CONCERT PREVIEW
‘Band guy’ Wojick plays solo (almost) for the first time
Some musicians seek out the solo spotlight and won’t have it any other way. Others, like Bruce Wojick, enjoy the collaborative effort of being in a band.
The Niagara Falls native and veteran musician has been a mainstay on the area scene for nearly two decades, performing as a key component in two of the area’s best and most popular original rock bands — God’s Children (later called Humbucker) and Klear.
He has religiously played out a couple of nights a week during that time, augmenting his schedule with gigs in cover bands such as the Brothers of Invention, Powertrain and Strictly Hip. His newest project (along with former Klear frontman Fred Schafer), is the original band American Sunseekers. But the one thing this busy guy has never done is played solo.
Now he can cross that accomplishment off his list. At 8 tonight, Wojick will perform his own show in Niagara University’s Gallagher Center Under the Taps. In typical Wojick fashion, however, his “solo” show includes a large group of musicians.
“I’ve been thinking about this for close to 10 years, as silly as that sounds,” Wojick says about doing a solo gig. “But I’ve just always been a band guy — there’s nothing quite like it.”
That “band guy” mentality and all that comes with it — qualities like dedication and loyalty — are appreciated by other musicians. Jeremy Hoyle, the frontman for Strictly Hip and the Jeremy Hoyle Band, has worked with Wojick for about seven years and has made the guitarist a permanent member of his two bands.
“He’s one of the best musicians I’ve ever played with,” Hoyle says of Wojick. “Everybody loves Bruce — he has that personality that once you meet him he’s your friend. He’s a great guy to have around. People come to watch Bruce play, and there’s not a lot of musicians you can say that about locally.”
All of this emphasis on the band, however, doesn’t mean Wojick’s talents as a guitarist go unnoticed — since 2001, he has been named the top original guitar player five times at the Buffalo Music Awards.
For tonight’s concert, Wojick has a storytellers format planned – “I like to talk,” he says (an understatement for anyone who knows him). “I’m going to talk about the songs, how they were written, how they came about and where they came from.”
The set list includes songs he has written or co-written through the years with numbers from God’s Children (“Superman,” “I Feel Ill”) and Klear (“Come Back”), along with a couple of choice covers.
As to performing his solo show with others, Wojick says he wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I could have done it by myself. But I think two hours with just me with a guitar might have been tedious,” the ever-humble Wojick says. “But I just love a band. There’s nothing like a lot of great musicians.”
His former God’s Children mates Leo McDonald (bass) and Peter Vogt (vocals) will join him, as well as drummer Denny Pelczynski (Klear), bassist Kevin Connor, keyboardist Dennis Fura, saxophonist Will Holton and guitarists/ vocalists Zak Ward and Jamie Holka.
For Wojick, who is used to standing on either side of the person in the spotlight, taking center stage during early rehearsals for this concert took some getting used to. “It was weird for me,” he laughs.
In the spotlight or out of it, music remains an integral part of Wojick. “It’s in my fabric. It makes me complete,” Wojick says. “Would I be able to live without it? Sure. But it’s what I do. I’m a musician. It keeps me going, keeps me fresh.”
Still, it’s a priority for Wojick to keep his music balanced with life as a family man. Wojick and his wife, Cindy, recently celebrated their eighth wedding anniversary. Their son, Vito, is nearly 6 and is already an aspiring drummer. “I hope he’ll be a great musician, but I want him to do whatever he wants to do,” Wojick says.
“I’m a lucky guy.”•
PREVIEW
WHO: Bruce Wojick — Storytellers
WHEN: 8 to 11 tonight
WHERE: Gallagher Center Under the Taps, Niagara University
TICKETS: $5
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