8 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Remembering
the light
Folksinger John
Gorka returns to
Astoria to play
benefit concert for
Coast Community
Radio on Jan. 17
By RYAN HUME
FOR COAST WEEKEND
O
n the heels of his
latest album, True in
Time, folk mainstay
John Gorka takes the stage
at the Performing Arts Cen-
ter in Astoria at 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 17. This solo
acoustic performance is a
benefit concert for Coast
Community Radio.
The host of KMUN radio
show Friday Folk, Albert
Smith, who helped orga-
nize the concert and has
seen Gorka many times, is
excited for the evening.
“I’ve been a programmer
on KMUN since the early
’90s and can say in hon-
esty that I’ve played John
since day one,” Smith said.
“Over that time he’s cre-
ated a library of music that
informs us, in a way, with
humor as well as humil-
ity. His ability to tell sto-
ries might bring a smile or a
tear, but always the human
condition.”
Coast Weekend spoke
with Gorka from his home
outside of St. Paul, Min-
nesota, where he has lived
with his wife and two kids
for about 23 years — the
longest the baritone-voiced
balladeer has ever settled
down in one spot. This con-
versation has been lightly
edited for length and clarity.
Coast Weekend: The
show you’ll be playing
in Astoria is a benefit for
KMUN Coast Community
Radio. What does public
or community radio mean
to you?
John Gorka: It’s pretty
crucial. The acoustic or folk
people don’t get a whole
lot of commercial radio air
play, so community radio,
public radio are the main
places. I guess now, more
and more, internet radio is
the way we — or at least I
— get any air play. There
are a few commercial sta-
tions, but there’s not very
many.
IF YOU GO
John Gorka live in
concert
A benefit for Coast
Community Radio
When: 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 17
Where: Performing Arts
Center, 588 16th St.,
Astoria
Tickets: $20
and available at
LibertyAstoria.org
Look, any form of music
that isn’t super-popular, it
runs on venues that like the
music and want to bring it
to their town, not because
they’re going to make a lot
of money from the shows.
It’s a lot volunteers and peo-
ple giving up their time
and effort to bring music to
town and put it on the radio.
CW: Do you know how
this show got set up?
JG: I don’t know, but
Photo illustration by
Joe del Tufo/Moonloop
Photography
John Gorka.