Leonard Cohen Tribute Project
"There is a crack in everything, that's how the light gets in"
- Leonard Cohen
In a nutshell
10 musicians from Antwerp bring the music, poetry and life of Leonard Cohen in an intense and intimate concert
Our project
Mark Doggen is one of those "lucky few" who have been able to jam with their childhood hero, in his case Leonard Cohen. After November 7, 2016, he wanted to pay homage to his great source of inspiration, and what better way to do this than by celebrating his music and life in a tribute concert?
Mark brought together musicians and a poetess for a one-time concert in Antwerp. That night it became clear that this was a magical formula; both the band and the audience felt a remarkable energy. After one band meeting, we decided to continue with the project.
This resulted in 3 subsequent concerts. The Sint-Anneke Center and a benefit concert for the Sint-Anna College on the Left Bank in Antwerp were home games, and then came a concert further away from home: the Blankenberge Casino at the Belgian coast. There, too, the enthusiasm of the audience was deafening, and we managed to create the same atmosphere with an audience twice as large as the first. During the corona lockdowns our planned concerts and international projects were cancelled, but in 2022 we made our comeback with two sold out concerts, in Duffel and the beautiful Leietheater in Deinze. The reactions of the audience show us we have no choice but to continue singing, playing and tributing Cohen.
Now, we have become a a group of artists - but also friends - who are lucky to have met each other. We share our love for the music and can't wait to treat audiences to a night of songs and poetry by Cohen.
A group of outstanding musicians bring Cohen's classics and lesser known songs. Some of these we perform true to the original, others we give a little twist of our own. The lead vocals alternate between 5 singers, which is said to be one of our strongest points. This is interspersed with Caroline's poetic texts, which convey Cohen's life, poetry and spirit. This also includes a Dutch translation of "Take This Waltz". We attract a specific audience who come to relive their youth and are moved by our music. Nevertheless, even those unfamiliar with Cohen's repertoire enjoy the concerts greatly and return home satisfied and impressed.
Take a look at our individual bios, our photos and recordings below, and scroll down to the bottom to get in touch or find practical info.
Concerts
Agenda
07/10/2017
20/04/2018
03/05/2019
18/05/2019
19/03/2022
26/03/2022
coStA Antwerpen
Sint-Anna-Centrum Linkeroever
Sint-Annacollege Linkeroever
Casino Blankenberge
UPC Duffel
Leietheater Deinze
Unfortunately, there are no new concerts planned, but after each concert it is clear that there is always a demand for more. Be sure to keep an eye on our Facebook page to stay informed about upcoming events.
About Us
Mark Doggen (Vocals and Guitar)
As initiator of the project, Mark (1957) is able to bring the songs of Leonard Cohen to life like no other with his deep bass voice. As a teenager he played in various bands, especially the music of Dylan, Cohen, CSN & Y, Donovan, Stones, and so on. It seemed like fate when he met Cohen himself on a terrace in Antwerp in the late 1970s, jamming with him until the early morning hours. He took a break from music for a period of about 20 years. In 2009 he came back to the world of music when he co-founded the Leftbank Legend cover group from Antwerp. He then left the band after a year or two.
When Leonard Cohen passed away during Mark's stay in the US in November 2016, he got the idea to organize a tribute. He searched and found musicians, singers and a poet. The intention was to bring this tribute once, but in the meantime Mark can proudly look back on four very successful performances. And the audience is asking for more, hence this website you are reading right now.
Kris Verrelst (Guitar, Mandola, Dobro and Vocals)
Armed with an acoustic guitar and a textbook, Kris Verrelst (1971) used to play Cohen's music by the campfire. As a starting guitarist you could conjure up entire worlds and silence conversations with just a few chords and lyrics. He recalls that moment when he plays the guitar, dobro or mandola in the Leonard Cohen Tribute project.
Kris is a home, garden and kitchen guitarist who also plays at Café Concert, Marloes and The Graduated Fools, The Hashtag Heroes and many other side projects.
Deben Van Damme (Violin)
Deben (1967) started playing the violin at the age of 7 at the Music Academy in Schoten. There, he received a classical education, with additional subjects such as chamber music, orchestra, chamber orchestra and ensemble playing, and takes classes with, among others, the violinist of Wannes Van De Velde.
In the 80s and 90s he gets to know 'The Music Box' in Antwerp where he starts to jam with Irish and Scottish musicians, and also starts a blues project with his brother; from now on practicing classical music is out of the picture. In projects ranging from French chanson to Flemish and kabarock, he gained experiences that have proved essential for the formation of his own style. The most successful project (Klezmer Band “Ot Azoy”, or later “KlezmicnoiZ”) takes him to major stages, cultural centers and is even released on CD.
Deben has completed this Leonhard Cohen Tribute project since 2017, and has since become indispensable.
Max De Witte (Upright Bass, Frettless Bass and Cello)
From childhood music was a part of Max's (1973) life, and as soon as possible he found his place on the benches of the local music school. After a brief stop in puberty the guitar beckoned again and the campfire and the youth movement ensured that music was once again given a place of honor. After several years with the group Deuce he was also attracted to rhythm work and the bass.
