A Trip Back in Time...
June 25, 2008 (Hanson)
This is a picture that was taken during my final year (1999) in the Active Duty Army (note that my hair is in transition). Our 323rd Army Band Country Band was playing on an outdoor stage for some event somewhere. You can see Jeremy Middleton over in the left hand corner playing a Strat and "Catfish" Strickland playing acoustic. Eric Rothlisberger is singing and playing the ever-famous (and not very cool) Keytar, and I'm playing on a bass that was (and probably still is) way too nice for me (a Warwick). I miss all of those guys for different reasons. Catfish is retired and living in Florida, Eric got out and lives in the Denver area, and Jeremy is in Memphis with the Navy Bands.
April 17, 2008 (Hanson)
This picture was taken back during my active duty days in the Army. In the picture is Dave Stordalen, who was my squad leader at Fort Sam Houston, and Dave Burke, my mentor in the same band. I learned an awful lot from both of these guys. They both taught me a lot about playing and about musical leadership, and I use a lot of what they taught me to this day. The picture was taken at Fort Polk, Louisiana while we were on TDY there. Dave Stordalen is now the incoming commander at the 188th Army Band here in Fargo while Dave Burke is a Staff Sergeant serving in the USAEUR Band in Germany.
March 18, 2008 (Hanson)
This picture is from way back in the day- International Music Camp 1995, as a matter of fact. In this picture is Skip Spoerke (who now lives in Massachusetts) and Dawn Mosbrucker (now a nurse in Minneapolis, Minnesota). I met so many people through music back in the day, and I continue to make a lot of friends to this day. But, Music Camp is one of my best memories from back in high school.
January 23, 2008 (Hanson)
Brent Alexenko (right), the director of the Jass Vocal Jazz Group in 2004. We'll miss your hard work and musical know-how...
November 16, 2007 (Hanson)
I thought it might be worthwhile to bring this picture back out in honor of Beseler actually updating again a couple of weeks ago. For those of you who don't know the history of this picture (and there are only a few of you out there, I bet), this was a drunken night at Jass in Minot where Beseler drank a lot and started proclaiming himself the "Super Sexy Beseler". He ran around the barn all night proclaiming it to anyone who would listen (and probably to a few who weren't). It was the funniest thing I've ever seen him do for more than two hours. Anyhow, this is in honor of him actually updating. I doubt he'll ever update again...
October 15, 2007 (Hanson)
This is a picture of my old Army buddy Bill Knight and myself goofing off out on Canyon Lake which is a handful of miles out of San Antonio. We used to go out there and fish and drink beer a couple times a year. Bill is currently still on active duty in the Army and is stationed in Seoul, South Korea with the 8th Army Band.
September 11, 2007 (Hanson)
I need not say any more.
August 23, 2007 (Hanson)
I have no idea exactly when this picture was taken, but it appears to feature a younger Jessy Klimpel with NDSU veterans Jennifer Braus and Dano Johnson. Looking at the dress in this picture coupled with the time on the clock in the background, I can assume that this picture was taken just prior to a Jazz Band and Jazz Lab Band performance at NDSU. My best guess would be that this picture was from 2002-2003. Anyhow, Jessy just completed his run with the NDSU Music Program and is just needs to student teach. Dano is graduated, working for a living in Bismarck, and set to be married in a few months. Jennifer is living on the west coast and is married and has a new baby. Man, we're all getting older...
August 6, 2007 (Hanson)
It seems fitting that I just came off of a weekend where I partied really hard and I'm going into a weekend of the Jass Festival that I post this picture from the last truly insane Jass Party we ever had. During this party, which took place at the Tompkins Farm in Minot during our last year in that town, you can see me addressing the band and leading them in a toast. That was back in 2004. Since then, we have brought the festival to Fargo, and the partying has scaled back as we've gotten a little older. However, this will be the Jass Party that I will never ever forget, and others may never even remember.
May 27, 2007 (Hanson)
This is a picture of Ben Wahlund's combo performing at the Frisky Goat in Fargo in June of 1995. For those of you from Fargo, you probably know this, but the Frisky Goat coffee shop is now Leisure Laundry on North University. Anyhow, this was an all-star combo that Ben put together for a recital he put on in Valley City the next day. Playing the Frisky Goat was just a chance to have a little fun. In the combo was Will Buchanan (vibes), myself (trombone), Ben (drums), Skip Spoerke (trumpet), Eric Solberg (bass), and Eddie Schwind (alto sax). That night, we took up a collection of tips to pay for Skip's speeding ticket from the previous night.
April 3, 2007 (Hanson)
Tell me that seeing this on the battle field wouldn't scare you away. Just kidding. This photo was taken while we were in the field in 1997 at Fort Sam Houston. It was raining like crazy out at Camp Bullis, and we were all set up for a four-day field training exercise with the Special Troops Battalion. This is the last time I recall wearing my BCG's (birth control glasses). It's also the last time I recall going to the field with the 323rd Army Band.
March 21, 2007 (Hanson)
Back during Homecoming 2004, Patents Pending did the unthinkable- they turned themselves into a country band. It only happened once ever, and that was the year and the event. The theme of the Homecoming that year had something to do with cowboys and the Old West. I showed that I was truly a budding a musician by accepting money to play a nearly completely country show. Others in the band followed suit. I really don't have anything against country, but the idea that PP could call themselves a country band for one night is an unforgettable sin of sorts. In this picture, John Rudolph and myself are pictured playing the show. And yes- I am in fact wearing cowboy boots.
February 14, 2007 (Hanson)
I think I've posted this picture before, but I'll do it again. A few of you have been inquiring about my country band days, so here's a trip back to that once again. I used to play in a band called 'Eric Lynn" down in San Antonio with one of my best friends, Jeremy Middleton (on acoustic guitar). Eric (keys and lead vocals) and Ed (drums) were fellow soldiers of Jeremy and mine at Fort Sam Houston. Steve (guitar) was a great player, but screwed up on booze and drugs. Yes, I am wearing a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, Wranglers, and a Garth Brooks t-shirt. This was in my early stages of bass playing. Here you can see staring very hard at the fret board to ensure that I was playing the right damned notes. Anyhow, now you've seen it (again). I hope it brings great clarity to your lives!
January 15, 2007 (Hanson)
In honor of Dave Stordalen's return to the 188th Army Band, I decided to post this old picture of Dave and I playing on AT in what I would guess was in 2000. We did a summer session out of Camp Grafton, and this picture was taken at a nursing home in Rugby. Dave left in 2001, but has returned to save us! Things are already turning around, and I'm excited about what the future holds for us with Dave soon becoming our commander. It's going to be exciting. Anyhow, we missed you, Dave, and welcome back where you belong.
December 25, 2006 (Hanson)
This picture is sort of funny to Eddie and I, who were laughing a few days before Tim Stine coming home about how he was so proud that he had bought his first suit ever- at the tender age of 27. Tim has not always been known for dressing up when asked to do so, as seen in this picture at Jass 2004 in Minot. This show, he wore an old sweater and a dark pair of jeans when we had asked everyone to wear at least a shirt and tie. Classic Tim Stine. We shake our heads, but nonetheless, we're happy that he's home for the holidays!
