EL Paso TX day 2

Today was the most fun day of the tour. However it started with a little tragedies. I lost my phone. I was distracted by too many events and had too little time. I am almost finished with the tour and there goes my phone. In the last weeks! It was bound to happen and i hated that phone anyway.

That made me a little upset but when i saw the hall and the piano ...

everything was back on track. I knew that the show will be good. And it was! because i had an amazing audience and many new friends in it.

Before the concert i was taking pics of the venue.

The evening was very warm and many people were out enjoying it.

Gladys (a representative of the area for the concert associations) came out to enjoy the evening too. While we were talking a young couple approached us and asked if i was Rudolf. Surprisingly I was. They were very friendly. People with confidence always make life interesting. Look at Dustin. He is ready to take Gladys (in red) home too ; )

Honestly i didn't expect my new Mexican friends (Maria, Fernanda and Cesar) whom i met last night to come to the show.

I was very happy because they did and also brought even more friends. Here we are after the concert at the starting line. Ready to party.

Trendy bars had waiting lists for 30 min. It was way too long! We just posed for a couple of pictures there and left to another one.

We landed in a dive bar where we felt quite ... comfortable.

the DJ kept an ambience with good music

Cesar had very unrealistic dreams ; )

Dustin didn't look as perky as before and Kate couldn't stop smiling even though there was no reason.

Sofie was very alert and was telling something important in Spanglish or Dutch. I don't remember. She is a big fan of Amsterdam as you can see.

Fernanda made sure that everyone had a little somethin' somethin' on the table. Actually she was the one who invited me to the table yesterday at the club. We didn't know each other then. say "Queso" or "Jalapeno"!!!

There was more friends from Juarez (Mexico). They cross the border just to come to El Paso in order the party or to visit friends. This time was both.

I was having the best time with these people. No wonder that i am married to a latina ; ) Their blood temperature fits mine even i am a pale gringo from Lithuania. Not Transylvania! Please!

El Paso TX day 1

11 hours of flights wore me down. Finally i reached a border town El Paso. It was weird to see Ciudad Juarez Mexico a mile away. I was advised not to cross the border. Drug wars are still there.

I stayed in the center of El Paso. After the long flight i wanted to relax meaning to go out and to have a beer.

I found a club where the band was about to play. When i ordered the beer i realized that i am the only one non-latin customer. I felt very special. Everyone looked at me and i looked back at them. I tried to avoid eye contact with guys with a lot of tattoos or twice bigger ones than me. The girls looked very feminine and fixed up for the friday night. The beers were $2. Everyone spoke spanglish. I liked it because i didn't feel left out.

So i was just sitting there and waiting for the band to start when 2 mexican girls and a 1 guy came to me and said "you look very lonely why don't you join our table?". The next moment we were sitting at the same table, listening to the latin rock band and becoming best friends. Everything happened so fast just in 2 hours after i landed in El Paso. They were students at the University of Texas El Paso from Ciudad Juarez. I felt if i was talking to my old buddies. I couldn't believe that they knew Mozart operas in details. They were talking about poetry, quoting some Argentinean philosophers, translating the songs of the band. They were interested in everything and we kept talking and talking.

Also the place was getting more wild. Everyone was screaming their lungs out singing latin rock songs with the band. Later the singer wanted to see the most wild table. It was enough to announce that when ... girls jumped on the tables and started to dance. Then balloons filled the club, later techno music exchanged the band and the energy was in the red zone.

Me and my new friends started to lose our voices because of the loudness. Even the beer didn't help. It was 1:30 am and time to go to the hotel anyway. On the way out the owner of the bar insisted for us to have a friendship tequila shots (on him). I was reluctant but i couldn't reject the friendship part. We said our good byes and maybe will see each other at my show tomorrow.

This was the only time when i needed my camera and i didn't have it. I forgot even my cell phone. Maybe it should stay that way - unreal. Pictures couldn't transmit the real atmosphere anyway.

Nashua NH day 2

Jet leg could mess you up! The night before i couldn't fall asleep till 4 am. Luckily i didn't have activities in he morning. So i just slept slept and slept. I needed to be fresh before i went on stage. My friends from student years in Lithuania came from Boston to the show. I was very excited. We didn't see each other for 12 years. What a pressure ; ) The show went very well. Many people. Maybe 900 or so. Very responsive crowd. I had a great time.

After we went out with my friends. Of course, we were the last people to leave the restaurant. It was so nice to reconnect with my "Soviet underground" roots which has no borders or tabu's. It felt good not to be PC and to speak in our slang with russian expressions! My people have very thick skin and witty approach to life that allows us to be free without caring about "sensitive" or "not nice" %^*&. There was a lot of laughter, beers and margaritas flying around.

