OK, so I suppose this review is a bit overdue. I saw John Gorka at Uncle Calvin's Coffeehouse on Dec. 11, but the memory -- and even the coffee -- linger. Where else can you get Kenyan AA Extra Bold? Besides, Uncle Calvin's is on hiatus until Jan. 8, when Dana Cooper appears as the headliner. So, even though I may be a bit behind, please consider this a rave review of the final Uncle Calvin's show of 2015.
In keeping with my "five best songs" series, the following are the tunes I most enjoyed, the ones I consider thoroughly Gorkaesque in coming from one of my favorite singer-songwriters:
1) "I'm from New Jersey." This tune is just flat-out hilarious, and it underscores something heard the other day at Dallas Children's Theater, where during the Lone Star Circus I ran into a friend who had seen Gorka the same night as me: "You forget," Ed Gunsalus said, "how incredibly funny Gorka can be." True. My wife, who loves Gorka's music, says she's never heard an artist who can make you laugh and cry as much as he does in a single concert. In "I'm from New Jersey," Gorka describes his native state as follows: "It's like Ohio, but only more so." I also love:
I'm from New Jersey, I don't expect too much
If the world ended today, I would adjust.
2) "Flying Red Horse." As you may know, I have written often in recent months about Pegasus, the symbol of Dallas, and how we now have two Pegasi, one atop the Magnolia Building, the other on a miniature oil derrick in front of the Omni Dallas Hotel. Click here for all you need to know about the history of Pegasus as it relates to Dallas. I recommended to Gorka that he drive over and see, during his visit, the restored, original Pegasus in front of the Omni. And he did! Although tempted upon seeing Gorka, Pegasus apparently declined the chance to leap off the derrick and fly away. What a story that would have been.
3) "Let Them In." This killer ballad is taken from a poem written by a woman named Elma Dean. There's more about it here, in this link from Gorka's Web site. It's as haunting an anti-war ballad as any you'll ever hear. And yes, it's guaranteed to elicit the other emotion Gorka's music evokes. This isn't the first time this has happened, but I saw people crying when Gorka finished the song. He did not sing his own "Temporary Road" during the most recent Uncle Calvin's show. It, too, is a memorable listen. The opening notes on Gorka's guitar even sound like a soldier skating on a river. "When the ice gives in beneath you," the song goes, "you know it changes how you dream. And you will never be the same again." I love the cutting anger of Jackson Browne's "Lives in the Balance" as an anti-war classic. Gorka's contributions offer a more melancholy tone but one that sticks to the soul just as much.
4) "Night Is a Woman." This is one of my favorite Gorka ballads and one of the few he played on the piano. If I ever get the screenplay finished and the movie gets made, I have to make sure this song makes the soundtrack. I can see the 24-year-old protagonist trudging through an Alaskan snowfall broken-hearted, having only the chilly night as his companion. The opening lines:
Night is a woman who embraces me
I am never lonely in her arms Deep in her heart I am free from harm The moon and the stars are her ancient charms She gives to me the gift of less to see Night is a woman who embraces me5) "Snow Don't Fall." Gorka did not write this song, but he sings it often, and his cover of a classic by the late Townes Van Zandt is a keeper. Gorka said he met Van Zandt and saw him again a few years later. Unsure the Texas legend would remember him, Gorka was happily surprised when Van Zandt said: "I never forget a nose." Something I learned recently about Van Zandt: My mother was born and grew up in Van Zandt County in East Texas, in the town of Wills Point. And what do you know -- Van Zandt County is named for the family of the great Townes Van Zandt.
An added element to Gorka's most recent Uncle Calvin's show: We got to hear the angelic voice of Amilia K. Spicer, who did a terrific warm-up set before adding her uniquely special touch on background vocals. I love her song "Train Wreck."
Writer's note: A special thank-you to Susan Rostron, who allowed me the use of her terrific black and white photo of Gorka playing a concert just before he came to Texas. The great Ira Hantz was unable to attend the most recent Uncle Calvin's show, thus forcing Granberry to look elsewhere.
Here's a YouTube video of Gorka singing another of his classic songs, "Blue Chalk," which he also performed at Uncle Calvin's:
