Born behind the Iron Curtain and realized years later in the U.S., Unleashed Dream is the sound of a lifelong promise fulfilled. Armed with my dream guitar—an Ibanez UV777—and a little recording gear gifted by my friend Kris, who believed in my madness like an older brother, I began experimenting late into the nights. These tracks capture that raw energy: the freedom I once imagined, now unleashed in music.
Dedicated to my Mom — for always having my back.
Hit play and step into the dream that started in 1987.
In 1987,
Poland was still cloaked in the shadow of communist rule, but for a teenager like me, life was a wild, carefree adventure. That summer, my buddy’s cousins from the USA visited, and we hit the road hitchhiking, soaking in the freedom of youth. We didn’t care about the poverty or politics—we were just living. I’d scored my second real guitar and was headed to art school. Life felt electric.
One of the cousins, Margaret, promised to write. I didn’t think much of it—phones were a luxury, and art school soon swallowed my attention with its intense workload. But then, a massive envelope arrived from the States. Inside? A treasure trove of rock band stickers, pin-ups, posters, and an incredible letter from Margaret. Tucked among them was something sacred: a Guitar Player Magazine. Behind the Iron Curtain, we barely knew such things existed. The cover featured a guitarist whose name I wouldn’t learn for months, but I was obsessed, staring at his guitar for hours. Later, a friend’s cassette of Public Image Ltd.’s Rise revealed it was Steve Vai. His mastery blew me away, though Eddie Van Halen was still my guitar god.
A year later, my buddy Micek and I ventured to a store in Bielsko-Biała, the nearest big city, where they sold Western magazines. A single Guitar Player cost as much as my mom’s weekly wages, so we could only gaze. The clerk let us flip through one with Eddie on the cover, and the gear inside felt like a glimpse into another galaxy. Standing there, I blurted to Micek, “I’m gonna be in this magazine one day.” He roared with laughter, calling me a sci-fi dreamer. We left the store chuckling, but the dream stuck.
Fast forward to the USA. Armed with my dream guitar, an Ibanez UV777, and some basic recording gear, I started experimenting. By spring 2005, I’d cut a demo on a company CD burner and sent it to Mike Varney’s “Spotlight” column at Guitar Player, not expecting much. Months later, an email popped up at work: I’d been selected for the Spotlight. I thought it was a prank until my coworker Chris confirmed it was real. We scrambled to create a PR package—Chris snapped photos, and we whipped up a bio. I sent it off, heart racing. Soon after, Ernie Ball emailed, asking what I wanted on custom guitar picks. I chose “Thanks Mom,” a nod to the woman who’d always believed in me. Weeks later, the picks and strings arrived, stamped with my words.
Guitar Player:
GUITARIST: Slavo
AGE: 35
STYLE: Rock, blues, jazz, funk
INFLUENCES: Jimi Hendrix, Steve Vai, John Scofield, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny
MAIN GUITAR: Ibanez Universe 777
LOCATION: Sacramento, California
BACKGROUND:
Born in Poland, Slavo received his first acoustic guitar at the age of 12. Upon hearing the Sex Pistols two years later, and Jimi Hendrix a year after that, Slavo bought an electric guitar and learned exotic scales along with the basics. Slavo migrated to the U.S. in late 2003, and soon recorded his first CD, Unleashed Dream, using Logic Pro 7. Although in the progressive-shred vein, the compositions are very inventive, and have a Euro-industrial soundtrack bent, driven by his intense approach and melodic flair.
-Mike Varney
The whirlwind continued: interviews, DJs playing my demo, a few fans reaching out. I didn’t chase a full-blown music career, but the sweetest moment was mailing a copy of Guitar Player Magazine to Micek in Poland with a note: “And what? I made it.” That triumph, born from a teenager’s dream behind the Iron Curtain, still strums the chords of my heart.
