Early mornings in Oh Yeah are quite peaceful places. As the ever present Christmas lights are switched on and staff and tenants begin to filter in, there is one sound that can be heard from a distant room on the top floor: Leif strumming the strings of his latest work. 

Leif Bodnarchuk or Leif B, set up shop in Oh Yeah in 2016 after travelling far and wide. A professional guitar technician since 1995, Leif has toured with the likes of Ash, Bloc Party, The Libertines and the legendary Leonard Cohen (he literally wrote the book: No Ideas: Two Months On The Road With Leonard Cohen). 

These days, Leif can be found in RNR Workshop: guitars, amps, pedalboards, repair and maintenance right in the heart of the Cathedral Quarter. 

Usually met with a touring trunk or two outside the always open door, I caught up with Leif to discuss life on the road, why a repair and maintenance workshop and his days with the Godfather of Gloom. 

Why did you set up RNR Workshop?

I set up here in 2016 after a few years of career exististentialitis. After being on the road, working on tour for bands since I was 19, the lustre and glamour of touring had worn off. I wanted a career change. But I’d been tinkering with guitars and their assorted paraphernalia since I was 16, so what else can I do? 

I decided I’d have a go at setting up camp where musicians come to me, not vice-versa. Eight years later, I honestly can’t believe I’m still doing it.

Why did you set up in Oh Yeah?

It’s perfect. It works so well, being housed in a music hub. Oh Yeah is the only likeable landlord I’ve ever had! It’s a community here, and we all understand each other. We’re all just trying to make a living in (or via) the arts.

You are a well travelled man. What is it about Belfast that made you settle here?

Well… I actually live in Larne (braces for impact). My wife (who’s from Larne) and I had the kids in Toronto, and she wanted to move back home. But… When I first moved here from Toronto in 1987, I lived in Downpatrick, and that’s how I know Ash. I love DPK. Larne isn’t the worst either, but Belfast is where most musicians are, and that’s where I need to be to make a living.

All the same, Belfast is a pretty amazing city when you think about it. In one generation it’s gone from bombs and bullets to a UNESCO city of music. You can’t kill the arts (despite elected officials effectively trying) when so many people have something to say.

You toured with Leonard Cohen and wrote a book about that experience. How did all that come about?

Touring with Leonard Cohen was the pinnacle of my career. We played so many places, big places! But we also got loads of time off, so unlike many other bands I’d worked with, I got to see much more of the cities we visited (the mediaeval armour & weapons museum in Vienna was so good I had to go twice). Leonard was very complimentary of my writing and often asked how my projects were coming along: “How’s the real work?” he’d ask.

To practise writing I kept a blog, lots of LC fans followed it, and the positivity I received gave me the confidence/arrogance to write an actual book. I’ve always enjoyed the solitude and neuron traffic of writing but work these days doesn’t give me as much free time. In fact I probably spend too much time researching motorcycle accessories.

What is the strangest request you have gotten?

I like doing interesting jobs and modifications, such as ripping out the guts of a valve amp to rebuild it from scratch using more traditional methods, so for me it’s not strange, it’s a chance to do something I enjoy. Doesn’t happen often, but it’s great to flex the brain a little.

What local music are you loving at the minute?

A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell, but I am partial to Cherym, Wynona Bleach, and a bit of Problem Patterns.

To book an appointment with RNR Workshop head to https://rocknrollworkshop.wordpress.com/