David Gates and John Wesley Harding perform at The Raconteur on April 26. The author of the highly acclaimed novels Jernigan (a Pulitzer Prize Finalist) and Preston Falls (a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist), and a collection of short stories, The Wonders of the Invisible World (also a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist), DAVID GATES was anointed a “true heir to Raymond Carver and John Cheever,” by New York Magazine. His work, stylish and ferociously humorous, nimbly explores the dark side of suburban masculinity and has been called “brilliant” by both NPR and the Boston Globe, and “beautiful” by the New York Times. Chosen by Springsteen as his first opening act in 20 years, rocker/poet/punk/folkie/popster JOHN WESLEY HARDING has been called the British Bob Dylan and is often compared to Elvis Costello (probably fueled, in part, by the fact that two members of his band had been members of The Attractions). Rolling Stone Magazine hailed him as, “a literate and ironic neo-folkie with enough bile to win over a younger, hipper audience not attuned to folk music.” His best known work includes “I’m Wrong About Everything”, which was featured on the High Fidelity soundtrack and an accoustic cover of the Madonna song, “Like a Prayer.” He has been joined onstage by Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, John Prine, Bruce Springsteen (with whom he recorded a duet on his album Awake), Joan Baez, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Peter Buck, Evan Dando, David Baddiel, Rick Moody, Scott …
