Roger Holzheimer - Roger Holzheimer - Blog

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Holzheimer/52057053321

and if you haven't visited any of the pages above and find the time to, please do, or not, your call . . . . . .

oh, and one other things, joe walsh has a new album coming out this week Analog Man, here's the single, enjoy . . . . .http://youtu.be/il1Byvn_vMA

where did march go . . . . .

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 09:51:55 -0700

well, hello my friends . . . . where is the time going? here in russia it seems like march came in like a lion and is leaving like a lion. speaking of leaving, i also will be leaving rostov-on-don next month. after two years here (which at times seems as if it has been 3 months and at other times like 25 years) i will be moving on to other opportunities . . . . as i think what next month will bring i keep hearing sinatra singing "New York, New York", but for me the russian version will be "Moscow, Moscow". after a brief respite back in the us of a mid-april i will be heading for moscow for my "roger's next big adventure" . . . . one which i will speak of next month, but one which i am very excited about and blown away that it is happening. stay tunedw boys and girls.

leaving rostov will be bittersweet, it has been so good to me. i have met some of the most wonderful people here who have been unbelievably kind to this crazy old american. i realized saturday night when asked to play a song in a local club the most appropriate was "found', one of my shortest but, in my humble opinion, one of the best i have written, or at least one of my favorites to play and sing. looking around while playing the song it reminded me of all the people i have "found" here that have been so gracious, so kind, so warm, so accepting of, once again, the crazy old american. but i also think of the venues available in moscow, an entire new audience for the old man singing sad songs out of tune!!

saturday night was interesting . . . . an american, a canadian, a ukrainian, and a south african exploring rostov-on-don, none of us speaking russian (or at least me a little bit) but having no problem it seemed communicating. conversations take a little bit longer as you and your russian friends navigate knowing just a bit of each other's language, but in the end when the connection or the meaning is understood it is smiles all around with a side order of bigger smiles.

anyway, more of all of that in a future message. i am excited to know that "rough hewn heart" still has some legs under it. besides wonderful people like carmen allgood keeping my music alive on her shows syndicated around the world

http://www.IndieMusicWave.com

http://www.TheColoradoWave.com

and my good friend jeff popka

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/indieonair

http://www.indieonair.com

who has done the same (and classic i am up for that return interview when i return to the states), "found" (see paragraph 2) is being revived in the netherlands by gerritt and his "goodnoise" radio show. gerritt, i promise, the station promo is coming soon!!!! holland, it seems, has been one of my best markets, primarily because of gerritt and his more than generous plays (and carmen is also syndicated there). i just thought, you know, that is terrible shameless self-promotion, and then said NO! it is thanking people who still believe in the indie artist and what they may have to offer to the listening public. my friends, i thank you from the bottom of my heart. support your local indie artist!!!

well . . . . if you have gotten this far in this message i thank you all also from the bottom of my heart, for allowing this crazy old american living in of all places, russia, to every now and then come through cyberspace to a computer near you. your kind messages and support has been humbling. i hope to share some of the new songs with you soon.

so, until next month when i can share a bit more of "roger's next big adventure". . . .

remember . . . . fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches may have contributed to elvis' early departure, standing in front of speeding buses can be hazardous to your health, a hug when least expected can be incredible, baseball cards in the spokes of a bicycle can bring an amazing reaction to a child, and showing up when an indie artist just wants to entertain you for a bit is worth a million dollars to him or her . . . .

thank you my friends, for who you are, and for how important you are to me . . .

roger

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Holzheimer/52057053321

and messages always welcome at roger@rogerholzheimer.com

or sign the guest book . . . . .

or invite friends to my band page . . . . .

thanks my friends . . . . . .

February and the chill continues . . . .

