Leatherjacks Featuring: Mauro Cordeiro

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Hello everyone in Center Stage Magazine world, I am thrilled to bring you the following interview/album review from a very talented and hardworking musician from Sao Paulo Brazil by the name of Mauro Cordeiro and the release of the Leatherjacks album “The Lost Arks Of Rock And Roll” which was released in 2017. When I was tasked with this interview/album review I was a bit apprehensive at first but once I listened to the Leatherjacks album and had my first correspondence with Cordeiro that apprehension instantly went away and I knew this was not only going to be a challenge but fun as well.

Leatherjacks – The Lost Arks Of Rock And Roll

Release Date: April 18, 2017

Leatherjacks is the brainchild of Brazilian native, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, Mauro Cordeiro whose destiny is to bring a completed Leatherjacks band and music to the world and I am looking forward to the day that this happens; the music on “The Lost Arks Of Rock And Roll” is the music that I grew up listening to and loving and makes for the best music to play live in my humble opinion, but I digress.

“The Lost Arks Of Rock And Roll” encompasses the best of Hard Rock and Metal from the 80’s, 90’s and 2000’s in nine power packed tracks all written, performed, and recorded by Cordeiro himself. It is a very solid album and reminiscent of so many bands that I grew up listening to and still do to this very day, bands such as Ratt, Dokken, Scorpions, and even lesser known bands such as Shotgun Messiah and Hericane Alice, now I have one more tremendous album to add to my ever-growing list of great music.

Track List:
1. People (We’re Chosen One’s)
2. Crocodile’s Heart
3. Burning Wire
4. Leatherjacks
5. Emotions On Sale
6. The Slammer
7. Do You Fucking Pay My Bills
8. Motocross (Instrumental)
9. The Lost Arks Of Rock And Roll (Believe In Yourself)

I fired off a bunch of questions to Cordeiro via email in order to be able to get a bit more insight to his vision for Leatherjacks and to learn a little bit more about Cordeiro himself and here is that exchange.

Center Stage Magazine: Tell everyone in Center Stage Magazine world a little about yourself, who is Mauro Cordeiro?

Cordeiro: Hi John, hi Missy and everyone at Center Stage Mag! It´s awesome and an honor to be here. Mauro Cordeiro is a simple guy, a determined dreamer who loves music and Rock And Roll, a guy who only wants to make people have fun and enjoy art, music, and see everyone around me smile. I think that is the most important thing to reach for in our lives, so that is who I try every day to be!

Center Stage Magazine: How old were you when you first started playing music?

Cordeiro: I started around 10 years, in 1996 to 1997. I had a school friend who already had an acoustic nylon strings guitar and started teaching me the instrument, so I decided to make it by myself. In 1997 my mom gave me my first acoustic on my 11^th birthday; the rest of it is history ha-ha.

Center Stage Magazine: Who has been your biggest influences musically?

Cordeiro: I´d say in terms of Metal, it is Iron Maiden, Dio, Judas Priest, Megadeth, and then comes Hard Rock stuff, such as Gotthard, Motley Crue, and Bon Jovi, but I love to listen to George Benson, Toto, Asia, Dakota, Boston, so many things, but the main ones are Dio, Judas Priest and Iron Maiden for sure!

Center Stage Magazine: What are your main goals that you desire to achieve with your music?

Cordeiro: I really dream big. I would love to be in huge fests such as Wacken or PinkPop, European fests, etc. But I would say for now having my feet on the ground that I just want to make music, get recognized, and have fans, followers, and people who like to see me doing music, etc. That is extremely important to me.

Center Stage Magazine: How are you promoting your album and name?

Cordeiro: Unfortunately, I am totally independent for now, all by myself promoting my works, and trying my best to achieve people, listeners, and fans. It is tough, mainly living in Brazil, a country which Rock/Metal are not streamed or played nowhere. Only if you have much money to pay FM Radios and stuff, but still, Metal is not welcome nor listened to by the masses here. It is very complicated.

Center Stage Magazine: Do you have a recording contract?

Cordeiro: Unfortunately not yet.

Center Stage Magazine: Do you have a management company?

Cordeiro: No one for now. I am searching for management and recording deals.

Center Stage Magazine: Do you have a publishing deal?

Cordeiro: No publishing deal either but searching for support on it.

Center Stage Magazine: What is the music scene like for original music in Sao Paulo Brazil?

Cordeiro: It is extremely tough. The few and rare Brazilian headbangers are just about cover bands and songs, they rarely or even never get interested about authorial/original bands or music. It is sad.

Center Stage Magazine: Do you have any plans to tour in support of the LeatherJacks album, if so where?

Cordeiro: Absolutely! I actually need all these supporters to make it happen. An artist is never no one alone. I am always reaching for people to help the project happen. Let us see if I can make these dreams come true.

Center Stage Magazine: Were there any specific influences that led to specific song titles or lyrics on the LeatherJacks album?

Cordeiro: Lyrically, I would say that this album was much into Ratt, Gotthard, Judas Priest, Dio, and Iron Maiden influenced, but I also like to write about society and love so I also mix things like Bon Jovi and even Rage Against The Machine (only lyrically). I was also listening a lot to Stoner Rock and Foo Fighters which gave birth to Burning Wire. The Ratt band stuff generated Crocodile´s Heart. AOR Songs generated The Slammer, believe me, I love Pole Position cartoon opening song and so it goes. I get extremely emotive when I think to myself: wow, I did something similar to these amazing artists and songs I love, but it has my personality you know? It is a priceless feeling, and this is exactly the meaning of what I do, and that is why I want to pass it forward to everyone! =)

Center Stage Magazine: Thank you, Mauro, for taking time to answer our questions and we wish you the very best in achieving all of your aspirations and dreams with your artistic and music career.

Cordeiro: I thank you so much, John! All the best to you and CS Mag readers, from Mauro! We Rock, Jackers!

Once again it was my pleasure to have been able to connect with Cordeiro about his music and in the process, I have made a new friend and brother in the music world. Be sure that you hyperlink on over to iTunes, purchase and download Leatherjacks – “The Lost Arks Of Rock And Roll” album which will not only help Cordeiro in funding this venture but future Leatherjacks albums as well and hopefully a tour in the not so distant future. Cordeiro is currently working on his second Leatherjacks album, yet untitled, with a hopeful release sometime in 2020. Make sure to check out, like and follow him on all of his social media sites and tell all of your friends about Cordeiro and Leatherjacks as well. 

Horns Up
JT