Living like a Wock-star

Living like a Wock-star

Sutton Rettig, Staff Reporter

Music-loving students perked up their ears March 5, as Wockner showcased his live-looping skills in the Down Under.

With a guitar strapped around his neck and a full head of dreadlocks, Carl Wockner hopes to share his gift of music with as many people he can reach.

An Australia native, Wockner was bitten by the musical bug during high school, influenced by musicians such as Amy Winehouse and John Mayer. Utilizing his audio engineering background, the musician finds himself constantly intrigued by anything sound-related, even supplying him with the motivation to produce for other acts than himself.

“Anything with sound fascinates me. If I ever find that one facet is starting to become a little too much for me, whether it be playing too often or something, then I’ll just do some more on producing. Then when I’m done with that, I’ll do some more writing,” Wockner said, “It’s definitely nice to give yourself that form of relief on the areas that might be over saturated. But that will eventually lead to something like having more creativity when I write.”

In 2015, Wockner’s talent brought him home some hardware of top honors at the International Acoustic Music Awards for his album Crayon Days.

“Getting that acclaim is actually what enabled me to move to the states,” Wockner said, “I have a great visa over here which allows me to tour and play. I was fortunate enough to take some hardware for an original song I wrote called Gold Crown, and that among other things is the biggest accolade I’ve had.”

Like any artist, Wockner is constantly pushing his creative limits and evaluating how he can grow musically.

“Honestly, cover gigs are really handy for me on a creative level,” Wockner said. “That and just jamming out with other people who loop and play covers.”

Throughout his musical journey, Wockner has examined the differences between touring in the United States compared to touring in his native land where it all began for him as a teenage music lover who fell in love with performing.

“It’s totally different touring here than back in Australia. I feel like Australia is condensed into smaller territories. More often than not, you’re just flying into a city, playing a show, then fly out and play in the next city because they aren’t close enough to anything. Touring in the states, however, it’s so much more saturated. There’s so many more states, so travel is definitely different because you can stop in the same city for a couple nights, and you can’t do that in Australia.”

Wockner holds a strong belief that the key to success for an up-and-coming artist is to keep working and continue to expand your knowledge surrounding all aspects of the music industry.

“I think the best thing you can do is play as often as you possibly can. Even if you want to stick to covers or really focus on their original stuff, the best things that cover gigs give you is warm hands,” Wockner said. “The fact that you’re constantly playing and getting callouses on your fingers and you’re always refining you craft is great to see, but then you also need to account for how to back yourself financially. It’s a creative industry, and generally creatives aren’t business-minded people, so sometimes that’s discouraging. But you need to figure out a way to work just as hard on booking and finances as you do on your craft. Don’t let that limit you from being a superstar.”

Through finding his calling, Wockner looks to enlighten the public to the power of music as a way of gratitude towards his craft. As his musical career rolls on, he is constantly influenced through life experiences, regardless of the significance one may perceive it to have. When away from the mic, the thirty-one-year-old enjoys playing both golf and volleyball to stay active, and lead a healthy lifestyle.