November 18, 2006 (Hanson)
This picture was taken the second weekend of June in 1995 just before Eddie Schwind shipped off to boot camp with the Marine Corps. This was the combo that performed at Sweethearts Coffee shop in downtown Minot. That coffee shop closed down a few years after we played there, but this gig was memorable. This picture was taken outside of the shop, and it's really funny to me because this picture proves that some things never change- note Eddie smoking. The combo consisted of Mark Leonard (vibes/drums), myself (trombone), Skip Spoerke (trumpet), Eddie Schwind (alto saxophone), Will Buchanan (drums), and Eric Solberg (bass).
October 21, 2006 (Hanson)
Erin Ott is my favorite drum major at NDSU right now. She has a love for music with knowledge and effort that back it up. He energy and support of the band is really cool, and I think that, coupled with her musical know-how makes her the finest drum major in the pack. I know that I give Erin a hard time for her support of the band (mostly the jokes about how she talks about marching band all of the time), but really, it is quite admirable. Keep up the good work.
October 9, 2006 (Hanson)
This is an old photo from jazz week at The International Music Camp at the Peace Gardens. I think the picture was taken in 1994. Here, Brad is demonstrating his 'Magic Pickle' routine while Eddie displays what he thinks caused Brad to come up with the whole routine in the first place.
September 28, 2006 (Hanson)
I can't take credit for this picture, it actually appeared on Erin Ott's blog. However, it's a perfect photo for the site. This must've been taken during my third year in the marching band. I think it's from 2003. The following stats appeared on Erin's blog: 2 of them are still in the marching band, 5 of them have graduated, 3 of them are married, 1 of them is engaged, 2 are student teaching right now, and 1 of them is in grad school at Bowling Green. I can identify all of them except two of them. For all of you that I don't see very often- hope you're all doing well. To all of you that are still around- where are you and why aren't you calling me? Kidding, hope you're all doing fine.
September 21, 2006 (Hanson)
This is a picture of Tim and myself playing at Jass 2003 in Minot. We played in the staff combo that evening. I'm really just putting this picture up because I was thinking about how much I missed playing jazz with Tim Stine. He's now out in Cincinatti preparing to start his graduate degree in guitar performance. I wish he was here, but he's at the start of some good things, and it's going to be a wonderful stepping stone for the bright future he has yet to step into.
September 3, 2006 (Hanson)
This is a picture of Becky Tompkins (then Becky Berg) at Jass 1999 in Minot. Back in the day, Becky was dating Matt and going to NDSU working on a pre-med degree. At that Jass, she sang a pair of tunes with the Stordalen Big Band. Today, Becky and Matt are living down south in Arizona where she is now a full-fledged doctor of medicine. She recently graduated from UND, and we can now call her Dr. Tompkins.
August 25, 2006 (Hanson)
Take a look at a younger babyfaced Tim Stine. This shot was taken back in 2001 when Patents Pending was being born. Here, we see Tim playing a Mexican Fender. His only pedal was a fuzzface. Tim has come a long way since then both as a rock player and as a jazz player. He just recently moved out to Cincinatti to attend grad school with his wife, Ruth.
August 8, 2006 (Hanson)
This lovely young lady, who is currently in the middle of a deployment which has taken her to Wisconsin, Florida, and soon to the Middle East, called the office today and complained (rightfully) that I hadn't updated in way too long. Therefor, I decided to include her on the Trip Back section. Here's my Guard Band sweetheart, Jennifer Schwind. The photo was taken about three years ago at an after-Jass party at the International Inn. We miss you, Jennifer!
July 1, 2006 (Hanson)
This isn't such an old picture, from Jass 2004 in Minot. I don't know if there needs to be much of an explination for this picture, after all- a picture can often be worth a thousand words. Let's just say it involves a lot of alcohol, a farm, and a bus ride that someone doesn't really remember.
June 26, 2006 (Hanson)
This picture is from my first concert band performance with the 323rd Army Band in San Antonio, Texas. It was in 1996. In the trombone section, you can see myself, along with Dave Stordalen and David Burke. I'm excited to report that within a few weeks, I will reunite with Dave Burke in Germany, where he is now stationed. Also, as rumor has it, Dave Stordalen will return to Fargo to drill with the 188th Army Band in August. I'm excited to be able to play with and visit with these two fine trombone players. They are both reasons why I strive to play music to it's fullest today.
June 6, 2006 (Hanson)
One of the most memorable weddings I had the chance to play over the last few years was that of Matt and Becky Tompkins. There's nothing better than getting the chance to play for very good friends that you've had for a long, long time. In this picture, you can see me and some of my oldest high school buddies singing late in the evening. Include in this gaggle is Matt Tompkins himself, along with Mike Pagan and Jim Duchsherer. I brought them out on the floor to sing one of our favorite ballads ever, a tune called NFB, by Anthrax. We had a good time singing that two-minute ballad, which ends with the line, 'She got hit by a truck'. Good times.
May 23, 2006 (Hanson)
One of the best experiences I ever had musically at NDSU was the chance to be a part of the NDSU Brass Quintet. I was able to play in the top group for a handful of years, and as time went by, we ended up with a very fine group that could really make great music. This picture is from my second to last group back in 2003-2004. We took this picture for a poster for our final spring chamber show. Members of this group included myself, along with Sara Egge, Justin Gronfur, Tanya Matthies, and Krisanne Kvernen.
May 14, 2006 (Hanson)
I was digging through some old boxes of random stuff in storage this afternoon, and I found a card that Keira Oscarson had dropped off for me at my workplace some odd three or four years ago. The card was accompanied by a copy of the book The Little Prince, which is an incredible book that gave me some major insight into life and my situation at the time. The book was actually penned for younger readers, but the message is just as valuable to adults and any other age group in the world. The card was a simple message that thanked me for being a friend, and to this day, that card and book have stood out to me as some of the most cherished gifts I've ever received. I wish more people did things like that, and more so than that, I wish I would've done that for more people over my life.
May 8, 2006 (Hanson)
This past year, I found myself missing the GSMB whenever I went to football games. Well, despite the cool times I've had in that band in the past, here's one thing that I sometimes didn't like- the trombone breakfast. It's a great idea, but I'm not a morning person, at least not on Saturday morning. Here's a picture of my excited look at being at Burger King at 8:15 in the morning in October of 2003. I was a section leader back then, and I was often the last to show. Behind me, you can see my section, including Ryan Laffen, Sarah Beck, Emily Hunt, and others. A #1 combo, OJ, and a cup of coffee usually saved me.
April 23, 2006 (Hanson)
More Dano on the Trip Back page. Back in the day when Smokey was still alive, he owned what is still considered Smokey's Steakhouse out in West Fargo. I'm not sure if they still do it now, but it used to be that if you ate an entire 52 oz. steak, you got a t-shirt and your name on the wall. Well, Dano did just that, and he got the shirt. I'm not sure if he still has the shirt or not, but I imagine his name is still on the wall. Go check it out sometime...
April 2, 2006 (Hanson)
This is a picture of Dano and I over at TGIF in 2000 or 2001. I'm sure it was after a concert or something. Dan is getting ready to graduate here shortly with his EE degree, which is what he came to school here that year to do in the first place. After a handful of changes in major, he went full circle and ended up there again. I don't see Dano so much anymore, but he's still a buddy that we'll probably miss when he heads off to bigger better things in life...
