Out of the Valley
Encyclopedia
Out of the Valley is a 1994 album by contemporary folk singer-songwriter
John Gorka
. This is Gorka's fifth album and unlike the previous four recorded in various places in the northeastern United States
, Out of the Valley was recorded at Imagine Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
. This is also the first of several Gorka albums to employ the talents of guitarist/producer John Jennings
.
Guest vocalists include country music
superstars Kathy Mattea
and Mary Chapin Carpenter
among others. Guest instrumentalists include guitarist Leo Kottke
, Fairport Convention
drummer Dave Mattacks
, and bluegrass virtuosos Jerry Douglas
and Tim O'Brien
. A notable absence is the voice of Lucy Kaplansky
whose background vocals have been a feature of all other Gorka albums.
This is perhaps Gorka's most commercial album and is his only work to have ranked on one of Billboard
's charts. It peaked at # 26 on the "Heatseekers
" chart. Reactions to the increased level of commercial production in Gorka's folk music were varied. Allmusic states: "...many of the dense musical
arrangements do a disservice to his powerful voice." Meanwile a review in Sing Out!
reads: "...nowhere does star power take precedence over bringing out the best in these songs. Congratulations are due to both Gorka and to producer John Jennings." The songs are more upbeat than some of Gorka's earlier works and generally better suited to a the more glossy production. Gorka's writing, however, remains strong. Sing Out! states that "Out of the Valley... reveals a mature artist with a keen sense of observation with equal parts humor and compassion." "The Valley" in Gorka's title is a reference to Pennsylvania
's Lehigh Valley
and as with Gorka's previous albums a number of songs feature stories and characters that are based on Gorka's experiences living in this area that surrounds Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
.
High Street Records
also offered a limited release promotional EP
titled Motor Folkin' with alternative mixes of songs from the Out of the Valley recording sessions.
"Good Noise" is an upbeat gospel
-tinged song that promotes a bright optimism
not often found in Gorka's earlier work. High Street Records
promoted this song with a music video that appeared on media such as CMT
. Cover versions include a recording of the song by the Scottish
folk band, The John Wright Band for the 2001 album, Language of the Heart.
Musicians:
"That's Why" is not Gorka's only tribute to the "King of Rock'n'Roll
", for another see the 2006 Billy C. Wirtz album, Sermon from Bethlehem, for a recording of "The King & I", a tune penned by Gorka and Fred Koller
.
Musicians:
Musicians:
"Talk About Love" is another one of Gorka's happy blue-inflected love songs. The as with the track, "Good Noise" the liner notes describe Jonell Mossers' work as "Testifying vocals".
Musicians:
Musicians:
Musicians:
's Lehigh Valley
. It was sometime around the time of the recording of this album that Gorka himself moved out of "The Valley" and began the transition to his current home in Minnesota
.
Musicians:
A reviewer for Allmusic preferred the relatively simple production. He wrote that this track, "in which the only instrumentation is a guitar and the voices of Gorka and Mary Chapin Carpenter
, demonstrates an amazing imagination and an ability to captivate with great storytelling."
Musicians:
proud."
Musicians:
Production:
released by High Street Records
. Perhaps the track of greatest interest from this release was the live solo version of "Furniture" recorded at "The Mountain", KMTT
in Seattle, Washington
. Remixes of "Mystery to Me" and "Good Noise" were also included, as was an in-studio recording of "Campaign Trail". A final mix of "Campaign Trail" was not released until 1996 on Gorka's Between Five and Seven
.
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
John Gorka
John Gorka
John Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
. This is Gorka's fifth album and unlike the previous four recorded in various places in the northeastern United States
Northeastern United States
The Northeastern United States is a region of the United States as defined by the United States Census Bureau.-Composition:The region comprises nine states: the New England states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont; and the Mid-Atlantic states of New...
, Out of the Valley was recorded at Imagine Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. This is also the first of several Gorka albums to employ the talents of guitarist/producer John Jennings
John Jennings (musician)
John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
.
Guest vocalists include country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
superstars Kathy Mattea
Kathy Mattea
Kathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...
and Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American folk and country music artist. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer...
among others. Guest instrumentalists include guitarist Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke
Leo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
, Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English folk rock and later electric folk band, formed in 1967 who are still recording and touring today. They are widely regarded as the most important single group in the English folk rock movement...
drummer Dave Mattacks
Dave Mattacks
Dave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
, and bluegrass virtuosos Jerry Douglas
Jerry Douglas
Jerry Douglas may refer to:*Jerry Douglas , actor, who was on The Young and the Restless for 25 years*Jerry Douglas, country/bluegrass musician*Jerry Douglas , director and writer of adult films such as, Score...
and Tim O'Brien
Tim O'Brien
Tim O'Brien may refer to:* Tim O'Brien , American author* Timothy O'Brien , Irish professor* Timothy L...
