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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 26, 2015)
Gordon Bok, fi sherpoet D A rememberer, a keeper of songs and traditions Don’t bother trying to characterize Gor- don Bok. Call him a musician, and you’ll ¿QG KH¶V DOVR D ZRRGZRUNHU DQG PDVWHU ZRRG FDUYHU +H¶V UHFHLYHG DQ KRQRU DU\ GRFWRUDWH IRU KHOSLQJ WR SUHVHUYH WKH KHULWDJH RI WKH ZRUNLQJ ZDWHUPDQ RI WKH Northeast, but he’s also a poet and a folk PXVLFLQQRYDWRU Bok calls himself a “rememberer, a NHHSHURIVRQJVDQGWUDGLWLRQVDQGZD\V of thinking that set us apart from others yet FRQ¿UPRXUSDFHLQWKHÀRZRIKXPDQLW\´ )ULGD\DQG6DWXUGD\QLJKWVKHZLOODS pear at the FisherPoets Gathering for the ¿UVWWLPHVLQFH³,OLNHWKHFRPSDQ\´ KHVD\V³DQG,OLNHWRKHDUZKDWWKH\VD\ DQG,¶PDOZD\VVXUSULVHGDQGGHOLJKWHGDW ZKDWWKH\FRPHXSZLWK´ ,QKLVUHVRQDQWEDULWRQH%RNZLOOVKDUH ZLWK WKH *DWKHULQJ KLV PXVLF DQG VWRULHV JDWKHUHGLQIURPDURXQGWKHZRUOGDQGUH interpreted and rooted in the traditions of the sea-girt lands about the Gulf of Maine: 1HZ(QJODQG1HZ%UXQVZLFN1RYD6FR WLDDQG&DSH%UHWRQ,VODQG+HSURPLVHV “some recent stuff and some traditional PXVLF´ %RN KDV EHHQ DURXQG IRU D ZKLOH +LV ¿UVW VHOIWLWOHG DOEXP ZDV SURGXFHG E\ Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul, and Mary, DQGUHOHDVHGLQ6LQFHWKHQKHKDVUH leased more than a score of solo albums DQGDOPRVWDVPDQ\ZLWKRWKHUPXVLFLDQV $VDVRQJZULWHU%RNGUDZVWUDGLWLRQDOEDO ODGV DQG HYRFDWLYH GHVFULSWLRQV IURP KLV H[SHULHQFH DURXQG WKH ZRUOG RI ZRUNLQJ ¿VKHUV ³0\ PXVLF ZDV UHJLRQDO ZKHQ , VWDUW HG´ WKH VLQJHU VD\V ³EXW LW¶V EURDGHQHG DELWFHUWDLQO\,¶YHZDQGHUHGIDUWKHUDQG OHDUQHGVRQJVIURPDOORYHUWKHZRUOGDQG WKDWVKRZV´ Bok may also reach into the depths of the myths that surround and haunt the sea. +HUHKHLVOLNHO\WRFRPELQHVRQJDQGVSR NHQ YHUVH WR VSHDN RI VHONLHV IDLUHV DQG VSLULWV DV LQ KLV ³6HDO 'MLULO¶V +\PQ´ DO bum. Or he may create cantefables, the ³IRON RSHUD´ IRUP KH UHLQYHQWHG DQG GH YHORSHGDQGZKLFKLVQRZZLGHO\XVHGE\ storytellers and musicians. %RN KDV DOZD\V EHHQ DQ LQQRYDWRU +H ZDVWKH¿UVWWREULQJWKHFRQWUDGDQFHWXQHV RI 0DLQH DQG 1HZ %UXQVZLFN LQWR WKH IRONJXLWDUUHSHUWRLUHDQGKHZDVSOD\LQJ South American tunes long before people 8 | February 26, 2015 | coastweekend.com ‘My music was regional when I started, but it’s broadened a bit, certainly. I’ve wandered farther and learned songs from all over the world, and that shows.’ Gordon Bok, of Camden, Maine, performs in 2011 at the Astoria Arts and Movement Center. ZHUHGDQFLQJWKHERVVDQRYD+HLQYHQWHG WKH ³EDODQFHG EULGJH´ WKDW LPSURYHG WKH DFRXVWLFVWULQJJXLWDUSURPRWHGWKHXVH RI WKH YLROD GD JDPED LQ IRON PXVLF DQG LQWKHVGHYLVHGWKHPXOWLNH\HG³%RN ZKLVWOH´ Bok’s repertoire includes sings from Mongolia to Australia, but his great strength lies in the music of North America DQG %ULWDLQ SDUWLFXODUO\ RI WKH +HEULGHV 2YHU WKH KDOIFHQWXU\ RI KLV FDUHHU PDQ\ of his compositions based on the seafaring OLIHKDYHSDVVHGLQWRWUDGLWLRQ³,¶PGUDZQ WR VRQJV WKDW VKRZ PH KRZ RWKHUV KDYH OLYHG WKHLU OLYHV DQG VRUWHG WKURXJK WKHLU SUREOHPV´KHVD\V³7KDW¶VWKHJUHDWZLV GRP LQ WUDGLWLRQDO PXVLF 7KH\¶YH VKRZQ PHKRZWROLYHDQGLIRWKHUVOHDUQVRPH thing from my passing them on, that’s an- RWKHUSOHDVXUH´ ,WLVLQWKHPDULWLPHWUDGLWLRQRIUHPRWH SDUWV RI WKH (QJOLVKVSHDNLQJ ZRUOG WKDW Gordon is most at home. Which makes him perfect for Astoria’s FisherPoets Gath- ering. Gordon Bok appears at the FisherPoets Gathering at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 27 at the Astoria Event Center and at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 28 at Pier 11. He will also be part of “The Didliest Catch,” a songwriting workshop with John Palmes and Jon Campbell, “to take a little bit of the mystery out of it,” on Pier 11 from 11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Saturday morning. Gordon Bok and his wife, Carol Rohl, perform in concert at the Astoria Arts and Movement Center following their appearances at the 2011 FisherPoets Gathering. the arts VISUAL ARTS • LITERATURE • THEATER • MUSIC & MORE Story and photos by DWIGHT CASWELL