March 26, 2006 (Hanson)
Just feeling a little sentimental about the old parties at 6th Avenue right now. Here's a picture from one of the many parties at the old house. Tanya Matthies and Keira Oscarson are in the old kitchen. I had damn near forgotten about those ugly-ass drapes in the window. Those drapes would disappear during a party eventually- that, or they fell out the window from too many times of Tim Stine, Rick Gion, or myself locking ourselves out of the house and having to crawl in the kitchen window, always falling in the sink. Ah, the good old days...
March 19, 2006 (Hanson)
In the spirit of all of this "post-tour anxiety" that the band seems to be goin through, I thought it would be proper to post a picture from the days where none of us were trying to start the "Gold Star Civil War". This photo is from Tour 2003, which was a tour in South Dakota, Montana, and North Dakota. While this wasn't my favorite tour in the world (for personal reasons), I did have a lot of fun with these two ladies. Here, we have former GSB member Nina Shook holding current member Jenny Thompson. These two girls were a huge part of my life in music and beyond, and I consider them both very good friends. Nina is finishing up school at McGill in Quebec, while Jenny is now finishing school here at NDSU.
March 12, 2006 (Hanson)
Here we are, taking you back to the International Music Camp in 1993 when Matt Tompkins and I, along with a lot of other friends, went to jazz week. That year, us Minot boys met a bunch of girls from Rugby. In this particular picture, we have Matt Tompkins from Minot with Jaime Kirchofner from Rugby. Matt had quite the crush on her for some time. Jaime is now married and has children. I think she went on major in music, though I have no idea where she is now, I'll have to ask Jennifer Schwind. Matt is now here in Fargo getting ready to move off to another big city soon as his wife begins her medical career.
March 5, 2006 (Hanson)
I'm not sure how many of you nowdays would remember back to the days of the self-proclaimed Band Beauties, but here they are. This was a group of freshmen girls in the Gold Star Marching Band that became pretty good friends back in their first year of school. I am sad to say that I don't really know what all of them are doing these days, but I certainly haven't forgotten them. If you want to read more on them, you can look back at The Band Beauties 2002-2003 Feature Section, which I dedicated to them some time ago...
February 20, 2006 (Hanson)
A month and a half ago, I was lucky to reunite with an old friend of mine, one Nick Kraft, whom has been a good buddy of mine throughout much of my junior and senior years of high school. We worked together at Bonanza as line cooks for some time before I left for the military. I sort of lost track of him over the years while I was down south, and once I came back to North Dakota, I had no idea what he was going or where he was at. Anyhow, to my surprise, I was playing a Tripp 40 show for the Eide Bailey group at the Holiday Inn when Nick came up to me after a set and reintroduced himself. I came to find out that he had moved to Fargo and was married to April, a girl that we had known while we worked at Bonanza. This is a picture of them when they were dating while we were all in high school. Nick is now employed down here in Fargo as a plumber, while April is working for Eide Bailey.
February 11, 2006 (Hanson)
This is an old picture from April of 1995 when the Minot Magic City Campus Symphonic Winds were in Florida. This was taken on the bus ride to Disney for Grad Night. You can see in this picture myself, Brad Jensen, Sharon Wheeling, and Holly Gilseth. The photo was taken by a friend on black and white on a dark bus, and I eventually used it for a photography class. Brad is now in the Cities working for Northwest Airlines, Sharon is in Minot working as a nurse, I believe. Holly is also in Minot, and I'm not sure what she's doing these days.
January 29, 2006 (Hanson)
Here, we have a nice photo of Greg Dewhirst, a 2000 graduate of NDSU. He was one of the finest saxophone players that has come through the program, and has since went of to receive his masters and doctorate at the University of North Texas, one of the best music programs in the nation. This shot was taken on my rookie year of concert band tour. If my memory serves me right, Greg got these nice glasses from a tour buddy. You could probably consider them drinking goggles since that's precisely what we had been doing a lot of prior to this picture being taken.
January 15, 2006 (Hanson)
Does anyone remember Scott Leung? He used to live out here in Fargo. He was a local saxophonist who went to school at both MSU and Concordia. I believe he got degrees from both of them, too. He was one of the more strange folks I knew out here, but was a good saxophone soloist, and he used to bring me omelettes in the middle of the night when I was a night guy at Stamart. He is currently living in the Cities, I believe he's a chef or something like that. For those old timers out there, you probably remember the whole deal with the creamed corn (which is in this picture). If you don't know the story, come see me, it's a faily drawn out one. To you, Scotty-Too-Hotty- you're a strange one.
January 5, 2006 (Hanson)
This picture of myself and Matt Tompkins was taken at the 2003 University of Mary Jazz Festival. This was the year that we all thought we had to wear funny colored sun glasses and whatnot. A pair of blue glasses were put over the lens of the camera to create this shot, which became pretty famous amoungst our friends in high school.
December 21, 2005 (Hanson)
Talk about a long trip back to the first days of Patents Pending, here I am singing with the band for Phil and Ginger Palm's wedding. I can't remember the name of the place where the reception was at, but I think it had something to do with tuperware or something like that. I may be off the mark here. Anyhow, this was indeed one of our first times in front of a crowd, and it was fun. I think it was in 2002. I do know it was in the winter. Well, whatever, it was a good time, and it's fun to look back at the old days of the band.
December 21, 2005 (Hanson)
Dan will probably kick my ass for putting this up, but I was going through some old pictures and came upon this one from a post-festival party a few years back. Poor Dano, looks like he may have hit the sauce a little hard that night. I don't think anything else needs to be said, it's just funny.
December 11, 2005 (Hanson)
This is a picture that was taken at Jass 2001, I believe. Erin Wirtz (Handy) went to school out here at NDSU and got her degree in music education. She married Steve Wirtz, and when they both got done with school, they moved out of this area. They're now in eastern Minnesota where Steve works for the city and Erin is teaching music. I miss Erin, she's truly the dictionary definition of a sweetheart.
November 21, 2005 (Hanson)
This is the front page of The Fargo Forum from last Sunday. The front page article was one comparing the start of winter in 1996 on November 18th, compared with our first day of 'winter' this 2005 year. The photo on the front page was taken at NDSU in R-lot in 1996, and wouldn't you know it, guess who's in the photo? None other than the infamous 'Couch' (a 1987 Buick) and it's owner at the time, Tim Stine. Tim was a freshman, and this was the one year he was at NDSU before leaving town for a while. If you can't read the caption under the picture, it reads, "A person works to free their car in a North Dakota State University dormitory parking lot after a Nov. 18, 1996 blizzard." That person is indeed Tim Stine.
November 6, 2005 (Hanson)
I often think about my days in the Army, it seems like not a day goes by without my thinking of something from those days. This is a picture of the standard sign at Fort Sam Houston outside of every Headquarters on post. We had just moved into our new administration building, and this sign had just ben put up outside the building. These days, I find myself wondering why I got out. Things were stable there, though not always enjoayble. Hindsight is indeed 20/20...
October 29, 2005 (Hanson)
This is a picture from the second Jass in 1996, my first time running a Jass after I joined the military. Erin Shipley was able to come down from Winnipeg for the festival, and this is a shot from the after-party at the International Inn. We were eventually kicked out of the hotel for making too much noise. Erin currently lives in Winnipeg still, and the last time I talked to her, she was selling fine wines at a joint up there. She was a talented jazz saxophonist and vocalist, and I'm sure she's still doing well for herself up north of the border.