. A notable absence is the voice of Lucy Kaplansky
Lucy Kaplansky
Lucy Kaplansky is an American folk musician based in New York City. Kaplansky also has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Yeshiva University.-Biography:...
whose background vocals have been a feature of all other Gorka albums.
This is perhaps Gorka's most commercial album and is his only work to have ranked on one of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
's charts. It peaked at # 26 on the "Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers
Top Heatseekers refers to either of two separate "Breaking and Entering" music charts issued weekly by Billboard Magazine: the Heatseekers Albums chart or the Heatseekers Songs chart. They were introduced by Billboard in 1993 with the purpose of highlighting the sales by new and developing musical...
" chart. Reactions to the increased level of commercial production in Gorka's folk music were varied. Allmusic states: "...many of the dense musical
arrangements do a disservice to his powerful voice." Meanwile a review in Sing Out!
Sing Out!
Sing Out! is a quarterly journal of folk music and folk songs that has been published since May 1950.-Background:Sing Out! is the primary publication of the tax exempt, not-for-profit, educational corporation of the same name...
reads: "...nowhere does star power take precedence over bringing out the best in these songs. Congratulations are due to both Gorka and to producer John Jennings." The songs are more upbeat than some of Gorka's earlier works and generally better suited to a the more glossy production. Gorka's writing, however, remains strong. Sing Out! states that "Out of the Valley... reveals a mature artist with a keen sense of observation with equal parts humor and compassion." "The Valley" in Gorka's title is a reference to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
's Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
and as with Gorka's previous albums a number of songs feature stories and characters that are based on Gorka's experiences living in this area that surrounds Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Bethlehem is a city in Lehigh and Northampton Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 74,982, making it the seventh largest city in Pennsylvania, after Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Allentown, Erie,...
.
High Street Records
High Street Records
High Street Records was a subsidiary label of Windham Hill Records from about 1990 to 1997. Notable acts who recorded for the label include John Gorka, Pierce Pettis, Patty Larkin, The Subdudes, and Dots Will Echo...
also offered a limited release promotional EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
titled Motor Folkin' with alternative mixes of songs from the Out of the Valley recording sessions.
Track listing
All songs written by John Gorka except where noted.- "Good Noise" – 3:05
- "That's Why" – 3:19
- "Carnival Knowledge (Second Hand Face)" – 3:46
- "Talk About Love" – 3:11
- "Big Time Lonesome" – 5:31
- "Furniture" – 4:47
- "Mystery to Me" (Gorka, BartleyGeoff BartleyGeoff Bartley is an American acoustic guitarist and singer/songwriter whose musical style combines roots, blues, jazz, and traditional folk. He began performing in 1969 and lives in the Boston area. He can be seen every Monday night hosting an open mic night at in Cambridge, Massachusetts...
) – 3:43 - "Out of the Valley" – 4:48
- "Thoughtless Behavior" – 4:22
- "Always Going Home" – 3:32
- "Flying Red Horse" – 4:14
- "Up Until Then" – 4:48
Good Noise
"Good Noise" is an upbeat gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
-tinged song that promotes a bright optimism
Optimism
The Oxford English Dictionary defines optimism as having "hopefulness and confidence about the future or successful outcome of something; a tendency to take a favourable or hopeful view." The word is originally derived from the Latin optimum, meaning "best." Being optimistic, in the typical sense...
not often found in Gorka's earlier work. High Street Records
High Street Records
High Street Records was a subsidiary label of Windham Hill Records from about 1990 to 1997. Notable acts who recorded for the label include John Gorka, Pierce Pettis, Patty Larkin, The Subdudes, and Dots Will Echo...
promoted this song with a music video that appeared on media such as CMT
Country Music Television
Country Music Television, or CMT, is an American country music-oriented cable television network. Programming includes music videos, taped concerts, movies, biographies of country music stars, game shows, and reality programs...
. Cover versions include a recording of the song by the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
folk band, The John Wright Band for the 2001 album, Language of the Heart.
Musicians:
- Drums – Dave MattacksDave MattacksDave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
- Bass – J. T. Brown
- Piano – Matt RollingsMatt RollingsMatt Rollings is an American composer, musician and record producer. He plays piano, organ, and keyboards.Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, he has worked with many artists, not all country...
- Electric and acoustic guitar – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- Acoustic guitar and vocal – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
- Backing Vocals – Jonell Mosser, Barbara Santoro, Vinnie Santoro, and John Jennings
- "Testifying vocals" – Jonell Mosser
That's Why
Gorka never explicitly names the subject of "That's Why". Listeners, however, are able to ascertain much from various references. The following lines about a commemorative stamp are just one example:- The fat man's gone the thin one stayed
- Still flashy in that gold lame'
- Lick his back and press him down
- Mail him to another town
- That's why, why they say he's still alive
"That's Why" is not Gorka's only tribute to the "King of Rock'n'Roll
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
", for another see the 2006 Billy C. Wirtz album, Sermon from Bethlehem, for a recording of "The King & I", a tune penned by Gorka and Fred Koller
Fred Koller
Fred Koller is an American singer-songwriter. He has been active in the music business since 1973. Fred currently lives and works in Nashville with his wife Trish and their cat Buddy.-Music career:...
