One of the things I most love is receiving recommendations from readers, often introducing bands I’ve never heard of. This week I offer we-are-not-worthy plaudits to Visit Fort Lauderdale’s Paul Mason, who urged me by to check out Leonid & Friends, an amazing band he was going to see.
Hailing from Russia – with a Ukrainian lead singer, and other members from places like Moldova and Kazakhstan – L&F began as an online Chicago cover band under the direction of Leonid Vorobyev, eventually expanding its repertoire to artists like Earth, Wind, & Fire, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Tower of Power, The Ides of March, Lighthouse, and Steely Dan (note the horn section connection), as well as recording albums and touring (including in the US).
YouTube lists over 50 videos, all of the utmost quality and professionalism – this is no weekend beer band – and listening to songs like “25 of 6 to 4” or “Old Days,” you’d hardly know you weren’t listening to Chicago.
For our part, we’ll boost our Canadian content with L&F’s fine version of the Lighthouse classic, “One Fine Morning” – from Paul to me to you.
Lyrics
One fine morning, girl, I’ll wake up
Wipe the sleep from my eyes
Go outside and feel the sunshine
Then I know I’ll realize
That as long as you love me, girl, we’ll fly
And on that mornin’ when I wake up
I’ll see your face inside a cloud
See your smile inside a window
Hear your voice inside a crowd
Calling, “Come with me baby and we’ll fly”
Yeah, we’ll fly, yeah, we’ll fly
We’ll fly, yeah, we’ll fly
And on that mornin’ when I wake up
We’ll go outside and live our dreams
I’ll buy you candies made of stardust
And little dolls dressed up in moonbeams
And everywhere we go we’ll laugh and sing
I’ll kiss you morning, noon and night
And all the universe will smile on us
‘Cause they know that our love is finally right
Yeah, we’ll fly, yeah, we’ll fly
We’ll fly, yeah, we’ll fly
Yeah, we’ll fly to the east, we’ll fly to the west
There’ll be no place we can’t call our own
Yeah, we’ll fly to the north, we’ll fly to the south
Every planet will become our home
Yeah, we’ll fly, yeah, we’ll fly
Yeah, we’ll fly to the east, we’ll fly to the west
There’ll be no place we can’t call our own
We’ll fly to the north, we’ll fly to the south
Every planet will become our home