Piotr Kozieradzki plays drums in Polish atmospheric art rockers Riverside.



Kozieradzki claims music is very important for him: "It is the only thing that raises my spirits, that puts me in a good mood. My musical education started very early, in mid seventies (I don't remember exactly, 1974/77). My father, an ardent rockman, took me to my first concert - UFO at the Warsaw "Torwar." That's how it all began. Of course, I wasn't fully conscious then what it was all about, why the long-haired men were running, jumping and playing the guitars on stage, making quite a lot of noise, but I got interested.

A few years have passed, I was in the seventh grade of the Primary School (13-14 years old) and then, slowly, those sounds began to sink in. My first TRUE concert was Iron Maiden at "Torwar" in 1984. After some time, in 1988, I realised that I dig music and especially drums. It was all because of Slayer and my cousin. Slayer released "South Of Heaven" then and my cousin broke his arm and couldn't play drums. Without thinking, I cadged from him for next to nothing that ancient Polmuz and dragged it to my basement where I started to learn to play. I was doing surprisingly good.



Uncaring about anyone, I'd lock myself up in the basement and play. After a year I already had a band and after two I founded a group that has transformed into today's Hate. While playing in Hate, Domain and many other metal bands, I've always had a secret leader and a favourite group. It was Marillion. I didn't brag about it because nobody was interested and I liked it that way. I went to all their concerts they performed in Poland (even to that pathetic one in Sopot where they played from playback). Several years of playing death metal made me feel a bit tired and I was looking for people with whom I could play the kind of music Marillion did. I've finally found them.