.
Musicians:
- Bass – – Michael ManringMichael ManringMichael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
- Lead guitar – Leo KottkeLeo KottkeLeo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
- Acoustic guitar & vocal – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
- Backing vocal – Kathy MatteaKathy MatteaKathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...
Carnival Knowledge
According to Sing Out! "Carnival Knowledge" is a tragic story of a circus clown whose grease paint provides his only escape from the depths of low self-esteem."Musicians:
- Drums – Vinnie Santoro
- Bass – J. T. Brown
- Electric guitar – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- Acoustic guitar – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
Talk About Love
"Talk About Love" is another one of Gorka's happy blue-inflected love songs. The as with the track, "Good Noise" the liner notes describe Jonell Mossers' work as "Testifying vocals".
Musicians:
- Drums – Dave MattacksDave MattacksDave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
- Bass – J. T. Brown
- Piano & Organ – Matt RollingsMatt RollingsMatt Rollings is an American composer, musician and record producer. He plays piano, organ, and keyboards.Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, he has worked with many artists, not all country...
- Electric, acoustic guitars & backing vocal – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- 12-string guitar & vocal – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
- Testifying & backing vocals – Jonell Mosser
Big Time Lonesome
- Bass – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- "Weisenheimer" guitarWeissenbornWeissenborn or H. Weissenborn is a brand of lap slide guitar manufactured by Hermann Weissenborn in Los Angeles in the 1920s and 1930s....
– Jerry DouglasJerry DouglasJerry Douglas may refer to:*Jerry Douglas , actor, who was on The Young and the Restless for 25 years*Jerry Douglas, country/bluegrass musician*Jerry Douglas , director and writer of adult films such as, Score... - Acoustic guitar – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
Furniture
Sing Out! called "Furniture", a "song of critical self-examination without self-pity."Musicians:
- 10-string basses – Michael ManringMichael ManringMichael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
- Guitar – Leo KottkeLeo KottkeLeo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
- Vocal – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
- Backing vocals – Kathy MatteaKathy MatteaKathleen Alice "Kathy" Mattea is an American country music and bluegrass performer who often brings folk, Celtic and traditional country sounds to her music. Active since 1983 as a recording artist, she has recorded seventeen albums and has charted more than thirty singles on the Billboard Hot...
Mystery to Me
According to Allmusic, "the track "Mystery to Me" reveals [Gorka's] wicked sense of humor about the mysteries of attraction."Musicians:
- Drums – Dave MattacksDave MattacksDave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
- Bass – J. T. Brown
- Electric & acoustic guitars – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- Gibson archtop acoustic guitar & vocal – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
- Backing & testifying vocals – Jonell Mosser
- Tambourine – "Mystery Man"
Out of the Valley
Like many songs in Gorka's earlier catalog, "Out of the Valley" draws on Gorka's experiences living in PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
's Lehigh Valley
Lehigh Valley
The Lehigh Valley, known officially by the United States Census Bureau as the Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ metropolitan area and referred to locally as The Valley and A-B-E, is a metropolitan region consisting of Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, and Carbon counties in eastern Pennsylvania and...
. It was sometime around the time of the recording of this album that Gorka himself moved out of "The Valley" and began the transition to his current home in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
.
Musicians:
- Drums – Dave MattacksDave MattacksDave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
- Bass – J. T. Brown
- Electric guitar & organ – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- Acoustic guitar & vocal – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
- Additional vocals – Mary Chapin CarpenterMary Chapin CarpenterMary Chapin Carpenter is an American folk and country music artist. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer...
Thoughtless Behavior
Musicians- Acoustic guitar & vocal – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
- Backpack guitar, & harmony vocal – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- Bass – – Michael ManringMichael ManringMichael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
Always Going Home
Musicians:- Percussion – Vinnie Santoro
- Bass mandolin & vocal – Tim O'BrienTim O'BrienTim O'Brien may refer to:* Tim O'Brien , American author* Timothy O'Brien , Irish professor* Timothy L...
- Bass – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- Dobro – Jerry DouglasJerry DouglasJerry Douglas may refer to:*Jerry Douglas , actor, who was on The Young and the Restless for 25 years*Jerry Douglas, country/bluegrass musician*Jerry Douglas , director and writer of adult films such as, Score...