October 15, 2005 (Hanson)
This is a program from a jazz show at NDSU from 2002. This was one of the only times that all four of us roommates were all in the jazz program over three years before we would ever know that we would be roommates. Crazy. This is also the only semester Tim Smith would be in jazz band. I think it was karma because he always made fun of Jessy for not being in jazz band back then. On a side note, don't you think it's funny that Al played keys and I played trombone in the jazz ensemble, but in lab band, Alexander played trombone and Christopher played keys? Oh, and I guess this was the year that we formed the Patnode-invented Minot Tri-fecta in lab band, which featured myself, Jessy, and Jeremy Meinert.
October 14, 2005 (Beseler)
Friedo and I stopped by and visited Maria Sue in Alexandria on our way to the cities for guys' weekend and it made me think of this trip. Maria and I piled into her car one summer and headed up to Minot to visit Friedo. We ended up staying up all night to watch The Stand while we there, and had a great time. Maria is married and lives in Alexandria, and welcomed her first baby, a little girl, into her family this summer. We didn't get to see the baby while we were there, but Maria promised we'd get to eventually. Maybe she'll come down for Homecoming. Reminiscing is fun...
October 12, 2005 (Hanson)
This is an old picture of Emma Aavang from the last Get Lei'd Party at the house on 6th Avenue. Emma is one of the few and proud left from the party era at the house, which many of the current band members don't have any knowledge of. Things have changed over the years, and the parties have basically stopped to my knowledge, but those times at the house were fun. I'm also posting this picture simply because the new form of the Get Lei'd tradition is coming up in less than two weeks. The dance is happening again...
October 3, 2005 (Hanson)
This should not be posted on the web, I mean, look at this! This is a picture for a party at Jass 2002. I'm not sure why we were flashing the camera to be perfectly honest with you, but I can say that we had no hesitation in doing so after enjoying the after-festival social events. Can you identify at least half of these idiots? I'm sure you can...
September 23, 2005 (Hanson)
Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!
This is a picture of me and my sister at Jass 1998. Liz is my little sister and currently resides in Denver. She's working as a paralegal and getting ready for law school this spring. I'll be going to Denver this December to visit her and hang out with the family for Christmas. Anyhow, happy birthday, Liz...
September 18, 2005 (Hanson)
There probably aren't too many people left around in the department aside from Beseler and myself and probably Dr. Olfert who remember this lovely night in Minnesota. It was the night of our banquet during spring concert band tour, and Jesse Braunagel was playing his last trip. Over the years, he had established a tradition to write a tour song making fun of people in the band. Well, he decided to go out with a bang. Himself, myself, and Matt Tintes worked together to work up some really fun tunes, and one of them became a song that would set the stage for some strange moments over the next few years. Using the melody and the music from Rod Stewart's Maggie May, we came up with a song basically telling one bass trombonist that no one liked him and that he should quit band forever. After performing the piece, the room went completely silent as if no one knew how to react to it. It was the quietest fifteen seconds of my life. A year later, this person stole my luggage, or at least I think he did. Revenge will be sweet, mark my words.
September 10, 2005 (Hanson)
This picture takes us back over three years ago now to another fall marching band season past. Chrissy and Sara both came as freshmen and rookies to the band that year. They're both still here in Fargo at NDSU. Chrissy (who actually is Beseler's roommate) is a senior majoring in Interior Design. Sara is also a senior, majoring in Child Development & Family Science. In this picture, they're just hanging out at the old gathering place after the football games, the house on 6th (see picture in entry below). Those were the good old days...
September 1, 2005 (Hanson)
As the Bison football season starts, it reminds me of my days in the marching band and the days of how we used to all enjoy nights after the game over at the house on sixth avenue. The good times and the stories are countelss, really. I'm coming up on another anniversary of moving out of the house (in November), and I miss it every time I see it. I heard a rumor that the place was for sale again, but I drove by the other day and didn't see a sign or anything advertising it's sale. I'm always tempted to go there with a home loan to buy the place back. Anyhow, I miss 108, and I think others do too.
August 24, 2005 (Hanson)
Now that Tim Smith and I live together, I think it's important for me to give him a little air time on the site. This is a photo of us singing our tour song from a few years back. That year, the officers were concerned enough with our song to ask us to submit our lyrics in advance just to make sure that they weren't too "racy". Most of our stuff was approved except for our song celebrating the fact that one popular bass trombonist wasn't on tour with us. We were disappointed, but nonetheless, we had a good time thrashing everyone else who was there with us in the room.
August 16, 2005 (Hanson)
I think one of the best impersonations ever on a tour came in 2003 when Amber Hopf did her best impersonation of Rena Kuch (Vacha). Tell the this isn't dead on! I don't think I ever laughed that hard while being completely amazed at the accuracy. Amber has since moved on out of the band, but we still see her from time to time. Rena has also moved on, but is doing well in the married world, and will be back in school this fall.
August 8, 2005 (Hanson)
This is a picture taken after a Gold Star Band concert back when Erin Ott was a freshman. It's a little hard for me to comprehend that Erin has been here for as long as she has for some reason. Notice how Erin still looks the exact same as she did back then. As for me, on the other hand, my head has gotten fatter over those years.
July 27, 2005 (Hanson)
I was visiting the new NDSU Low Brass site (by Zach Steele) when I saw this older picture of the NDSU GSMB trombone section. This was a pretty small section overall, but still a good one. In the section was Chapman, Chaus, Emily, Ryan (Laffen), myself, and Zach. That was the last year I played in the marching band, and though I always enjoyed the time on the field doing it, once I got to being a drum major, I knew I'd never go back to playing again. My marching band time has ended a little earlier than I had hoped it would, but that's the breaks. I'm always fighting "the man", what can I say, ha!
July 26, 2005 (Hanson)
This is a picture from GSB Tour 2003 out in Mandan on the return trip from South Dakota and Montana. Here, we have two of our favorite ladies, past and present, from the band. Jenny Thompson, who is still with us at this time will graduate this winter or next spring, I can't remember which one. Nina Shook was with us for a few years before heading to the north east to attend school at McGill in Montral. Both are still good friends of ours, and both are still hot as hell.
July 19, 2005 (Hanson)
Here's an old picture from my glory days as a rookie in the Gold Star Marching Band in 2001. I marched in the sousaphone section that year. This photo was taken during the Homecoming parade in the fall of 2001. Note that I'm missing my gloves in this shot. I had worked the previous night, and I woke up late for the parade. Also in the picture is Charlie and Matt.
July 13, 2005 (Hanson)
We don't get to see this face on Matt Chaussee's face as much as we used to. Back in the early days of Matt's time at NDSU, he was a budding party animal destined for the Rock n' Roll Star hall of fame. Though he has tamed himself a bit since then now that he's engaged and all of that jazz, Matt (the man formally known as Chaus) is still around and having a good time when his school and job let him. Make no mistake- Chaus is not dead!
July 7, 2005 (Hanson)
Being here in Bismarck and knowing that I'm playing a concert in Mandan tonight sort of brought me to post this old picture. The former Sara Dau (now Bauman) was one of my good friends while she was at NDSU. Now, she teaches in Mandan, and I hope that perhaps I'll see her tonight at the show. This picture was taken at Jass 2000 when she performed as a bari player in one of the big bands.
