In the summer of 2008, indie neo-folk artist Leonard Kaage began recording some of his songs. He'd played music for a long time and been involved in many bands before then, but he never contributed any of his own songwriting or lyrics. His 2008 recordings became the five-song Time EP, which Leonard printed and released himself. Time was limited to just 100 copies and was recorded it in Leonard's one-room apartment in Göteborg, Sweden. He played drums, guitar and provided vocals for the EP, but invited some friends to flesh out his music with additional instrumentation. After finishing, he posted the songs to Myspace, and they were received with overwhelming praise. Soon after, a few magazines and student radio stations were singing praises as well.
That June, Leonard was contacted by the Florida-based label Feels Like Home Records. Together, Leonard and the label decided to release a full-length album. The focus was on the new record and full band that eventually became known as Leonard Kaage & The Kin. Between the release of the Time EP, the recording and upcoming release of his full-length, Leonard played an eight-gig UK tour as well as dates in Göteborg and Germany. His band's self-titled full length album dropped in the U.S. in September 2009, with a Swedish release on October 31, 2009. Leonard Kaage & The Kin have just released a video and will be touring the East Coast of the U.S. from May 27 through June 25. Check out the tour dates (including a stop in St. Petersburg) and video for "Lately" after the jump.
This article appears in May 20-26, 2010.