- 12-string guitear – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
Flying Red Horse
"Flying Red Horse" has been described as a "fantasy of freedom inspired by a gas station sign." Gorka shares his vision of the Mobil logo coming to life and escaping to the sky. While the song is delivered in a serious tone Gorka manages to inject a fair amount of humor:- Full serve attendants were spilling their hoses
- Self-serve was doing the same
- The manager dialed the emergency numbers
- Insurance man won't take the claim
A reviewer for Allmusic preferred the relatively simple production. He wrote that this track, "in which the only instrumentation is a guitar and the voices of Gorka and Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter
Mary Chapin Carpenter is an American folk and country music artist. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer...
, demonstrates an amazing imagination and an ability to captivate with great storytelling."
Musicians:
- Bass – Edgar MeyerEdgar MeyerEdgar Meyer is a prominent contemporary bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. Meyer has worked as a session musician in Nashville, part of various chamber groups, a composer, and an arranger...
- Piano Matt RollingsMatt RollingsMatt Rollings is an American composer, musician and record producer. He plays piano, organ, and keyboards.Known mainly for playing in Lyle Lovett's Large Band, he has worked with many artists, not all country...
- Acoustic guitar & vocal John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
- Backing vocal Mary Chapin CarpenterMary Chapin CarpenterMary Chapin Carpenter is an American folk and country music artist. Carpenter spent several years singing in Washington, D.C. clubs before signing in the late 1980s with Columbia Records, who marketed her as a country singer...
Up Until Then
Sing Out! stated that "Up Until Then" offers a scene of local characters "that would make Tom WaitsTom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
proud."
Musicians:
- Drums – Dave MattacksDave MattacksDave Mattacks is a rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician, and as a performance artist...
- Bass – J. T. Brown
- Electric & acoustic guitars – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- Acoustic guitars & vocal – John GorkaJohn GorkaJohn Gorka is a contemporary American folk musician. In 1991, Rolling Stone magazine called him "the preeminent male singer-songwriter of what has been dubbed the New Folk Movement."-Biography:...
- Harmony vocal – Jonell Mosser
Credits
Musicians:- (see individual songs above)
Production:
- Producer – John JenningsJohn Jennings (musician)John Jennings is an American musician: a guitarist, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer.Among his producer work are 8 albums by Mary Chapin Carpenter, as well as releases by Beausoleil, John Gorka, and Janis Ian...
- Recorded – Eric PaulEric PaulEric Paul is a noise rock singer. He is known for his disturbing vocals, lyrics and energetic stage presence. Eric Paul has played in many popular noise bands, such as Arab on Radar until their break up in 2003. His current project is a noise and experimental group called The Chinese Stars.Paul has...
at Imagine Sound Studios, Nashville, TennesseeNashville, TennesseeNashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
, USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Additional recording of Leo KottkeLeo KottkeLeo Kottke is an acoustic guitarist. He is widely known for his innovative fingerpicking style, which draws on influences from blues, jazz, and folk music, and his syncopated, polyphonic melodies...
– Scott Rivard at Studio M, Saint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - Mixed – Bob DawsonBob DawsonBob Dawson was a Canadian radio broadcaster and actor based in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dawson was a fixture on the local radio circuit during the late 1970s and 80's, holding various on air and promotional positions at radio stations such CJOR , CJJC and CKXY...
and John Jennings at Bias Recording Company, Springfield, VirginiaSpringfield, VirginiaSpringfield is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States and a suburb of Washington, D.C. The Springfield CDP is recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau with a population of 30,484 as of the 2010 census. Homes and businesses in bordering CDPs including North Springfield,...
, USAUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Motor Folkin'
Motor Folkin' was a 1994 limited issue promotional EPExtended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
released by High Street Records
High Street Records
High Street Records was a subsidiary label of Windham Hill Records from about 1990 to 1997. Notable acts who recorded for the label include John Gorka, Pierce Pettis, Patty Larkin, The Subdudes, and Dots Will Echo...
. Perhaps the track of greatest interest from this release was the live solo version of "Furniture" recorded at "The Mountain", KMTT
KMTT
KMTT , marketed as "103-7 The Mountain", is an adult album alternative FM radio station in the Seattle, Washington market.The station broadcasts at 103.7 MHz and is owned and operated by Entercom Communications. The station's transmitting antenna is on Reichert's Hill on Cougar Mountain...
in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
. Remixes of "Mystery to Me" and "Good Noise" were also included, as was an in-studio recording of "Campaign Trail". A final mix of "Campaign Trail" was not released until 1996 on Gorka's Between Five and Seven
Between Five and Seven
Between Five and Seven is as the name suggests, the sixth studio album by folk singer-songwriter John Gorka. It was released in August 1996. It is the last of the five albums Gorka recorded for Windham Hill/High Street Records before returning to the smaller, Red House label...
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External links
- Out of the Valley page at the Official John Gorka web site (lyrics, audio samples)