June 28, 2005 (Hanson)
I know this picture isn't really that old (it was taken in March of this year), and it probably doesn't really fit the "Trip Back" theme of this section of the site. However, I think this is one of my favorite pictures on the site, so I decided to post it. Here, we see Pat Thiel and myself wearing cute hats. We had a Mexican meal on tour, and the hats we're wearing were actually overturned on the tables and were holding nacho chips, if I remember right. The picture is made all the more funny by Pat and my antics during our favorite song on tour, La Fiesta, in which we augmented the flamenco and mariachi sections with our own little sounds. It never failed- it always made Tanya laugh, usually while she was trying to play her solo in the song.
June 24, 2005 (Hanson)
This is one the coolest pictures I've ever seen. Rick Gion shot this during a jazz band concert a few years ago using an extremely slow shutter speed, I would imagine. Eddie will be back in school this semester, but not in jazz band. It's too bad, he's a great player, but he wants to concentrate on his degree requirements, so it's understandable. Still, this picture is the best...
June 18, 2005 (Hanson)
I have to admit that I miss playing with my old country band back in San Antonio, Eric Lynn. The gig had it's moments of both fun and not-so-fun times, but overall, it was just fun to be able to go out and play every weekend in a live band. One of my best memories is from when we were playing at the Hangin' Tree Saloon, and we put a cowboy hat on Jeremy Middleton while he was playing accoustic guitar. It's one of my favorite pictures (and moments) from playing in the band. I know he hated playing a lot of that music, but he's got to admit, we still had some fun, didn't we?
June 13, 2005 (Hanson)
Tour 2003 was an interesting tour. I was going through a kind of tough time in my life, and heading into tour, things weren't looking so hot. I drew the duty of driving the van on tour, and it was kind of a relief because I didn't want to ride on the bus too badly considering the conditions at the time. Lucky for me, I got a van with only ladies riding with me. The ever famous "6969 Van" was a great van. Riding with me was Michelle, Keira, Jill, and Emily. I already knew Emily and Michelle, and though I didn't get to know Jill too much beyond that tour, it was really fun in the van. Keira and I became very good friends after riding in that van on that tour, and she sort of saved me during those rocky times. Good memories, indeed.
June 9, 2005 (Hanson)
I have no idea what in the world Tim Smith was doing to me in this picture back at a party at the house in 2003, but the truly scary thing about all of this is that Tim Smith will be my roommate come July 1st. Tim, Jessy, Rogstad, and I all signed the lease on a house on 19th Avenue in north Fargo on Monday, so watch out. Anyhow, I just thought it would be fun to put this picture up. Can I expect more of this now? There is a bar in the basement. Watch out...
June 3, 2005 (Hanson)
Travel back a few years with me if you will and see this lovely picture of Aaron Beseler, my fellow webmaster. This was from the last Get Lei'd Party at the house in 2003. That was a really fun night. Beseler here looks like he was enjoying his night, sort of. Actually, he looks kind of pissed off in this picture. I don't know. I think he had fun. I did...
May 30, 2005 (Hanson)
Brad Jensen hates it when I do things like this, but look at this hair cut! Brad Jensen looked this way back in 1993. Yeah, it's been over twelve years since he looked this "cool" back at Music Camp. We still joke today about how Brad has had a million different hair styles over the years, but this is the one we always remember best much to his regret.
May 24, 2005 (Hanson)
Back in the day at the Jass Festival, our Canadian friends would always surprise the crowd somehow. In this picture, Kevin Lopuck of Winnipeg, Manitoba comes back on stage to perform the final song of the concert in his Canadian hockey jersey. The other Canadians also taped Canadian flags to the back row of stands. Now you know why we don't have any of our Canadian friends in Jass anymore! (Just kidding...)
May 9, 2005 (Hanson)
Here's something we used to see a lot- Christopher falling sleep at the end of a party. I don't know if Erika was trying to keep me awake or what in this picture. I believe this picture was taken when Erika was a freshman here at NDSU, now in just a few days, she'll be graduating...
May 4, 2005 (Hanson)
Here, we have Amber Hopf and myself at the TBS/SAI Dance a few years back. Amber used to be a part of the GSB and GSMB, and I think I was in love with her for a year or so. She's a sweet girl who's fun and enjoyable to be around. Oh, and she's good looking too, that helps a little bit. Anyhow, she's been busy with her RA gig along with her business degree. I need to call that girl one of these days...
April 27, 2005 (Hanson)
This is a picture of me with Tim Smith on tour in 2003. That was our tour out to South Dakota and Montana. That was one of the less enjoyable tours for personal reasons, but still a good time if you consider that I spent most of the time drinking and gambling. Nothing wrong with that, right? Anyhow, this is Tim and I outside of Wall, SD. Dr. O wanted to stop there, after all, it is a tourist trap, isn't it? The big reason that I put this picture up is because Tim and I will probably be roommates in a couple of months. It looks more and more like I'll be moving into their house with John and Jessy sometime near July. Watch out, a party house will be alive and thriving again...and I thought my days of that were over, silly me...
April 15, 2005 (Hanson)
I'm not sure why I'm feeling sentimental tonight about it, but I sure do miss my houses and the great parties we always had there. I guess if you've been keeping up with this site for a long time, you probably know that I lament about it a lot. Anyhow, this picture came across my mind today, and I smiled at the memory of how many people I could bring together at my house. We always had a pretty good time, and the people I got to know and the friendships that developed are priceless.
March 16, 2005 (Hanson)
What a memorable picture, huh? This was taken at a pre-fall semester party at the house back in the day. It appears that myself and Ben Cory are about lick each other, which is really scary. What kinds of crazy things went on in that house? Well, there you have it, I guess.
March 1, 2005 (Hanson)
This picture was taken at an early get-together back in the days of the house on 6th Avenue. Michelle Beyer and Al Berg took a minute to be photographed that evening. Michelle is now student teaching and finishing up her degree in education. Al is wrapping up the first third of his schooling in pharmacy. Both are musicians that I respect quite a lot- Al on keys (and some trombone), along with Michelle on flute and piano. Michelle also has a beautiful voice which I miss hearing. No offense, Al, but I can't say the same for your voice...
February 21, 2005 (Hanson)
I just talked to my friend Jeremy Middleton a few days ago, and that's what prompted me to post this picture. Jeremy along with a few of my other San Antonio buddies made their way up to Minot to play the Jass Festival in 1999. We took the chance to feature to Jeremy's vocal talents that year with one of the big bands, and he shined just like I figured he would. He performed the famous playful tune Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody a la David Lee Roth, and it brought the house down. It's something that some of the old members of Jass members still talk about to this day.
February 15, 2005 (Hanson)
Tell me that you wouldn't be afraid of this face. This is a picture of me doing a field training exercise back in 1998, I believe. Those were my favorite glasses in the world. Ok, maybe not, but they were sturdy and didn't break, I do know that much. One could hardly call our FTX an exercise, though. I was stationed at Fort Sam Houston, which had acquired the nickname "Fort Sham Hilton" due to the easy duty there for many. But, this photo proves that we did indeed carry out our soldier-skills, I guess.
February 11, 2005 (Hanson)
What in the world was happening with my hair that summer? This was a picture from my final trip to Music Camp during jazz week. These two other guys were in my band up there, Connor Hopkins (a drummer from Fargo) and Elliott Cantor (a trumpet player from Winnipeg). I last saw Connor at the Legion in downtown Fargo a couple years ago. Elliott is getting ready for medical school as far as I know. Both would later be members of the Jass Festival- Connor during the first year, and Elliott spread out over three seperate summers.
