John Guliak is a mainstay of the local roots music community. Playing with his disparate array of accompanying musicians, eventually solidified into the combination of Shawn Harper, Keith Rose, and Wayne Adams. John performed as part of the burgeoning Vancouver Ranchfest roots festival organized by Auburn's Shelley Campbell and highlighted by the release of the Ranch compilation Showdown, on which both Carolyn Mark and John's songs appear. To help create The Black Monk, John invited several of his friends, including Carolyn Mark, Tolan McNeil, Garth Johnson, Linda McRae, David P. Smith, Keith Rose and others. This debut album places John's velvet-smooth cigarettes-and-cognac voice front and center.