Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette Article
Published: October 5, 2008 6:00 a.m. Ohio promoters showcase acoustic music Steve Penhollow The
If you were paying attention this summer (and hopefully paying admission), you know that a bevy of local music lovers (and bevy is the correct term) were going out of their way to sidetrack cool touring acts out of their way and into the region.
One Lucky Guitar’s Matt Kelley, C2G’s Brad Etter, Rich Lee and Rob Wood of NIPR’s Little Brother Radio, WhatzUp writer Greg Locke and the folks over at the Brass Rail on Broadway risked all to bring to the area bands so cutting-edge that they will probably break up before Ryan Seacrest has had a chance to call them cutting-edge.
We can only hope.
Now another group of plucky promoters has entered that fray.
Visionary Promotions of Van Wert, Ohio.
The goal of Visionary Promotions is to encourage singer-songwriters to perform at the Marsh Auditorium in that northwestern Buckeye town.
First up is Boston folk phenom John Gorka on Oct. 11.
Gorka hasn’t agreed to perform any closer to Fort Wayne than Van Wert as far as I know.
“This whole journey began when I discovered the music of John Gorka while totally looking for something else on the Internet,” Visionary Promotions spokesperson James Clay wrote in an e-mail. “I listened to a few seconds of one of his songs, liked it and went to my iTunes to buy a couple of his songs. By the time I was done I had bought 35 songs and spent nearly $40. This was followed by trips to Toledo and Dayton to hear John perform live and I was hooked.
“I wanted to bring that kind of uplifting music back to my hometown and the surrounding area,” he wrote. “There is an old saying among these artists that says ‘There is literally hundreds of dollars to be made performing folk music,’ and that is so true. They are in it not for the fame and fortune but for the craft of making great music.”
I was working at an eclectic western Massachusetts radio station in 1990 when Gorka’s first CD, “Land of the Bottom Line,” came in.
My favorite song of Gorka’s, “Raven in the Storm,” is on that CD. I can’t think of a more ominous and chilling confessional song in folk music.
The task that Clay and his friends have set for themselves is tougher than it might seem to someone unschooled in the economics of folk and acoustic music. Touring singer-songwriters tend to stick to college towns and certain big cities with a lush history of supporting folk music.
“Not sure if this venture will be a success or not but I have enjoyed putting it all together as much as anything I have ever done,” Clay, a youth basketball coach by day, wrote.
“I think if folks come out and give it a chance they will really enjoy the experience and come away from it with a new appreciation for great acoustic music,” he wrote. “Huge venues with thousands of seats and loud ear-splitting music are OK sometimes, but for my money there is nothing better than a guy and a guitar singing about life and making your spirit soar.”
Clay isn’t taking any chances where “encouraging people to give it a chance” is concerned – Visionary Promotions is offering an unprecedented “100% Good Time Guarantee” on all its shows.
If you don’t like a concert, you can get your money back after it’s over.
Upcoming performers include Kate Campbell, Red Molly, Bryan White and Storyhill.
To see a full list and to order tickets, go to www.visionarypromotions.org. Or call 419-238-7419.