Jake Soberlak is 17 years old and from Kamloops, B.C. He is
also one of the most compelling young blues musicians in
Canada.
It started with his grandfather’s records, a collection of old
blues albums brought over from England, discovered almost by
accident. For Jake, it wasn’t just an introduction to a genre. It
was a recognition. “There’s a realness about it that I really enjoy,”
he says. He started chasing names and albums the way blues
devotees do, following the music back through decades until
the tradition became his own. B.B. King, Peter Green, Clapton.
Their records became his teachers. Guitar at 13, harmonica at
14, and word spread quickly through Kamloops that
something special was happening.
When pressed on how a teenager connects to music
built from a lifetime of hardship, Jake didn’t hesitate.
“Not all blues songs are sad. I don’t have as much of that
experience, but I like finding songs from the 30s, 40s or
50s that I really connect with. That’s really fun for me, and
I enjoy giving them my own take once I’ve learned them.” It’s exactly the kind of understanding the blues demands. Not imitation, but genuine feeling and respect for a tradition that belongs to anyone willing to honour it.
His debut album, recorded at Afterlife Studios in Vancouver, makes that honour plain. Producer and drummer Leon Power (City and Colour, Frazey Ford) brought in Darren Parris on bass, Darryl Havers on piano, and engineer John Raham behind the glass. Every track went down live off the floor. No overdubs, no second chances, just four musicians playing together in a room. Jake sings and plays guitar, slide guitar, and harmonica throughout. Recording alongside players of that calibre left its mark. “They’re all great people and great musicians,” Jake says. “It was so much fun.” His plans from here are just as direct: “I just want to be playing music and gigging. That’s all I want to do.”
Jake Soberlak’s debut album, I'm In Trouble, was released on September 11th, 2026. The blues found its latest voice in an unlikely place. And it sounds like it’s been there all along.
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