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 07:01:11 -0800

it has been a cold winter here in beautiful downtown rostov-on-don, russia!! not growing up gauging temperatures in celsius i thought surely -24 C couldn't be that cold by fahrenheit standards until my trusty temperature converter pegged it at -11 F. so, yeah, i goes -24 c is cold . . . but luckily i still carried the warmth of family and friends back with me from the states so it became much more tolerable . . . .

not much going on in this part of my world . . . playing a bit, writing some new music, playing some old. hopefully a side trip to moscow in the next few weeks (where it was getting into the -30's c overnight) and perhaps a meeting with some old friends and colleagues.

i still want to make my weekend trip to helsinki, finland for a little jamming and recording with my friend kimi nordstrom, but may have to wait until the thaw actually arrives. kimi makes fantastic music, great video, and is just one of the all-around most creative people i know. here's a link to his video (and he's part of the entourage playing) playing and recording in 2010 at the famous and infamous sun studios (think elvis, johnny cash, jerry lee, roy orbison). the spirits were very kind as they recorded. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8OVFJeJ8iM

today was one of those days i decided to see how poor of a video i could make. so, picked up guitar, turned on iMovie, played and sang "Found" . . . . so yeah, validated that it really is an old guy playing sad songs out of tune . . . . so, for a good chuckle it may be found at http://youtu.be/ECtTaUJSw24 a very private concert with an audience of 1 (your's truly) hoping all the while my neighbors didn't call the authorities thinking someone was being murdered next door. but hell, it is what it is . . . .

that is about it. probably wasn't worth the time it took you to read but thanks for reading (and maybe watching).

think good thoughts, give a pair of socks to a homeless person, enjoy your favorite ice cream, get up early and watch the sun rise, register to vote, listen to the favorite music you haven't heard in a while, don't fall asleep outside in the cold, honor those who made you what you are today . . . . and as always, don't eat too many girl scout cookies . . . .

thanks for being out there and allowing me to share a little of my world . . . .

all the best, all the time . . . .

roger

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Holzheimer/52057053321

http://itunes.apple.com/us/artist/roger-holzheimer/id302164273

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/holzheimer

rocking chair memories . . . . .

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 10:22:02 -0800

another chapter of spontaneous drivel as we begin to go "out with the old and in with the new".

seems at a certain age a stubbornness refuses to allow you to believe that the "old" has been kicked to the curb as yesterday's news and the "new" has become, well, the "new". memories seem to manifest themselves and are viewed over time in the style of the period in which they happened. are they black and white like my memory of the beatles on the ed sullivan show, are they "colorized" after the fact like water-colors as ted turner did with so many old movies, or are they viewed in brilliant 3D (no special glasses required)? do they begin with the 5 4 3 2 1 countdown of old movies, movies which always had the dot or the x in the upper right corner which told the projectionist it was time to change reels, or do they pop onto the screen giving you the opportunity to view in small or large screen, original format or letter-box? however they manifest themselves they are what they are, part of what made you, part of what you love, part of what embarrassed you, or part of what scared the hell out of you . . . . rocking chair memories if you will.

the mind is a wonderful thing. somehow over time it allows the uncomfortable, bad or sad to be pushed to the end as the credits roll showing mainly highlights of all the pleasure, the good, the happy you experienced. a song pops into your head and you remember where you were, who you were with, what station in the car was playing. you perhaps pass a place and only see what used to stand in it's place. you view a current photo of someone you knew many, many years ago and see them as they were, not what the new photo represents.

our individual "groups", our specific demographic profile if you will, becomes much like that. . . happenings recorded in a dusty old textbook we occasionally pull from the shelf to jump start the process of remembering. our "groups" become passed by by the "new", we still vainly attempt to embrace the "new", whether it is music or fashion or causes, to become part of the now, to still be relevant and not the nostalgia of the past, yet try to never lose the experiences of the past.

