All songs written and recorded by Leonard Kotevski in his living room (2016-2017). Edited and mastered by Deni Krstev at Studio 1060 (April - May 2018).
Cover by Leonard Kotevski.
Executive producer - Vasko Atanasoski.
released May 28, 2018
At the age of 13, Leonard had finished six years of professional music school, playing the violin. His first violin teacher, Pavlina Misirkova, passed away early and he finished the school with the young new teacher, Asparuh Koneski.
During high school, Leonard experienced a drop of his hearing, and during college his hearing dropped down to 50%. It took several years to note that because Leonard was in the lab doing research and contact with outside world was limited for him.
For about ten years, during college and after graduation, Leonard refused to use hearing aid, hoping that society will accept him as he is. However, that wasn't the case, and furthermore Leonard was not able to have a normal life, not only because he is living in a poor country, but also because he realized that he cannot perform simple social activities without a hearing aid.
So, during the age around high school, Leonard switched to learning simple Nirvana songs on his acoustic guitar. During college he had little contact with music instruments. However, after college, Leonard bought his first electric guitar and started recording some of the interesting tunes. Besides, Leonard also enjoys combining tunes on platforms like FL. He realized that he is interested in digital music when he obtained his first music software, Re-Birth, around 1998, probably on a floppy or two.
Two years after Leonard started wearing a hearing aid, he decided to publish songs. Even though he used to make the songs with headphones, he didn't publish them until 2013. Later, he started combining video clips with music he created and published them on YouTube.
The first influence was at the music school, enjoyed classical music of different era's. Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, Schubert, Strauss, Liszt, Vivaldi, Mussorgsky, Camille Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky, are among the first in line.
Later, around age 9-10, Leonard got a walkman and the only tapes, besides classical music, were tapes of Elvis Presley, he got from his uncle. He listened to this music, when he realized that his other uncle has a lot more tapes. Not only he had tapes, he also had punk art on his wall and had played in a local band that had recorded their own tape in a garage. That tape was amazing. It were some Ramones songs and some original songs with the similar sound, with lyrics in Macedonian. Leonard had a friend in elementary school who's brother was a 'legitimate' punk in Skopje. So, Leonard and his friends talked about this and wanted to explore the punk music and art. Leonard stole his first Sex Pistols tape, and never stole another music again in life. He continued buying Nirvana tapes and Exploited tapes. In an accident at home, his tapes were destroyed. Some Exploited tapes had survived. Then the era of cd's came along. Leonard bought only few cd's. It was some remastered albums of Sepultura and Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. He had to leave them in the USA because he didn't have money for extra luggage to bring all his stuff back to Skopje when he flew the last time. The biggest influence can be reserved for The Exploited and Green Day, in the period between 1994 and 1999. At that time also he listened to Rage Against The Machine, The Offspring, Dead Kennedys, Crass, and he was introduced to Cypress Hill, The Prodigy, ICP and Psy Trance. During this time he goes to rock shows and garage gigs more often. His favorite local bands are Boombyx, No Name Nation, TB Tracheri, Tank Warning Net, and his favorite radio show was Viva La Revolution. From 2000 and during college he was pretty much only listening to several albums he had on his laptop, which eventually broke down and Leonard lost all that music he obtained legally. Those albums include Jimi Hendrix and the Band of Gypsys, and Electric Ladyland, then Pink Floyd's concert performance and some albums, also Bob Marley's full discography, then Peter Tosh's discography, 2Pac's All Eyez On Me CD1 and Dr.Dre's albums, and also Deep Purple's Purpendicular. His friends in college introduced him to a great singer from Jordan, Najwa Karam, and an excellent performer from Pakistan, called Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, who's music has impressed Leonard for all times.
It is important to notice that Leonard doesn't find himself to be a music artist of a scene, at least, his hearing damage can testify for that. His music moto is – I play, if anyone hears or tapes, it's up to them, as long as they don't abuse me. Furthermore, if you can precisely label the hours when he plays, and you are fully aware of Leonard's biography, you can understand that these hours must have been hours of self-curing, because that's what's left if you don't feel well and nobody gives you remedy.
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