Some time later, when he was asked to take up the bass in a new band, he trained with classical institutions such as the Jazz Academy, and soon the double bass also followed. In the meantime he is a permanent member of the Music Emotions Symphonic Pop Orchestra, as a result of which the cello also entered his arsenal. He is regularly on tour with the party band “A3 Beton” and some other pop, rock and jazz projects. As a session bassist and cellist, he can be found on stages in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and France and on international CD projects such as FANFIELDS 2 and 3.
For the most recent performances of the Leonard Cohen Tribute Project, he took over the bass from Walter Callebaut, the original bass player.
Carl Cuypers (Drums and Percussion)
About 60 years ago, Carl (1954) caught the music bug in the Halewyn Foundation in Antwerp, a music school for youth led by Hans Dirken. This music teaching was quite progressive and completely at odds with traditional music education.
Since his older brother was still looking for a drummer for his (then) band, Carl was included in the group. Until then, much to the chagrin of their mother, he played on all possible buckets from large to small. When the youth club organized a Free Podium he found his way to the stage. There, his sense of rhythm was discovered and he was incorporated into the dance band The Singletons. Performances on De Grote Prijs Will Ferdy with the still unknown Gert Verhulst as front man at the time, and Tim Left the Band, a group in which Tim Visterin played at the time, brought him to the bigger stages. After a quiet period came the Leftbank Legend, Cafe Concert and finally the Cohen Tribute Project.
Bart Van Dender (Arrangements and Keys)
Bart, the keyboardist, came into contact with The Leonard Cohen Tribute Project through various music companies. At the age of 7 he started studying piano, church organ and keyboards at the Music Academy of Ekeren and Kapellen. At the age of 11 he gave his first organ recital in the St. Lambertus Church in Ekeren. He still regularly plays church organ in the church of Kapellen-Putte. In recent years he is a much sought-after session keyboardist with various national and international musical ensembles. In 2018, he was part of the supporting act for Bonnie Tyler and also performed in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands. Currently, he is responsible for the keys and arrangements of our Tribute Project.
Koen Doggen (Vocals and Guitar)
As a little boy, Koen attended music school and learned to play the violin, which did not have a significant impact on him. Only in his puberty, when he noticed that you attract girls when holding a guitar, did he get to know the instrument inside and out. As a bonus, it also came in handy in the youth movement.
After studying Germanic Philology and Theater Studies, he became a student counselor of a progressive secondary school. There was always an opportunity for a performance during Chrysostomos or a goodbye song for a retiring colleague. And doing so, he discovered that his guitar playing really served to guide himself in what he liked most: singing!
After numerous separate small projects, he was involved in the start of the Leonard Cohen Tribute Project. And the goal is clear: to move people by - very modestly - keeping alive the heritage of one of the greats of the 20th century.
Anna Bleyen (Vocals)
A young mother who works as a nursery teacher. Anna (1989) sang for 12 years with the C-choirs in Ekeren and participated in various choir competitions at home and abroad.
After this she sang for 3 years with Fine Fleur, taking part in a concert by Céline Dion in Paris and singing the last two installments of The Lord of the Rings in Concert in the Sportpaleis accompanied by the National Orchestra of Belgium.
"When I joined the Leonard Cohen Tribute Project, I didn't know Leonard Cohen nor his repertoire. The ideal way to get to know him was to study his songs. This quote says a little more about myself: The birds they sang at the break of day. Start again I heard them say. Don't dwell on what has passed away or what is yet to be".
Margriet Kegeleers (Vocals)
The youngest of the group (1997) studies Literatur, Linguistics, Theatre and Film, and was fascinated by music and culture from an early age. Singing is all she ever does; wherever she roams, she does so singing and dancing. When she was fifteen she took up the guitar. Several years of school play acting introduced her to the stage bug. Now she is known to many as the girl with the guitar and the beautiful voice, with which she occasionally entertains wedding receptions.
Like Anna, she did not yet know Leonard Cohen's repertoire when she started this project, but this has completely turned around: Cohen has become a great source of inspiration and she gives her heart and soul as a Backing and Lead vocal in the Tribute Project.
Caroline Hübner (Poetry and Writer of Texts)
Caroline studied drawing and painting at the Academy of Sint-Niklaas and Literature at the University of Antwerp.
As the daughter of a ballerina and a pianist / conductor, she grew up in a world of color and movement, of art and dance, music and poetry, which would later translate into the rhythm and color of her work. Creating a different perspective on what is visible at first sight, touching the fragility of a life, both in language and image. Feeling death but also life in its most vulnerable form, making the inaccessible tangible; trying to capture the fleeting nature of stories, myths and landscapes, the melancholy of a place and even a life story.
Her work has been shown in various Belgian galleries, as well as Ireland and London, where a collaboration with the Biomedical artist group already resulted in intense portraits of life and death, both in language and image.
