Tour of Lithuania with
Blues Makers

In March of 2005, I did a short tour of Europe, with gigs in Holland and Lithuania. The Lithuanian part of the tour was my first trip to eastern Europe, and it was delightful (musically and otherwise). I was backed at these shows by the Lithuanian R&B band Blues Makers, fronted by Jutas "Virgis" Virgilius. They are a truly great group of musicians, and served as a great reminder of how universal a language is music.

We did a quick (4-hour) recording session the day after the tour ended, cutting three classic blues songs plus the New Orleans standard "When the Saints Go Marching In". These were cut for the Blues Makers' album "Live at Tamsta"; I don't know if any of these recordings will ever be released in the States.

I've also posted below some pictures from the Lithuanian portion of the tour. Soon I will post some live tracks from the lone "acoustic" gig I did with Virgis, in the resort city of Druskinikai. Enjoy!

-scott

tracks from
Live at Tamsta

recorded at
Tamsta Recording Studio
Vilnius, LITHUANIA
14 March 2005

all tracks:
Harmonica, vocals:
Scott Albert Johnson

Guitar, vocals on "Rock Me Baby":
Jutas Virgilius

Keyboards:
Paulius Zdanavicius

Bass guitar:
Gedas Alecna

Drums:
Bernard Tomasevic

When the Saints Go Marching In
(4:04, 3.73 MB file)

Born in Chicago
(3:35, 3.29 MB file)

Rock Me Baby
(5:12, 4.77 MB file)

Blues With a Feeling
(5:17, 4.84 MB file)

Rehearsals
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We rehearsed in a building that currently serves as a community center and police administrative building. During the days of the Soviet Union, however, it was KGB headquarters in Vilnius, something Virgis told me very matter-of-factly during a break.

Brodvejus
Vilnius, 11 March 2005
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Brodvejus ("Broadway") is one of the top music venues in Vilnius, the cosmopolitan capital of Lithuania. The people were all very friendly and welcoming and seemed to be having a great time. At one point security had to keep a couple of guys who were having too good a time from rushing the stage. I had a very interesting conversation with several people, about my age, who were college students during the 1991 Baltic Revolution... on January 13, 1991, they faced down Soviet tanks at the TV Tower (13 civilians were killed). It was like talking to Paul Revere.

Kurpiai
Klaipeda, 12 March 2005
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Kurpiai, in a city called Klaipeda on the Baltic Sea coast, is considered the top jazz club in the Baltic Nations (which includes Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia). It's a really classy and fun venue, and the people were wonderful.

Kolonada
Druskinikai, 13 March 2005
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Kolonada, in Druskinikai (a spa town near the Ukranian border), was a really pretty venue that resembled a classical Greek building. I played a duo show with Virgis here. Just a few days ago (almost a year after the gig), I received a package from Virgis that included a high-quality live recording of the gig. I didn't even know the show was being recorded. I'll be posting some tracks from this show soon.

Tamsta - studio recording
Vilnius, 14 March 2005
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The day after our last gig, I met up with the Blues Makers at Tamsta Recording Studio. They wanted to cut a few songs with me while I was in their country. We recorded three classic blues tunes -- Paul Butterfield's "Born In Chicago", Little Walter's "Blues With a Feeling", and "Rock Me Baby" (recorded by many, including B.B. King and Albert Collins). We also recorded the New Orleans classic and one of my favorite songs, "When the Saints Go Marching In". We did each of these songs live in one or two takes... one of the quickest recording sessions I've ever done. These tracks are on the Blues Makers' album "Live in Tamsta"... you can download them here.