Here we just starting. Danute (great opera singer, the nice one), Ginte (amazing pianist, the crazy one), moi (no comments) and Remis (pharmaceutical business, Ginte's hubby and the sane one).

BTW Danute and Ginte are mothers of 2 and 3 children but ... they left them with (?) spontaneously and came to the concert. They kept ordering more margaritas. You got to love them just for that. Long live mothers!!!

Here we are leaving ; ) (oh Ginte, stop trying)

On the way to hotel i was stopped by police. Luckily i had my lucky charm with me otherwise ...

my blogs wouldn't be here anymore ; )

Nashua NH day 1

"A classy breakfast

is the way

to start the day."

(anonymous XXI c.)

Do you guys have Verizon here?

I took a long route through the White Mountains.

I think there is a Mount Washington in the back. Its kind of boring info.

Today was a hot day on the East Coast 86F. People were really enjoying it.

I stopped in the random town that i liked on the way. It was Concord NH.

You could feel the excitement of the spring everywhere. Somebody needed the sun,

and somebody the shade.

I found one too and it happened to be in front of the New Hampshire State House.

Well i decided to check how the government is doing their job there. The Senate didn't look to be very busy there.

nor was the House Chamber.

The only working person was the governor's secretary.

She told me that everyone is enjoying the weather and there is not too much of legislation to do anyway.

Very cool hair style

Not so cool.

Stairs or elevator? ............................. stairs of course.

Time to find my hotel.

Oh, its not so bad! I also loved Mozart concerto in the lobby. I guess i deserved it after all ; )

Ok, where is my room? Need some sleep

Rumford ME

That morning i was in a good mood. I said good bye to Central Coast California and was ready for my next adventure. However i didn't know how many things are waiting for me with ... open jaws.

My first visit to Maine took forever. I spent 14 hours in the airports and delayed flights and i didn't even get to my destination. I had to find a hotel at ... 3 am in Portland ME. There wasn't red carpets only a kurdish shuttle driver to take me to the hotel. Very entertaining dude. We became brothers.

Next morning i was on the way to Rumford. I took detour in order to have a glimpse at Portland ME and its dwellers.

I was tired. The only thing i wanted was a pillow for couple of hours. When i got to my B & B i wanted to kiss the grounds but ... the owner of the B & B didn't give me a chance. We got into the fight in 10 seconds. The night before her husband cancelled my 1 of 2 night reservation at their B & B because of the flight dealys. But today she still wanted the money for that cancelled night. Hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I wanted to jump in there.

I decided not to stay with them and in general never to stay in B & Bs again. They freak me out. I love people but there is too much contact (ewww!) between stayers or owners. I don't want act like a family at the breakfast and i don't want anyone to count my steps while i walk on the squeaky floor in the room.

Well, i became homeless and the concert was in 6 hours. It was raining. I wasn't sleepy anymore. I just wanted to get any motel on this road.

I did. It was the place where Ted Kazinski would go. Well, Poland is not too far from Lithuania. I got the room (no internet of course). It was the smallest, cleanest and the cutest room with an amazing balcony facing the river.

The concert was a sad event for the concert association that i was playing for. I was their last concert of their existence. The only thing i could do for them was to cheer them up with my ... dark soul.

Actually i forgot about everything and had a blast.

At the end of my long day i got beer at the gas station and drove back to my "no-tell motel" to listen to the crickets.

........crick ......................... crick ........................... crick .....................

(or whatever they say in English)

Lompoc CA

Lompoc was the most local destination of he tour. Lots of wild groupies. The back stage had even naked ones. "Peace"!

Bakersfield CA

To Bakersfield i could travel with my girls because it was just a few hours from home in CA.

In 6 weeks of her life Sofia is already addicted to the luxury hotels.

Bakersfield had the most gigantic stage. It is the 5th biggest stage in the continent. Perfect for my ego.

That was definitely the largest venue i ever played. When you have a venue like that then you need dudes like this to run it: the sound guy,

the lighting guy,

and the stage manager.

Not only they didn't kick my demanding ass but also they became my best buddies.

They were amazing! The sound check and the lights were done in a flash.

Also i needed a shuttle (not provided this time) to cross the back stage to my green room.

The evening show went incredibly well. Even Sofia had her stardom moment. When you play Chopin you can't avoid talking about romance. So she was my evidence.

That was the most exciting show. I loved my fun and rowdy audience. Only in Bakersfield you can get that ; )

Some artists are tired of paparazzi.

Cheers!