Woonson Lam, or Chris as some people know him, has been playing music for most of his life. As a young child in Edmonton and student of music, Woonson dutifully performed piano pieces at recitals, not realizing he was preparing himself for a lifelong vocation in music. “My mom was very old school; she always put me in suits; she always put me in these little competitions,” he recalls. 

As a teen his friend showed him the first riff of Metallica’s “Enter Sandman,” and he soon figured out that the skills he learned reading sheet music and practicing technique would apply to a guitar. Thanks to his sister’s recommendation, he was asked to play bass in a Salsa band. “It was a hard lesson in syncopated rhythm, and it was like having a metronome,” he says. 

He ended up playing with that band for 12 years. He says of his early days of gigging around Edmonton, “I had an original band at that time. I played around the city. I was asked to do a lot of different things musically. I always had multiple projects, always had multiple bands, just always been really busy with music.”

Woonson describes his early years playing in bands and raising a young family. “I was burning the candle at both ends. It was tough, but there were times where the extra money I earned from gigs definitely got me through tough times.” He recalls a local scene at the Crown Pub, a live music venue in McDougall that hosted open mic nights and local bands. “I remember they had a little battle of the bands, my band won, and they named a burger after our band,  The AmazariA Burger.”

His connection to the Boyle Street-McCauley area runs deep. Woonson’s dad was involved with the Chinese Association, Kwan Ying, which no longer exists. “I did a lot of different things in the Chinatown area my whole life. My dad would be spearheading events, dinners; we would volunteer. I also did Lion Dancing.” 

Woonson credits his mom for his connection to Latin music. “She’s Colombian and associated with a lot of Latin bands, lots of festivals.”

The first time Woonson played at Heart of the City was in 2019 with an original Latin band called Angelitos. He says of that time, “I was going to say yes to everything that comes across my plate, all these opportunities before COVID, and without much effort I got really busy. It was the ‘say yes to everything’ mentality.” 

During the COVID restrictions, Woonson found Ann Vriend’s Porch Concerts in McCauley and was able to keep playing. “It was literally on the porch of her house, people would come and sit outside. It became something for the time.”

Currently, Woonson plays with four bands: Angelitos, Andansas, Curt Young and the Healers, and C-Y-A. He does solo shows and attends jams around the city. “I find the jams always to be a good place to practice making your mistakes while you’re on stage, to play a tune or two and have fun doing it.” 

He says inspiration comes from playing live. “Having fun, trying to make everybody have fun with you. And it’s symbiotic, right? You get it from the crowd, you give it back.” 

Rachael Roberts is a board member with the Heart of the City Festival, where she has volunteered since 2013, and recently joined the board of Boyle McCauley News. She is a mother, a teacher, and a lifelong Edmontonian who loves this community.