February 7, 2005 (Beseler)
These pictures take us back to marching band in the fall of 2003, when Chris Neu, Pat Thiel, and myself were drum majors. TBS did a pie contest that year and all four bids (the three DM's and Dr. O) were all bought out by the trombone section that year. Chris Neu has obviously already been hit while Chaus took the opportunity to smack me in the face with one. Hanson, as the elder trombone member, received the dubious distinction of getting to pie Dr. O. I think the best part of it all was the wonderful way that the whipped cream pie ran down over the rest of my clothes as well. Really.
February 1, 2005 (Hanson)
This picture made it's appearance in The Forum back in 2003. The Bison made their final trip to Grand Forks for the well-known Bison vs. Sioux game, this time in that tin can called the Alerus Center. The photo featuring Jenny Thompson and Erika Beseler was taken in the fourth quarter as the band watched and cheered on the Bison as they came back from behind to force an overtime. Sadly, the Bison lost in overtime, but it was one hell of a game. The picture shows the intensity and suspense of a hard fought game...
January 24, 2005 (Hanson)
It's been over five years now since I left my regular army life behind. I would be lying if I told you that I didn't miss it from time to time. It really was a good feeling to serve in the armed forces, and I think I learned a lot from doing it. Anyhow, this is an old picture of the 323rd US Army Band out at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where I was assigned for over three years. The photo was taken at the headquarters for 5th Army, a major command that is responsible for a large portion of the National Guard and Army Reserves. The picture was taken in a place that they call the Quadrangle. It was a neat place to do a picture, right in front of the huge clock tower in the center of the quad.
January 20, 2005 (Hanson)
Look at this- a young Chaus and a clean-shaven Tim. This picture was taken back in 2002 during our wilder days back at the house. I couldn't tell you which party or get together this came from, but it's a scene from the care free days of living in the house, which is what most people remember best about the place anyhow. I'm sure we all had a few drinks in us and we were having a good time being young. Though both of these guys have become much more focused on other things- engagements, the main thing for both of them, they're both still good guys that I call good friends still. I look forward to being a groomsman in both of their upcoming weddings...
January 14, 2005 (Hanson)
This picture was taken a long time before our sweet Annika ever even thought of being engaged. This photo, taken at a party at the old house, featured myself along with her old high school friend, Tara. Annika used to be one of the people who spent a lot of time in the house, normally drinking wine with Rick and myself either on the porch in the summertime or in the living room in the winter. Those were good days...
January 10, 2005 (Hanson)
This shot was from Jass 2002 at the after-festival party at the International Inn. As the night went on, things got a little more wild, and at about 4:00 in the morning, Eddie and Sara Donat threw each other into the pool. The security guard on duty at the hotel actually laughed when they jumped in (he was standing right there, actually). Anyhow, note the clean-shaven Eddie- he had decided out of no where to shave before the concert earlier that evening.
December 29, 2004 (Hanson)
I remember back at Jass 2001 when a bunch of us ended up at Ryan's in Minot for breakfast after a long hard weekend of the festival. You can see some of us trying to eat the famous Super Joe, which was by far the biggest skillet I had ever seen in my life. The idea was to eat it all and get it for free. You also got your picture taken. It would be plastered on the wall with pictures of others who had also accomplished the feat. Well, none of us made it (although Steve Wirtz got really close). The main reason I put this picture us is because when I drove into Minot last week, I saw that Ryan's Family Dining had shut it's doors and went out of business. It saddened me that a staple of my high school years and after was gone. Minot keeps changing, and that's why I don't go back very often...
December 22, 2004 (Hanson)
This is our dear Angela Hennigar (better known now as Mrs. Ang Howard) in a photo from one of my first parties at the house. She was one of the first people I met in the Gold Star Band back in 2000. Ang was part of the "party" which ushered me into who I am now in the Gold Star Band. On Tour 2000, she, along with all the other old-timers who have come and gone, showed me what it was like to be part of one of the most fun organizations on campus. Anyhow, she now teaches music and has moved on to the real world. However, every now and then, we relive the old days with her better-half, Dan Howard (graduate assistant) and others with a trip to Lauerman's. The good old days are alive and well when we're all together...
December 16, 2004 (Hanson)
I got an e-mail not too long ago from this pretty young lady, and it reminded me of her so much that I thought I would feature us in the Trip Back in Time section this lovely morning. Erin Shipley is one of my old International Music Camp friends from back in the day of jazz camp. I met her through numerous other friends who were all from Winnipeg, where she still currently resides. Erin was one of the most talented alto saxophonists and vocalists that I had ever met. He appreciation for music is something that set her apart from the many music friends I've had in all of my life. Anyhow, I always had a little crush on Erin, and I probably still do! Hopefully I can get up there to Winnipeg one of these days so that we can hang out again. This particular picture is of us at Jass 2000 in Minot...
December 10, 2004 (Hanson)
Here's a look back a few years ago- Tim Stine, who we lovingly called 'Wolfman Jack' back in the day with this look, is pictured here playing some good old fashioned finger pickin' music in the old house. This was back in the day when we would sit on the porch and Tim would play acoustic guitar while we drank cold beer to keep us cool. Ah, I miss those days.
December 8, 2004 (Beseler)
This picture takes us back to Marching Band Banquet in the fall of 2000. Jamie Glowacki was a clarinet player in marching band for a few years. We met and started hanging out back when Jamie and Chaus were taking swing dance lessons together. Jamie then went on to end up teaching swing lessons for a while and now lives in Duluth. Beseler didn't learn how to swing dance, and is still in Fargo...hmmmm....doh! Oh well, hopefully she's doing well.
December 3, 2004 (Hanson)
Looking back at Tour 2002, it was the tour that began the climb back to what GSB Tour was meant to be- a good time with friends along with the occasional party. That year, we went out to Chicago for St. Patrick's Day and had one of the best times on the town and more late into the evening. Anyhow, it was also the first tour that Dano and I had moved in to take over the big shoes of Jesse Braunagel as the composers of the traditional Tour Song. In this picture, you see us perforing our parody of Piano Man, which of course was changed to Gold Star Band. This was also the year that my luggage was mysteriously lost, which explains why I'm wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and a hat to the banquet. I still think I know who did it...
November 29, 2004 (Beseler)
I was looking through the pictures on my computer and ran across this one. Clockwise starting upper left are Erika, Eric Schmidt, myself, and Matt Schanandore. This was taken at during the move-in process after my mom and dad bought a house in Mandan and moved out of the apartment they had moved into initially. After we finished moving things in, we decided to go and pick up a little alcohol and relax at the house, as is evident by the bottles between us and the beaming red faces we're sporting. I'm actually not sure what Matt is doing right now, he went to high school with Erika, then he was down in Fargo and a trumpet player in the marching band for a while. Schmidt lives down near the cities and works there. Unfortunately, I haven't been down to see him in quite a while, so I'm hoping to take some time over Christmas break possibly and go.
November 28, 2004 (Hanson)
It's been a while since I took a good look at this picture. It's a shot taken in 1996 while I was home on leave from the Army. Brad Jensen has since given himself a much trendier look now that he's in the Cities. Matt Tompkins has been around the world and is now married. And, of course, there's me- look at that haircut. What happened to me? I gained about 75 pounds and grew some hair.
