MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com
From left, singer-songwriters Patty Larkin, Cliff Eberhardt, Lucy Kaplansky and John Gorka perform at Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair, on Jan. 11.
As part of the “On a Winter’s Night” concert that took place at The Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair on Jan. 11, John Gorka sang “Where the Bottles Break,” from his 1991 album Jack’s Crows.
“I have not changed any words,” he said before performing it. “I sing the words exactly the way I did when I recorded it, back then. But the world changes, you know. And sometimes the meanings change. And sometimes they don’t.”
MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com
John Gorka at Outpost in the Burbs in Montclair, Jan. 11.
What he was talking about became clear when he got to the part of the song that was about real estate developers:
The buyers come from somewhere else
They raise the rent so you can’t hide
The buyers come from out of state
And they raise the rent
Buy low, sell high
You get rich and you still die
Money talks, people jump
Ask how high
Lowlife Donald what’s-his-name
And who cares?
I don’t wanna know what his new wife doesn’t wear
It’s a shame that the people at work
Wanna hear about this kind of jerk
Other performers on this group show — also featuring Lucy Kaplansky, Patty Larkin and Cliff Eberhardt — touched on politics more subtly. Kaplansky sang her “Song of the Exiled” (watch video below), in which the “exiled” are immigrants who come to New York and “make this city run” — those who “live the story of our city and the promise of our flag.” And Larkin, introducing “The Fool’s Song” — a William Carlos Williams poem that she set to music — noted that Williams was the son of immigrants, and that his first language was Spanish.
Politics was one theme, but not a dominant one, at this show, which ranged from love songs and reflective autobiographical narratives, to comedic tunes and unpredictable covers.
MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com
From left, John Gorka, Patty Larkin and Lucy Kaplansky at Outpost in the Burbs.
Eberhardt performed his “Everyone’s Wounded” (watch video below), a wry look at the human condition that he wrote for Aaron Posner’s 2019 musical “The Heal” (based on Sophocles’ “Philoctetes”); “take a look at that person in the seat next to you .. (long pause) … they may look like they’re fine, but they’re wounded, too,” he sang. Gorka opened his solo mini-set with his even wryer “I’m From New Jersey” (watch video below), inspired by growing up in Colonia. Kaplansky sang both Eliza Gilkyson’s “Sanctuary” and Nanci Griffith’s “I Wish It Would Rain”; before the latter, she talked about singing with the late Griffith, who, Kaplansky said, once announced at a Nashville recording session that “she had been thinking Lucy Kaplansky was not a suitable name for country music, so she decided to rename me Lucybelle.”
The evening ended with everyone singing Smokey Robinson’s Motown classic “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” together.
The show was part of a tour that was billed as a “Reunion Tour.” Gorka, Larkin and others appeared on the 1994 compilation album On a Winter’s Night, organized by Christine Lavin to celebrate the winter season through music. They, along with Eberhardt and Kaplansky, have participated in many “On a Winter’s Night” tours over the years.
They have deep bonds that transcend these tours, though. Kaplansky said it was Gorka who introduced her to Griffith, and both she and he talked about the first time they met, in the ’80s. Larkin talked about how Kaplansky encouraged her to return to live performing after suffering a major spinal cord injury in 2022.
MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com
Cliff Eberhardt and Lucy Kaplansky at Outpost in the Burbs.
Eberhardt called Gorka “one of my best friends I’ve ever had. I’ve known him for 40 years. We’ve traveled all over the country many, many, many, many hundreds of times. He’s a fantastic songwriter, a fantastic singer, a great guitar player, a great harmony singer. I hate him.”
The show had two parts. In the first one, each singer-songwriter performed two songs apiece, after being introduced by one of the others; these were solo performances, though Larkin, on “The Fool’s Song,” ingeniously used a looped guitar riff to make it seem like more than one musician was playing. Another highlight was Kaplansky’s “Last Days of Summer,” a bittersweet song about her daughter leaving home to attend college; it was the first song of the evening, and established a deep, emotionally raw tone.
In the second half, everyone stayed onstage together for 12 more songs (not counting the “You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” encore), and took turns singing lead, with the others contributing backing music and vocals. Eberhardt gave “God Bless the Child” a jazzy feel; Larkin’s “The Book I’m Not Reading” was an upbeat singalong. Harmony vocals were rich and warm throughout.
You could tell that everyone was having a great time, basking of the presence of their longtime friends, and the compelling music they were making together.
MICHAEL STAHL, portraitsbymichaelstahl.com
Patty Larkin at Outpost in the Burbs.
Here is the show’s setlist, with the lead singers noted in parentheses:
“Last Days of Summer” (Kaplansky)
“Song of the Exiled” (Kaplansky)
“Open Arms (Don’t Explain)” (Larkin)
“The Fool’s Song” (Larkin)
“Everyone’s Wounded” (Eberhardt)
“Have a Little Heart” (Eberhardt)
“I’m From New Jersey” (Gorka)
“Where the Bottles Break” (Gorka)
(intermission)
“Down in the Milltown” (Gorka)
“Ten Year Night” (Kaplansky)
“Your Face” (Eberhardt)
“Tango” (Larkin)
“Love Is Our Cross to Bear” (Gorka)
“I Wish It Would Rain” (Kaplansky)
“God Bless the Child” (Eberhardt)
“I Told Him That My Dog Wouldn’t Run” (Larkin)
“Wayfaring Stranger” (Gorka)
“Sanctuary” (Kaplansky)
“My Father’s Shoes” (Eberhardt)
“The Book I’m Not Reading” (Larkin)
Encore:
“You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me” (everyone)
Upcoming New Jersey shows by “On a Winter’s Night” participants include Lucy Kaplansky at The Sunday Music Club at The Frenchtown Bookshop, April 6; and John Gorka at The Lizzie Rose Music Room in Tuckerton, June 4.
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