Unplugged jams with longtime B.C. rocker in Vernon

When Dave Soroka got his first guitar at age 15, he set out to leave his mark on the world in the form of 1,000 songs.

Now, 49 years and 1,200 songs later, the Grand Forks-based singer/songwriter’s outlook on the world of music may have changed, but his love for the form remains. Armed with a file-folder containing 300 of those songs, Soroka brings his old-time rock ‘n roll to Vernon’s Gallery Vertigo March 9.

“When I was young, it seemed to me I don’t believe in Heaven and Hell. Whatever world we leave behind is what you have to come back to,” Soroka said. “It behooves us to leave it a better world than how we found it. I thought, ‘Well, how about 1,000 songs? Maybe that will be my contribution to the world.’”

Soroka’s influence in the field is birthed from his traditional roots approach to the music.

With an acoustic guitar in hand, Soroka’s setlist is an ever-morphing, fluid creation. Instead of following a rigid plan, Soroka has a folder full of songs scrawled on dog-eared pages to draw from. With about 30 songs in mind to pull from for each performance, his shows are never the same.

“If I never wrote and recorded another thing, I could end up with probably 50 albums. A lot of them (songs) are lost. Some of them I’ve forgotten or just never wrote down,” Soroka said. “I’ve written over 1,000 songs, but I doubt I could prove it in the court of law.”

While it sounds like a lot of songs written, Soroka said he doesn’t consider himself a prolific writer, unlike American guitarist Dan Bern, who Soroka reckons can remember his entire discography.

Soroka’s most recent song Pretty Thing, released on Valentine’s Day, is dedicated to his wife, Nora Curiston.

Though he still writes songs, Soroka has slowed down to only three to five a year, instead focusing on recording previously written songs.

“It’s not writer’s block. It’s just really the last thing I need is another damn song. I want to leave a body of recorded material,” Soroka said. “I’m not interested in a career in music. I stopped chasing the career years ago. I’m 64, and touring, the fun has just kind of gone out of it for me. I’m tired of waking up on the floor, people’s kids looking at me and dogs licking my face.”

Now, after nearly five decades in the business, Soroka sticks to primarily playing house concerts and small, intimate venues.

“I don’t know if I can say I really tour anymore,” Soroka said. “Simply, it’s a matter of I missed my friends. I’m looking forward to playing in Vernon.”

Soroka is set to rock an intimate, unplugged evening at Gallery Vertigo March 9, supported by Kendall Wright Kinnear and Peter McKillop. Doors open at 7 p.m., with music beginning shortly thereafter. Pre-sale tickets are available for $12 from the Bean Scene Coffee House and A&E Community Market and Consignments, or for $20 at the door.