November 23, 2004 (Hanson)
A look back to Bryon Wirtz in a moment of glory- completing the voyage to eat 52 oz. of steak at the old Smokey's in West Fargo. This particular night, both Dan Johnson and Bryon were able to conquer the steak. The reward- a t-shirt and the honor to sign one of the t-shirts hanging on the fabled walls of the famous bar and grill. Bryon, as you might see here, was hanging in there for dear life, though I can assume that the rest of his evening was spent laying on a couch wondering why he had done such a thing to his body. For the record, I, Christopher, never conquered that steak.
November 4, 2004 (Hanson)
Look at this crew of young musicians. This is the original Jass Combo, which featured myself, Chris Marquardt, John Fred, Skip Spoerke, and Eric Solberg. Chris and John are both married and working in highly specialized fields of work, while Eric has gone on to performing. Skip is presently deploying to Iraq. You all know my story...
October 24, 2004 (Hanson)
I'm sure Brad Jensen and Michelle Beyer...well, and the entire 2001 Gold Star Concert Band remember this night at the Americinn out in the Cities. I need not go more into detail, I imagine for the few of you who might remember this, but it was indeed a memorable night. You might recognize a few people in this photo, such as Tanya Matthies and Matt Chaussee. That was a good tour. A great tour, in fact...
October 7, 2004 (Beseler)
I lived in Arizona from the age of 6 until 12, and I loved it. I have to say, though, that with the exception of my mullet days (see below), it was also the time when I had the most interesting hair styles. The hair style that sticks out the most is from when I was 11 years old. Fifth grade, I had just gotten glasses that year, those nice huge-plastic-frame glasses that no little kid should ever be forced to wear. Now, a little background quick: my dad was always the person I looked up to and wanted to be like, so in a way it was really his fault that my hair turned out like that. You see, I tried to style my hair so it would match his, and that just doesn't work when you're 11 years old, with a full head of thick, wavy hair. So as you can see, the result was quite interesting, yet it remained that way for quite a while. I can't help but laugh at myself when I think about it...just wait until I can find my flat-top pictures...
October 7, 2004 (Hanson)
One of the more enjoyable gigs that I played with the old version of Patents Pending was the TBS/SAI Formal back in 2002. We played the show in the atrium area of the music building right outside of Festival Concert Hall, and it was just fun to play for those people under the light of flood lamps that we bought the day before at Home Depot. Anyhow, this picture is of then a freshman, Sarah Beck, and myself. She was one of the many at the dance, but an elite member of the "Band Beauties". It was a great night to play, and it was enjoyable to see everyone dancing and having a good time.
September 29, 2004 (Hanson)
I was thinking about the old days of Patents Pending back when things were starting to roll, and I came upon this old picture from us playing the NDSU Welcome Week Street Dance. These were some of our biggest fans- Annika, Michelle, Jenny, and Nina. That was one of the most enjoyable (and well attended) gigs we ever played in our short tenure, but it was fun, and these lovely young ladies made it even more enjoyable.
September 21, 2004 (Beseler)
I know you've all heard the rumors that I once had a mullet, and if you hadn't, well, now you have. Therefore, to assuage any doubts about such rumors, I dug out these two pictures. The picture with my mom and dad was taken the day before my high school graduation and the other obviously the day of. Now I know you're all asking, "Why doesn't he grow it out again?" That's a good question...hmmm...
July 7, 2004
Look at these two criminals. Eric and Sean Solberg, looking all slick and cool at Jass 1999. Sean is graduating this summer from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, and is moving to Chicago to take a shot at the big music world as a performer. He's also taking a shot at the married life- he got engaged last month. Eric just finished up his masters degree at University of Minnesota, and is playing around Minnesota and has a studio where he teaches private bass. Both are most definately going places...
June 16, 2004
I ran across this picture yesterday when I was sorting some stuff out in my closet. It had been a while since I had thought of that lovely young lady in the picture, then Kerrie Jean Frueh. She was one of the nicest down to earth people I ever knew. She has since gone off into the world and received both a bachelors and a masters in education. She has a couple of children, and is now Kerrie Oster. Not sure where she is now, but I'm sure she's doing quite well.
June 15, 2004
I found this picture in a photo album that was hidden under my bed along with a lot of other old pictures I don't look at too often anymore. This was from my old San Antonio days of playing with Eric Lynn. The girl is Teresa Kerner, who had come down to visit me in the summer of 1998. It's been a while since I've done anything like that in this picture- danding with a girl while I play bass, too. The song was our normal closer for the night- The Dance, by Garth Brooks. Teresa Eli is now married and has a child. She lives out in Washington, and is quite happy, indeed.
June 1, 2004
This picture was taken back at the second Jass Festival. We did our photo shoot with Matt Tompkins at Roosevelt Park. In this picture, we were showing off our twenty-five cent rings we bought at Sammy's Pizza during lunch. I had the biggest crush on that girl for a while. She moved out to the Washington area doing volunteer work after working as a nurse in a hospital in the Cities for a few years. She's due back up this way hopefully sometime in the next few months.
May 21, 2004
The highest per capita Asian population we ever had at a Jass Festival came in 1999 when we managed to get five Asians into the program. Here in this photo, you see four of them. The members of this elite club included MSUM and Concorida grad Scott Leung, Minot native Ben Ho, myself, and NDSU graduate Sharaku Kishida. We were a rowdy bunch, let me tell you. The fifth member not in the photo was Brian Lee, from Minot.
May 1, 2004
Chaus and I used to duke it out if Jazz Ensemble, as seen in this photo from the 2002 NDSU Jazz Festival. I believe the tune we were playing was Blues in the Abscesed Tooth, by Matt Catingub. I remember this being a tough solo to blow on because it was in a strange key (Db). Chaus and I each played a chorus, then dueled out fours and twos on the tune. That's a good memory. Chaus has since moved on to a math major and taken some time off from the horn.
April 13, 2004
Dave Stordalen, pictured here with me at Jass 1999, has been one of my best friends and colleagues for over 8 years now. He's been my squad leader in the Army and the Guard on two seperate tours and seperate units, and he has been a director at the Jass Festival three times. I don't get to see him too often these days, but he's doing well and keeping busy as a music teacher in St. James, MN. I wish the guy was a little closer so I could see him more than twice a year, but even with the distance, he's still a great friend- a good enough friend to tell me I don't know what the hell I'm talking about, as it looks like he's doing in this picture...
March 26, 2004
From the days of living in the self-proclaimed "Phat Pad" comes these old pictures from 2001, back when Dano was spending 86% of his free time at my place. Yeah, we used to bake cookies and cakes...no joke. We'd bring them to school and give them to the girls. It wasn't effective at all, so we stopped after a while. These pictures were taken one night when our old friend Heidi Swenson used to come by. She's help us bake cookies, and she would also use my phone all the time to talk to people that Dano and I had no idea who they were. These were the good old days, were they not?
March 25, 2004
This picture is from way back in 1995, close to nine or ten years ago, when I was still attending International Music Camp. Here's John Fred and I having a little fun in the breakfast line on our final day ever at Music Camp. I laugh at this picture just because I think I look so young and all. Nine years later, John is finishing up law school and is married. As for me, well, I just suck a lot.
February 28, 2004
Take a trip back to 1998 when Russ Peterson make the trek out to Minot to play at the Jass Festival. He came out to just be a guest soloist, and ended up playing the whole big band show because one of our alto sax players pulled to play a pay gig somewhere else. This was one of the most enjoyable solo sequences I've done back home on a tune called Andromeda, a Maynard Ferguson chart. Dave Stordalen, Russ, and myself dueled it out on an open section of the tune, where we tried to outdue each other quote lines. At it's height, Dave played a lick from a famous Sousa march, Russ played Joy to the World, and I churned out the Air Force song. It was a really good time, and I had a great time as a wet-behind-the-ears jazz soloist with a couple of experianced players.
