Gorky

Gorky: A Legacy of Rock and Roll Resilience

Gorky was formed in 2001 by high school sophomores and best friends Jesse Valencia (vocals/guitar) and Ben Holladay (drums/percussion), who bonded over a shared love of comic books, movies, and rock and roll music. Far removed from London or New York, where their favorite bands were from, Gorky took root in Arizona's remote White Mountains region, crafting a Southwestern sound distinctly their own as the cornerstone of a burgeoning local scene that nurtured future successes like Zella Day and Charles Ellsworth.

In 2019, Jawbone Press (UK) published Valencia's critically-acclaimed creative nonfiction book Keep Music Evil: The Brian Jonestown Massacre Story, a decade-long labor of love to compile a history of one of his favorite bands, which later inspired “DIG!XX”, a new cut of Ondi Timoner's original 2005 film, as well as Joel Gion's own BJM memoir “In The Jingle Jangle Jungle".

Valencia graduated from the David Lynch Film School in 2020 and in 2021 orchestrated the Sitgreaves County Project, a runaway publicity stunt to promote Valencia's thesis screenplay at the school that went so far, not only did it end up making headlines, it influenced Arizona politics and history forevermore. After developing the film further with some of the creative team behind Prince's 1984 hit movie “Purple Rain,” Valencia initially abandoned the project when, in January 2023, after over 20 years of playing music and working together, Ben Holladay tragically died after battling complications from Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency, a rare genetic lung disease.

Valencia then relocated to Portland, Oregon, where he immersed himself in the city’s music, film, and literary scenes. As a member of MusicPortland, he became a vocal advocate for independent artists, joining the fight against Live Nation’s corporate expansion and stepping into the political arena as a Field Organizer for Portland City Councilman Jamie Dunphy’s successful 2024 campaign. In November of 2024, Portland elected its first-ever, progressive, pro-Music city council and mayor.

Valencia's journey reflects resilience and creativity, and Gorky’s story serves as both a testament to rock and roll’s enduring spirit and a tribute to Ben Holladay, his late best friend and collaborator.

The band will return in 2025 with a new lineup in celebration of Ben’s life and legacy, alongside a new direction for the film project originally begun at the David Lynch Film School.