"When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things". but memories do take us back. they allow us to view as a child, speak as a child, understand as a child. i refuse to "put away childish things". i refuse to totally throw out the old because all of those childish things have made me what you get today, a guy providing spontaneous drivel which you may read or not, which you may agree with or not.

a group of us ex-pats in russia know we have made rocking chair memories, memories we will pull up as we sit on the porch in the rocking chair with a subtle smile as we watch the film roll, knowing we may never see each other again. but we know we will embrace those rocking chair memories, not dwell on them and accept the new for what it is, an opportunity to create more rocking chair memories.

enough of that, and where THAT monologue came from, i don't know, but there it is . . .

a wonderful christmas back in the united states. it feels so good to be surrounded by family after a long six months in russia. i head back to russia soon and intend to not allow another six months pass before placing my feet on the ground of my homeland. :) the past six months though saw me experience more travels throughout russia, more trains, more buses, more cars as i passed through cities, towns, and villages. i have had the opportunity to perform more of late in front of a full band which was kind enough to allow these old "pipes" to perform not only my songs before a generous crowd but to also delve back into the early memphis rhythm and blues and the rock and roll which were part of my childish era. those of you who have performed know the feeling. you are transported into another time and another place while still in the now. be the performance good or bad, it is what it is, and becomes a great addition to those rocking chair memories.

i hope for nothing but the best in 2012 for all of you as we watch the future unfold before our eyes. i hope you all experience the type of kindness you have shown me in the past, i hope you find the time to pull that dusty book off the shelves and think about what made you what you are, or what you are yet to become, or even what you may not wish to be.

so here is to a great 2012!

oh, and my thoughts for you in the coming year . . . .

don't run with scissors, don't stare at a solar eclipse, mind your p's and q's, take the time to watch a sunset or a sunrise, share a smile or a kind word with a stranger, be mindful of patience, and most of all, keep making those rocking chair memories. they are free, they never expire, no "use by" date and they provide hours of entertainment and amusement . . . . . . .

all the best,

roger

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Holzheimer/52057053321

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150451273018322&set=a.437985943321.236958.52057053321&type=3&theater

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Wed, 23 Nov 2011 08:48:02 -0800

Happy Thanksgiving from "beautiful downtown Rostov, Russian Federation". Doesn't matter if you are in The States we all have a lot to be thankful for. When I look at the job market in the good ol' US of A I am pretty damn thankful I have had the opportunity to work overseas but also include some "guitar playing time" here. A little early but last night we celebrated Thanksgiving here. Around the table we were represented by Holland, Slovakia, the UK, Germany, Cuba, Canada, and of course America. Having that many countries represented, breaking bread, telling stories, and just damn enjoying each other's company made me very thankful for all the journeys I have taken which led me here to meet such wonderful people. We didn't solve any of the world's problems or even any of our individual ones for that matter, but it did show what a very, very small world it has become. It also shows the world is just a lot people and too much of the time governments just get in the damn way . . . . But I digress . . . . .

So, we ate in an Italian Restaurant in Russia cooked by I believe an Italian chef who did his best to make an American Thanksgiving turkey dinner. I must say, the turkey was one of the best I have had. The "fixin's" left a bit to one's imagination. I imagined the boiled potatoes were mashed, the rice dish was stuffing . . . . well, you get the picture. But, it wasn't about the food, it was about the friendship and fellowship. And believe me, there was plenty of that.

Now, dessert. The pies were gigantic. At least four inches thick. Once again though, the concept was grasped 90% of the way. Imagine a big dough pie with cut up bug chunks of pumpkin spread sorta on top and within. Interesting. Now, it worked with the apple pie, big tasty chunks of apple in the same type of big dough pie, the pumpkin just din't come across the same. But, like I said, it wasn't about the food . . . .

Last year at this time it was just a coincidence that my work visa needed to be renewed so I HAD to go back to renew it with the Russian Embassy. Now with the three year visas no such luck this year. BUT . . . . December 20th is just around the corner and my trip will be Rostov-on-Don to Moscow, Moscow to JFK, JFK to Denver and home until the fourth of January. The first half of the year I was here for 5 months before heading home, this time will be six months without. Talk about missing and loving family . . . . it goes without saying. I am so thankful they support me in my endeavors and love me more than I deserve.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to "play out" again. Great little venue where my songs seemed to reverberate with the crowd. Some understood the lyrics but whether they did or not all seemed to enjoy the "old crazy American" with his guitar. I was lucky to be able to jam with the full band that played after me. Picture that "crazy old American" doing the last song of the evening with that great band with me wailing "Blue Suede Shoes", and a six or seven minute version at that, eat your heart out Elvis! Then it was to another venue a little ways away where a nice quiet acoustic set ended the evening, even a little a cappella Four Tops. Yeah, I can definitely be old school, hell, I am old school.

Anyway, no big news, just wanted to wish everyone around the world (and there are like 40 countries represented on this mailing list of mine) a Happy Thanksgiving. Take a moment to reflect on what is good about life, how each of us is blessed in so many ways. As always, share a kind word with a stranger, slow your life and world down a bit, don't be ashamed about crying over something sad or happy, tell those you love how you feel, tell those who are special to you just how special they are, remember the words please and thank you, and always remember how special all of you who read these spontaneously typed messages are. Here is a very cool video for the day from Don Henley "My Thanksgiving"

http://www.livevideo.com/video/587F8186339C4A2C8DFDFEB43D964D8F/don-henley-my-thanksgiving-.aspx

Be well my friends, play nice, and don't forget to look in both directions when crossing the street . . . . .

Roger

http://www.rogerholzheimer.com

http://www.itunes.com/rogerholzheimer

http://www.cdaby.com/cd/holzheimer

Oh, if you are on Facebook and feel like it, stop by and "like" my band page at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Holzheimer/52057053321

and of course, please feel free to share this or any of the sites with anyone who may be the least bit interested (my true shameless self-promotion) . . . .

Be well . . . .

alive and well . . . .

Sun, 09 Oct 2011 06:38:23 -0700

ahh my friends . . . . many of you have sent messages to ask if all was okay with me. i realized in looking back that i haven't bothered you with a newsletter since june, and here it is october already. so, yes . . . . i am alive and well, still in rostov-on-don russia. in fact it will be a year and a half in just a few more days. actually i thought i may be heading back to the usa this month but now it appears the next time i step foot on the soil of my motherland will be at christmas. thanks for checking up on me.

my short nine day stay in the united states in may and june for the purpose of acquiring my long term russian visa turned into three weeks, then four weeks, then five weeks . . . . i finally got back to work on the fourth of july (and there was no celebration . . . oh yeah, it is russia). being home with my incredible family always makes it hard to leave, particularly when the stay is a long one. when i read of the lack of employment for so many in the states it does make me feel very privileged and blessed to not only be employed but to have had the chance to enjoy employment in such a very cool place. i know everyone has been touched in some way by the state of things back home, either to themselves or to someone they know.

bbc, usatoday, cnn, the moscow times, the denver post, the san francisco examiner, the voice of america, the cleveland plain dealer, the guardian uk, npr, pbs (the list goes on and on) keeps me in close contact with what is going on in this wonderful world of ours and specifically back home in the us of a. when watching or reading the news it is amazing to flip back and forth between cnn, bbc, france24, russiatoday, al jazeera and others and see how the reporting differs. sometimes it is very subtle, sometimes the differences are huge, but i guess it is no different than seeing how a story differs on msnbc from fox news. who is the hero and who is the villain, who is the winner and who is the loser. depends on which outlet you watch. . . . . not to mention how it may personally affect you and yours.

i think back to having only abc, cbs, and nbc news for a half hour a day. then there was the local newspaper, which depending on who they were affiliated with, always gave only the ap, reuters, or some other syndicate's slant. that pretty much summed up the daily information for most people. of course if you lived in a family like mine growing up you not only had the morning newspaper but the evening as well. i delivered the evening newspaper, not that it matters here. now we have become news junkies and i don't see detox anytime soon.

just in the past few months we have watched the arab spring in living color, watched doctors and lawyers and students and every day people pick up arms to depose a mad man in libya, felt as though we were walking with the wall street protesters even though we were thousands of miles away, and followed a trial of someone who was a partner in the death of her child as if our lives depended on it.

i think the instant news availability has made us a much better informed and more intelligent world community, by far. but i also see that in far too many cases we have become insensitive to deaths of starving world citizens in africa, the plight of tsunami ravaged communities, the struggle of so many in the world not just for individual freedom but just the struggle to stay alive, the attempts of people to find employment of any kind to provide for themselves and their families. yet we can instantly rise up with an unbelievable passion to protest the fact that facebook has made changes which we don't like to a service provided at no cost to us. something seems terribly wrong. think about it. i may be right, may be wrong, may be an incredible cynic or far too optimistic that we will find a way to not become inure to the pain of others. so, just some of my spontaneous ramblings on a sunday afternoon in rostov-on-don. hope i didn't lose you in the last four paragraphs.

ironically as i typed all of the above on an apple mac book pro i am listening to american 50's and 60's doo wop over an iPad made in china streamed from a station in switzerland after listening to oldies streamed from a station in hamburg germany. so . . . . yes . . . i am an embracer of the technology. but i also remember that all of the devices have an on and off switch. don't you sometimes wish people did too?

we are experiencing an indian summer (except here i think it is called "grannies summer") here in southwest russia. amazed how little the trees have turned, how warm it has been. good weather for the evening walk down pushkinskaya casually greeting entire families who are just happy to spend time together. for now you can still walk down the evening rostov streets with a bottle of beer. beer is classified as a food, but in a few years that will change when beer is reclassified as an alcoholic beverage subject to more regulations. i always knew beer was a food, shame to see it change. but everything does at a some time or other.

still with me oh faithful friends? i know, too many words, but it is something i never seem to lack.

i will re-read the above, determine if it is too inane to share, share it anyway and maybe go out into the 4:30 pm russian afternoon, buy a beer, stroll, nod to the people and families i pass, and for a brief time get away from the technological overload i subject myself to. i hope wherever you are you might do the same.

if you get a chance, an old san francisco favorite is back, bam magazine and one of my oldest friends, pat johnson, san francisco's best photographer, is blogging for it at http://www.BamMAGAZINE.COM/ also, visit his site at patjohnson.com just another good cleveland boy, and once a cleveland boy always a cleveland boy. and here is a picture, one of my favorites, of pat and me in the early san francisco days, me on the left, pat on the right

and while we are at it, me solo, san francisco 1972

and while you are at it, visit Carmen Allgood's WorldWide Wavez. She is also another good friend and is playing some of the best music at all times (of course some times its mine) on stations all over the world. http://www.WorldWideWavez.com

oh, i almost forgot, shameless self promotion . . . .if so inclined, visit and maybe "like" my facebook music page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Holzheimer/52057053321

or my regular facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/roger.holzheimer

and of course there is always (tell your friends to drop by too)

http://www.rogerholzheimer.com

http://www.itunes.com/rogerholzheimer

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/holzheimer

be well my friends, thanks for checking up on me, thanks for so many memories you gave me over the years that have helped me pass some solitary times, i appreciate them and you more than you can ever realize . . . . and avoid the numbness of news overload.

peace

roger

june, june, june . . . . .

Sun, 05 Jun 2011 16:12:34 -0700

well, here it is the fourth of june and it has been a long time since reaching out to you, my friends. and of course i know you all missed my musings . . . .

so, since march, where have i been, what have i done? i had the entire month of march and half of april to spend time in the ural area of russia as well as western siberia. what an experience. living out of a suitcase for five and a half weeks staying in hotels, some modern, some out of the '40's. nothing like working all day, catching a train at 8 pm, 11 pm, or even 1 am for another journey through parts unknown to arrive in another city previously unknown to me. take a quick nap and or shower, then off to work. as i said in my last message, i visited ekaterinburg, nizhni tagil, magnitogorsk, chelyabinsk, kurgan, surgut, tyumen, perm, nizhnivartosk, and some other towns and villages. once again, i believe i have seen in the past year more of russia than most americans (or russians for that matter) can hope to see in a lifetime. it was ironic that i finished that part of my travels on april 13th which just happened to be my one year anniversary in the russian federation. and what a year it has been. at some point in time i will regale you with stories of some of the more interesting experiences i have had in the past year that shall go unmentioned here for reasons which will also go unmentioned, suffice it to say though, "what a long strange trip it's been"!

currently in the process of getting my three year "highly qualified specialist" visa. yeah, see, a country thinks i am highly qualified. how cool is that?! since this one is taking a little longer than usual i will end up having been home for three weeks or so. my passport only had six months or so left until it expired, so i went to the regional passport office in denver with my russian visa invitation and the itinerary for my return flight, my old falling apart passport and, lo and behold, i had a brand new chip embedded passport in just over 2 hours. didn't think that was possible without congressional action. of course if i waited for congressional action i think i would be waiting for years.

nice to be home for so long but that means my next trip back to the states may not be until christmas - a long, long time away. so far when speaking about going back to the russian federation i haven't referred to it as "going home" which when said on a previous visit to colorado was not taken too well. it's amazing though, the first 4 days of my visit were taken up with doctor visits, one or two per day. not that i haven't had good experiences with the russian medical services it's just nice to stop in and see you "regular" doctor even if to say hello and hear "lose weight, quit smoking, lose weight, quit smoking, and oh yeah, quit smoking"! but doc, probably the hardest place in the world to quit smoking is in russia. as i have always said, smoking is my only bad habit . . . . . other than lying about my bad habits.

was able to see my daughter off for her senior prom, saw her graduate high school, went with my son to his campus to get text books for the summer session, hot rodded his mac book, went for a quiet dinner with my wife. little things, but little things you take for granted here . . . . but not there.

when i do get back i hope to play out a lot more. the cool thing about small russian bars or pubs in the town i live is that they have "bar guitars". just ask for the bar guitar, they turn off the music, and you end up playing to the room for a while. someone else asks if they can have a go at it, next thing you know it has turned into an evening of americana, european and russian folk music. much like what i think it must have been like in the early sixties in greenwich village in new york when dylan, et al were putting on impromptu concerts. not that any of us would be mistaken for dylan or the et als but you get my point. one of our newest ex-pats is from holland. i loaned him my taylor while i came to the states, so maybe we can work up a guitar duo. hope you are practicing marc! bas, my drummer friend, ironically also from holland, is now living in moscow, but we have skyped about having a reunion tour. :)

skype . . . . . first of all, what a very, very cool innovation. but, among those of us ex-pats living away from their families it has become somewhat of an obscene verb. "so man, want to grab a beer? give me fifteen minutes, i have to skype the wife!" "hey buddy, what did you do last night? well, i skyped the wife three or four times in like two hours!". it doesn't take much to make crazy ex-pats laugh.

you would think that i would have more to tell you after not having done this in a while. believe me, there is so much to tell, problem is, i just can't tell it right now. but someday my friends, someday. let's just say it has been an experience. anyway . . . . .

as always, enjoy life, practice random acts of kindness, hug your loved ones, pet a dog, donate to your favorite charity, think good thoughts about the world maybe starting to get along with each other, protect the right of free speech, enjoy religious freedom, be tolerant of opposing positions, vote, play a favorite record you haven't heard in ages, re-read your favorite book or poem, go see live music, and don't forget to tip your server. . . . and know there is always something good just around the bend . . .

be well friends!

roger

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Roger-Holzheimer/52057053321

http://www.facebook.com/roger.holzheimer

www.myspace.com/holzra

in like a lion . . . . . .

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:07:24 -0800

. . . . out like a lamb. I hope your March hasn't started out too leonine, and if it has, well, Spring "should" be on the way, so just grin . . . . The winter weather in Rostov-on-Don was really just about cold, not much snow. Even my time spent in Siberia was snowy only one or two days. Go figure. Now, let's see what the weather will be like during my next journey into the heart of Russia. Tomorrow morning I leave for Ekaterinburg (Yekaterinburg) for what will be a five week traipse through cities, towns, and villages. I will be seeing the cities of Surgut, Perm, Nizhni Tagil, Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen, and Nizhnevartovsk and I am sure I will see a lot of towns and villages as I pass through on trains and cars or fly over on planes. My trip to Vladivostok was postponed for this extended trip to the Ural area, a large expanse highlighted by the Ural Mountains. It lies both in European Russia and Asian Russia extending from the Arctic Ocean down to the Southern border. Should be very, very cool, but alas, I was looking forward to Vladivostok. But everyone says Vladivostok will be much more enjoyable during the summer months. If so inclined, Google or Wikipedia those city names and see a bit of what I will see in the coming weeks.

It's strange that in all my years I had never met anyone who had been to Russia. Now it seems strange that I am having the opportunity to see it like probably very, very, very few Americans could ever or ever have seen it. I will keep you posted on what I see out there.

Today is officially International Women's Day, celebrated here with much gift giving and honoring the nation's women. Since we worked a full day on Saturday in exchange for a three day weekend the building threw parties on each floor in the afternoon on Saturday. On our floor every female found tulips on her desk to welcome her to the working day. Later in the afternoon the parties started. I had taken my guitar with plans to sing for the women on my floor. Ended up playing on each floor as I became the "wandering minstrel". Of course the perfect song to serenade with was "Found", always one of my favorites. It also seems to be the one song which has really resonated here with those who listen and enjoy my feeble offerings as a tunesmith. It appears to be very quiet on the streets of Rostov as I look out at the city. I am sure everyone is enjoying the day off, and/or recovering from the three day celebration of women!!! But hell, celebrate them everyday, right?

There is one place I have wanted to play since I arrived in Rostov . . . . Bukowski's. Yeah, a great restaurant named after a great American novelist and poet, Charles Bukowski, who lived his life hard, enjoyed substances (mainly of the spirit family), and put words together in an incredible way. A block and a half from my flat. Definitely my favorite in this city. A few of the servers have my CD and have always said I should play there. Problem, it is not quite their decision. I had the pleasure though of meeting the owner a few times and passed him my CD. Saturday night he came to my table and nodded, smiled, acted as if he were strumming a guitar, nodded to the stage. So, once back from the Ural area I will schedule my show. His friend told me later they were driving down the Autobahn, popped it in, and said, yes . . . So, an American travels to Russia, eats at a Russian restaurant named after an American writer, gives his CD to the Russian owner, gets the nod because the Russian owner was driving the highway in Germany listening to American music. Life takes many twists and turns, doesn't it? But, the repertoire needs to be expanded a bit. Any suggestions for this old voice to tackle? Seriously, suggestions welcome. Particularly any John Hiatt you think I could do some justice to. Or Johnny Cash for that matter . . . .

Speaking of John Hiatt, I had listened before but in the past month or so have become a total fan of just about everything the man has done. And I must laugh because a few of the reviews of "Rough Hewn Heart" in European publications have actually mentioned his name comparing something they heard either in the music or the lyrics to him. Yeah, I wish. The guy is a master!!! If you haven't listened to John or it has been a long time, do. You won't be disappointed.

It is hard to believe that in five weeks I will have been in the Russian Federation for a year. Yes indeed, very hard to believe. It has been an experience. But besides being a great experience it has been a privilege to be here. The people have been wonderful and welcoming, putting up with my attempts at speaking Russian and usually failing miserably. They have welcomed me as a friend. They have welcomed me as a musician. They have welcomed me in most cases as, in their words, "my American brother." What more could an American ex-pat in Russia need. To all my "Russian brothers", thank you, your kindness has been fantastic.

But, although my enjoyment of the country and its culture should be evident as you have read these musings of mine, nothing will compare to the family that waits patiently in the US of A for my return. A wonderful wife, son and daughter who mean the world to me in every way. Kathy, David, and Sara . . . . May is just around the corner.

So, this has turned into a long rambling discourse of nothing in particular. If you have gotten this far in this message thank you for your time, thank you for the friendship, thanks for the good wishes many of you send me. I will share hopefully a bit more interesting information from Ural. Or maybe not, one never knows, does one?

Enjoy life, celebrate each other every day, embrace all the world has to offer, and don't be shy about expressing your love and appreciation to and for others.

Peace,

Roger

And January comes to a close . . . . .

Sun, 30 Jan 2011 05:40:38 -0800

Is it just me or is time racing? January finished and turning into my birthday month.

In a few weeks some major traveling for this American ex-pat in Russia. Work will take me from Russian border to Russian border the next six months. The first week of February I head to Novosibirsk in Siberia. I am definitely ready in mind and spirit but I don’t think I am ready with wardrobe. In this city the mean temperature is 5.5 F or -14.7 C. The AVERAGE low in February is -2.4F or -19.1C. Yes, I suppose it will be chilly. Brings to mind the band Three Dog Night (a description of how many dogs it takes on the bed to stay warm). I think I could be experiencing a few Five Dog Nights!!

My travels will mean two weeks on the road, one week “home” in Rostov, then two weeks, one week, then two . . . . well, you get the picture. For the first six weeks I will work my way across Siberia ending that portion of the trip the last week in Vladivostok in the Far East. Then I head to the famed Ural Mountain area and Ekaterinburg as a base for travels throughout Ural. Then I head to St. Petersburg for a few weeks, then Moscow for a few weeks. I was in Moscow for May Day last year (which was a truly amazing experience I) but have yet to make it to St. Petersburg. That segment I look forward to with relish. After that I will head to the Volga region. Last summer one of the best experiences I have had while in Russia was boating down the Volga River as the sun set. Amazing!

Eventually I hope to finish my travels visiting Ukraine and Belarus. Everyone says I must see Kiev . . . so, I guess I must. Before the end of my travels, though, I will get to go HOME to Denver in May. The longest I have spent in Russia at any one time has been three months. This stretch is going to be a full five months. You will be able to tell by my words, I am sure, how I handle the extra two months. Hopefully easier than I think it may be. The one disappointing thing about the travels coming up is that one of my oldest and dearest friends, George, was making plans to visit me in Russia for a few days. Then we planned to make it to Istanbul. But alas, the travels won't allow us to connect. And I really don't think I can ask him to visit me in Siberia in February. George, we will make it happen, later rather than sooner.

Since returning from the USA in January my good friend and best drummer Bas, he the Dutch Boy of Amsterdam, has chosen to leave the company and so far has been spotted in Moscow, Kiev, Amsterdam and London. Where will he turn up next? We have discussed a “reunion tour” but I think the "law" is that we have to not play together for five years or more. Bas, I look forward to it. And, last week saw another good friend and ex-pat from the North of England, Alan, also choosing to depart. Our ex-pat group has gotten a bit smaller but I am sure the ranks will swell again soon. And actually they have, to replace my friendly drummer man from Holland another young man from Holland, Mark, has taken his place. Now if I can convince him to bring his bass back with him when he comes back from a trip home.

When I returned to Rostov-on-Don this month I brought my Guild D55 back with me to keep the trusty Taylor company. Whereas the Taylor has a smaller, more intimate sound the Guild sound is big and ballsy. The Taylor is good for working out new songs, the Guild is great for hearing how they will REALLY sound, particularly with my percussive playing :). Both have been good and constant companions for me here. But I can't wait to play the Guild in front of an audience :)

So, nothing profound this month, and possibly nothing worth your few minutes of reading time. I am safe and faraway from the airport in Moscow (thanks so much for the notes of concern), safely ensconced in my apartment on a sunny Sunday afternoon, ready to make the trek to replenish my provisions: Coke, potato chips, a few frozen pizzas, laundry detergent and fabric softener, water, coffee, cranberry juice, a couple of fine hunks of Gouda, some good Russian salami, perhaps a few bottles of Stella Artois . . . . you know, basic sustenance. Oh, and can't forget some wonderful Russian cookies.

Be well my friends. Hug your loved ones, cherish the people in your life, be kind to strangers and dumb animals, play your favorite song, re-read the book which brought you hours of enjoyment, watch the clouds cross the sky, revel in the sound of children playing, slow down, tell someone important in your life that they are important in your life, cheer for the underdog, and enjoy the journey, wherever it takes you . . . .

Be well my friends,

Roger

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