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Mekhis Qandakeba
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Mekhis Qandakeba (, ) was a Georgian rock band founded in 1992 in Telavi, Georgia. History Mekhis Qandakeba's original lineup consisted of Zura Napetvaridze (vocals), Papuna Saralidze (keyboards), Leon Manveli (guitar), Gela Maisuradze (drums) and Zura Barkhudanashvili (bass guitar). The idea for the band was conceived on the balcony of Manveli's house. In 1994, Maisuradze went to Moscow but after several auditions in the same year was replaced by George Khutsishvili. Before the disbanding of the group, Mevlud Maisuradze played on bass. Most members of the group were self-taught musicians. Papuna Saralidze was the only one with a formal music education, having finished seven years of music school of Telavi in 1984. The band's most productive period coincided with Georgia's immediate post-Soviet Union era (1992-1996) where there were several civil wars, no political stability, and no electricity among other things, influencing the band's lyrics.<ref namelast/> In addition, as the band were from Telavi, not from Georgia's center, its members experienced particular hardship in getting equipment and making studio recordings. This was in addition to the group having to work in bad conditions. The band didn't have a sponsor at the time, so members sold personal items to purchase their instruments. Rehearsals were held in the evenings in Manveli's cellar because that was when the electricity was on.<ref nameucnauri/> The group worked by the sweat of their brow, and in the band's short period of existence, managed to write and record two albums. On August 24, 1993, Mekhis Qandakeba held their first concert at Telavi State Drama Theatre which sold out. In October of that year, the band recorded their first album at the State Television Recording Studio in Tbilisi. Then they appeared at rock festivals, gala concerts,<ref name=last/> and other presentations: in 1994, a rock festival at Griboedov Theater in Tbilisi with various other rock groups, at a presentation in a physicians home in the same city, at a concert dedicated to Georgia's freedom on May 26, 1995 at Freedom Square, Tbilisi, among others. In 1994 - 1995, the band worked in the studios with the help of their friend George Janashia: For the first time, the studio recordings were fully sponsored. Also as a result, in the winter of 1996 the band recorded their second studio album. The group disbanded in the spring of 1996: Members had to work day jobs and no longer had time for rehearsals.<ref name=ucnauri/> Discography Studio Albums * Litonis kaci () - 1993 * Ukhilavi Kedeli () - 1996 
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