Harry Wojak

There’s an almost Johnny Cash-like romanticism to how Harry Wojak learned to sing, having taught himself in the chapel of a prison. He spent nearly a decade employed in corrections by the Department of Justice. Since then, the singer/songwriter has come to better appreciate the uplifting and redemptive power of music. With the recent completion of his second album, Find Your Tribe, it’s also given him a greater understanding of how it can help open life’s doors and close its chapters.

Wojak’s first musical salvo was struck during his high school years in Sherwood Park when he helped organize his school’s first battle of the bands competitions. He spent much of that time alongside friend and fellow player Sean Caulfield who introduced him to the likes of Elvis Costello, the Kinks and Bruce Springsteen.

“I think Springsteen’s album ‘Nebraska’ was released the same year I took up the guitar,” recalls Wojak. “I had five formal guitar lessons when I was 15. The rest of it was learning off records and tapes, but also by playing with others. Sean is one of my closest friends and his older brothers were in a bunch of bands during the ‘80s. Their musical sensibilities and influences were pretty diverse. They had a huge influence on me.”

Wojak has always been drawn to music that tells a story – everything from Gary Louirs, David Gray and Ben Harper to more recent works by Joel Plaskett and Paola Nutini. The songs on his latest upcoming release " Find Your Tribe " have already been compared to the likes of Chris Isaak and Tom Petty, more esteemed company to be sure. But for Wojak the real triumph of his music has been its capacity to draw a connection to the listener. Hopefully, together, they can both feel a little less alone in the world.

“My goal is to share a story with anyone who is open to hearing one. Not always my story but a collection of experiences that we might all relate to at one point or another in our lifetime. Hopefully, people will hear something in my songs and say, ‘Yeah, I've been there.’