Articles, Interviews and Reviews

“the preeminent male singer-singwriter of the New Folk Movement.” – Rolling Stone

“Gorka is widely heralded for the sophisticated intelligence and provocative originality of his songs.” – Boston Globe

“He weaves wry, slice of life observations…” – Associated Press

“Listening to John Gorka sing, one can get goose bumps all over. There are many reasons: fresh lyrics, a stunning emotional baritone, and his twisted humor.” – New York Times

2016 IAP Best Singer/Songwriter CD of the Year!!

“John Gorka is perhaps the quintessential iconic singer-songwriter of the 80’s folk scene. Hailing from New Jersey, but forged in the Greenwich Village Fast Folk scene, he honed his craft and persona into an unmistakable image. The shy, wry, insightful, and yes, sensitive singer-songwriter has been copied and parodied. But the old coat he wove still fits, and still suits him well. The old songs ring as true as they ever did, and the new ones are just as good.”

Music as Refuge: the Life of John Gorka

Rules of art were made to be shattered.
When broken by accident, that’s gaucheness. When broken on purpose, well, that’s style.
John Gorka’s technique breaks free from the rules of modern music.
… 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.”
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Whether you laugh or cry, John Gorka’s songs still resonate

John Gorka has heard of the episode of The Simpsons where Jackson Browne shows up to sing at the surprise birthday party for Homer’s wife, Marge. Browne announces that he’ll play songs from his new album, to which the crowd lets out a loud, collective groan.
Read more: The Dallas News

John Gorka’s Writing in the Margins

There are few contemporary songwriters that come anywhere close to the talent of John Gorka. His songs have a way of working on you long after you thought you had it all figured out. I will listen to a song that I know all the words to and can sing a long with and then one day sitting at a traffic light I realize that there was a whole other layer of meaning that I had missed.
Read more: Take Me To The Bridge