Ričardas Laginauskas of Katedra: “We Succeeded Because I Truly Believed in What I Was Doing”

The Lithuanian heavy metal giants Katedra have been flashing across my musical radar for nearly half my life—probably since 2005, when I first saw them live at the “Roko naktys” festival. I screamed “Mes jėga” (“We are the force”) at the top of my lungs, banged my head, and danced with the crowd to theirContinue reading “Ričardas Laginauskas of Katedra: “We Succeeded Because I Truly Believed in What I Was Doing””

Ales Loverde: A Journey of Soul, Survival, and Song

From freeriding down Swiss mountains to singing his heart out on stage in Lithuania, Ales Loverde’s life is anything but ordinary. The Sicilian-born, Swiss-raised artist has lived through love, loss, near-death, and creative rebirth — and he channels it all into his music. We sat down with Ales to talk about his upbringing, the accidentContinue reading “Ales Loverde: A Journey of Soul, Survival, and Song”

Ignas Bautrėnas: as a metalhead from NYC, I couldn’t deny the importance of hip-hop

I have known Ignas since my adolescence as we met on gothic.lt forum. He striked me as someone who loves music and is a very kind and interesting soul. Years went by and we reconnected when he and his lovely wife invited me to become a content writer on ManoMuzika.lt. As I decided to startContinue reading “Ignas Bautrėnas: as a metalhead from NYC, I couldn’t deny the importance of hip-hop”

Žymantė Kupčiūnė: growing up in 2000s Šiauliai wasn’t for the faint of heart

As a girl from a post-Soviet block in the south of Šiauliai, who spent her teenage years living in a very different reality compared to what the current teenagers experience, I can definitely claim that growing up in Pietinis – the southern district of Šiauliai – wasnt for the faint of heart. I’m not sayingContinue reading “Žymantė Kupčiūnė: growing up in 2000s Šiauliai wasn’t for the faint of heart”

Tadas Kupčiūnas: playing the guitar is my kind of meditation

“The first electric that I’ve played on was some funky stuff from soviet 60s or 70s. My guitar teacher’s father had a couple of old soviet guitars that were playable, so I just tried those out. Later I acquired an old red Czechoslovakian “Jolana Tornado” – a fancy semi-hollow guitar for its era.

Membrice Joseph: my inner punk tells me not to it do like everyone else

Everybody in Šiauliai knew Membrice back in the early 2000s as that weird kid dressed all in black, with long curly hair and an acoustic guitar on his shoulder, busking in the boulevard and shouting out from his lungs. I certainly did as well, and I think he’s helped me a lot to in discoveringContinue reading “Membrice Joseph: my inner punk tells me not to it do like everyone else”

Kamil Urbanowicz: playing in a band is like writing a diary

I have known Kamil for about 13 years – we have probably first met in a New Years Eve party in Pašilaičiai, Vilnius, where a bunch of metalheads were having some drinks and celebrating the welcoming of a new year. Some of these people have managed to set all the blasphemies and debaucheries aside, some,Continue reading “Kamil Urbanowicz: playing in a band is like writing a diary”

Anatolij Grigorjev: I cannot understand why metal music is considered extreme

The idea to write down Anatolij’s perspective on the world and music crushed me as an avalanche. My gut kept on telling me that it was going to be both extremely interesting and fun. We both – myself and Anatolij – share a very subtle sense of humour, and I firmly believe that anyone readingContinue reading “Anatolij Grigorjev: I cannot understand why metal music is considered extreme”

Svitlana Kostrykina: Going to Metal Gigs to Me is Like Visiting McDonald’s to Other People

I met Svitlana more than a year ago, in the spring of 2022. She had contacted the project I volunteered for at the time (“Sisters for Sisters”), offering to host a series of workshops on creative and therapeutical writing. I took the initiative and helped her organise a few of these events. However, our friendshipContinue reading “Svitlana Kostrykina: Going to Metal Gigs to Me is Like Visiting McDonald’s to Other People”