, John released a collector’s edition box featuring a hi-definition DVD and companion CD called The Gypsy Life. Windham Hill also released a collection of Joh n’s greatest hits from the label called Pure John Gorka. In 2010\, he also released an album with his friends and Red House label-mates Lucy K aplansky and Eliza Gilkyson under the name Red Horse. Getting high prais e from critics and fans alike\, it landed on the Billboard Folk Charts a nd was one of the most played albums on folk radio.\n\nMany well known a rtists have recorded and/or performed John Gorka songs\, including Mary Chapin Carpenter\, Nanci Griffith\, Mary Black and Maura O’Connell. Jo hn has graced the stage of Austin City Limits\, Mountain Stage\, etown a nd has appeared on CNN. His new song “Where No Monuments Stand” is f eatured in the upcoming documentary Every War Has Two Losers\, about act ivist and Oregon Poet Laureate William Stafford (1914-1993).\n\nJohn Gor ka lives in Minnesota and when not on the road\, he enjoys spending time with his wife and children. He continues to tour\, playing festivals\, theaters and clubs all over North America and Europe. URL;VALUE=URI:https://portlandmaine.com/events/john-gorka/ UID:urn:uuid:04c0be6c-c9e5-4c52-83ff-74483926934b STATUS:CONFIRMED ORGANIZER: DTSTAMP:20260610T120728Z DTSTART;TZID=America/New_York:20230427T200000 DTEND;TZID=America/New_York:20230427T220000 LOCATION:181 State St.\, Portland\, Maine 04101\, US END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR