Bellows & Ivory

Rimas has been playing piano & accordion since an early age; he has fond memories of sitting on stage, strapped to an accordion, and performing with his younger brother and sister at the Los Angeles, St. Casimir Lithuanian parish. He can recall the sacrifice of his mother as she drove him and his siblings to weekly accordion lessons in West Hollywood, and learning the techniques from a master who taught Garth Hudson of the Band and who was close friends with Myron Floren and Lawrence Welk.

 

Rimas’ early musical aptitude, and continued love for musical performance, is not surprising when one considers the musical background of his father: baritone with a Lithuanian – American men’s quartet for over 40 years & continued soloist and member of various choirs.

 

With many years of piano and accordion lessons behind him, Rimas ventured into the world of musical performance, starting as an accompanist for a Lithuanian folk dance group – Audra. Subsequent musical performance highlights in Los Angeles included accompanist for the Lithuanian men’s quartet, Lithuanian folk dance group Spindulys, soloist and accompanist for a stage production “Viva Europa”, member of the band “Rok & Shlock”, organist for the St. Casimir parish church choir.

 

Rimas’ keyboard performance offered him the opportunities to perform in Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, Germany, U.K., and Canada, and in many cities and locales in the U.S. Rimas has performed with pop stars from Lithuania, for the governor of California, and even at the Hollywood Palladium. Since moving to Connecticut in 2010, Rimas performed as a folk duo (Eastlande) in Florida, New Jersey, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, California, Pennsylvania. & Maine. As a member of the Little Theater of Manchester CT, he was honored to be the 1st to play the built - in 1886 E. & G. G. Hook tracker organ, for a stage production at Cheney Hall. 

 

This diverse and global exposure to music and musical performance has allowed Rimas to create the right mood for the right occasion, be it: Italian, French, Eastern European, American Folk, Standards, Pop; even the Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Free Bird" along with the guitar solos on the accordion…