WS640: John Gorka and Eliza Gilkyson, Blitz the Ambassador




The Woodsongs Old Time Radio Hour Podcast show

Summary: JOHN GORKA AND ELIZA GILKYSON are considered two of the best contemporary Singer/songwriters touring today. These longtime friends recently teamed up with Lucy Kaplansky to form the super folk group Red Horse. The trio's self titled debut CD was released last year and it became an instant folk classic and a big hit with fans. JOHN GORKA is a world-renowned singer-songwriter who was raised in New Jersey and came out of New York City's Greenwich Village folk scene that produced such songwriters as Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin. His award-winning songs have been recorded and performed by such notable artists as Mary Chapin Carpenter, Nanci Griffith and Mary Black. John has recorded eleven solo albums, six on Red House Records. His latest is So Dark You See. ELIZA GILKYSON is a politically minded, poetically gifted singer-songwriter, who has become one of the most respected musicians in roots, folk and Americana circles. The Grammy-nominated artist was inducted into the Austin Music Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2006, she was recognized with 3 Austin Music Awards and 4 Folk Alliance Music Awards, one of which was for "Song of the Year" for her tune "Man of God." Her latest solo CD is Roses at the End of Time on Red House Records. BLITZ THE AMBASSADOR may seem like an unusual booking for WoodSongs at first glance. The Ghanaian-born, New York-based composer, and producer unleashes psychedelic Afrobeat colors and triple-time rhymes with a lightning-fast mind, the political boldness of Chuck D, and the sixth groove sense of Fela Kuti. All set to swirls of brass, distorted guitars, and the crackle and pop of old amplifiers. However, for his WoodSongs performance, Blitz will be performing a more intimate, stripped down set. Check out his video for "Remembering The Future" to see this talented artist in action as Michael welcomes the show's first hip hop artist and explores the genre's connection to folk music.