January 28, 2004
This is a picture of the old hardcore soldier. The picture was taken near the flag pole in the center of Fort Sam Houston, Texas back in 1996. I had been at my post for about three months, and I was all about the Army at the time. I have great memories about wanting to be the best soldier in the world, but over time, that sort of faded, and getting out was the best choice for me. But, the fond memories of the Army stay with me forever.
January 17, 2004
I can't believe that it's been over three years since three lonely guys sat around a computer and wrote a mock constitution just because they couldn't find a date. Funny thing is that three years later, they still can't find dates. In the above image is just the preamble of the constitution, as most of you wouldn't really want to read the other two pages!
December 19, 2003
Allan "Catfish" Strickland was a member of the 323rd Army Band when I was there. He served as my First Sergeant for a while in the unit, and on off-duty time, he was a fellow musician our country band, Eric Lynn. Catfish was a very nice and polite southern boy with nothing but the best intentions for everyone. He took good care of the soldiers, and was a blast to hang out with and have a beer with. His strong southern accent made a lot of his coined phrases memorable, such as, "I reakon I should get on back to the big house, me and Charita are gonna smoke us a chicken". I miss that guy. He retired a couple of years ago, and I'm not too sure where he went. He may have stayed in San Antonio, or he may have moved on back to his hometown of Christmas, Florida.
December 11, 2003
Where in the world have all of these guys gone? This picture was taken at Jass 1999, which was the 5th presentation of the festival. This is the rhythm section from the Monty Cole Big Band. At that time, Monty was director of jazz studies at Minot State University. Sadly, MSU no longer even has a jazz band anymore. Nick Schneider was a freshman at University of Mary at the time. He has since moved on to a bigger college somewhere else. I heard something about him going to California to major in Theology, but I can't confirm that. Mark Kogan was a bass player and was residing in Winnipeg. As far as I know, he's still there, but I haven't heard from him in four years. Ben Ho has just graduated high school at Minot High when this picture was taken. He has since graduated from Harvard. Jason Kihle was a junior at UND and a drum player. I'm not too sure where in the world he's gone off to since. Nate Fryett was a junior at Moorhead State and was gigging here in Fargo at the time of this photo. He now plays with bands and freelances in the Cities. Nate Miller was in the army with me at the time of this picture being taken. He got out in 2002 and married a soldier. He is now rumored to be joining the Coast Guard. Last, but not least, Monty has moved on to a fine college in Atlanta. He's probably much, much happier there than he ever was in Minot. Who would blame him, though?
November 28, 2003
November 21 marked the four-year anniversary since I left San Antonio, so I thought that this picture was only perfect to remember those days. Here, we have my great friend, Jeremy Middleton, sending me off out in front of Chris Madrid’s, one of the best burger joints in the world, as far as I’m concerned. This was the last place I ate before leaving town in a U-Haul the next morning. This was an enormously strange day for me since I suddenly realized that the life I had been living for the last four years was about to end, and whole new life was about to begin. Jeremy and I will hopefully be reunited here in less than a year when the 10-year Jass reunion hits town. Watch out Minot- here comes more trouble.
November 18, 2003
Ah, as I come up on the fourth anniversary of my leaving the Army, I post this lovely picture of me back in 1998 working in the 323rd US Army (MEDCOM) Band S-3 Operatons section. I think this was taken in December of 1998, about one year before I was to get out of the Army. I was already growing my hair out and counting the days down. Anyhow, look at me- don't I look busy?
October 28, 2003
This is something you'll never ever see again- Christopher Hanson dressed up like some sort of cowboy. Yeah, I got rid of the hat a long time ago. I still have the boots, but I hardly wear them ever. The Garth Brooks shirt went a long time ago, and the tight jeans stayed in Texas when I left. This is a picture of my playing in the band Eric Lynn, a group I was a part of for quite some time. The photo was taken back in the fall of 1998. Steve (lead guitar) left that fall, Jeremy (acoustic) took off in the spring, and I took off is November of 1999. Eric Lynn, the lead singer, actually left as well in 2000 after leaving the army. The band did continue on with a new singer and bassist under the name Sycamore Creek.
September 16, 2003
There are some pictures that people don't really want to see. Is this one of them? Check out the scrawny, thin, and young boys from the Minot Magic City Campus High School Jazz Band. Here, we see myself, Eric Solberg, and Brad Jensen, buried in the sand while visiting Florida. The picture was taken in May of 1995 shortly before I graduated high school. Brad has moved on since finally graduating NDSU in 2002, and is working on some projects in the Cities. Eric is also in the Cities, working on his masters degree in Bass Performance. As for me, you know my story...
August 11, 2003
This picture was taken at All State Band in 1995. I believe we were in Mandan that year at the high school. That was one of the most enjoyable All State Bands ever, if I recall correctly. Virginia and I knew each other from Music Camp and other honor bands. I thought she was really cute back in those days, although somewhat clueless at times. I've since lost track of her, although I suspect she's still up in the Grenora area.
July 2, 2003
Once upon a time, back in August of 1997, Dave and Chris were playing around with a cannon. What happened next was sad and sort of strange...
No, actually, this photo was taken in 1997 at Roosevelt Park. Dave Stordalen made his first appearance at the Jass Festival that year. He went on to work with the festival for four more times. In real life, he is a band director and teacher in St. James, MN. He's made some real progress in their programs there, and is doing very well.
June 30, 2003
*PHOTO UNAVAILABLE AT THIS TIME*
Remember when silk shirts were still “in?E I had tried to forget, but this picture reminded me of it, sadly. This photo was taken in 1994, I believe, at the International Music Camp. The young lady standing next to me is Avis Connelly. Avis was a drummer that attended the jazz week program with me for three years (1993-1995). Her father was an instructor up there, teaching saxophone and improvisation. Many of you might know him, he’s from Bismarck where he works full time with the Army National Guard as a helicopter test pilot. The name is Denny Connelly, and he plays around the Bismarck/Mandan area, and has played performances and festivals throughout North Dakota and the US. As for Avis, she got married a few years ago and attended the US Air Force Academy, as I understand it. I haven’t seen her or heard from her since 1995, but I’m sure she’s doing well wherever she happens to be. As for that silk shirt, I think I grew out of it in late 1994.
June 2, 2003
This photo was taken out in Mandan in May of 1996. I was home in Minot on leave from the army, and Brad Jensen, Eric Solberg, Nick Kraft, and I all took our usual trip to Mandan to visit our friends there. In the picture, we see (in the back row) Jody Talkington, Brad Jensen, Eric Solberg, and Joy Talkington. Brad and Eric are now both in the Cities. Eric is going to school at U of M for a masters in bass performance, and is still single, sadly, ha! Brad, also single, is working as a sales manager for a company that makes some sort of air purifier or something like that. As for the Talkington sisters, I have no idea where they have gone. Joy went to school at Western Michigan and Jody did school at Ball State University in Indiana. If I'm not mistaken, both of them are now married, and they may be doing missionary work overseas or something like that.
In the front row, we have myself, Dawn Mosbrucker, and Sarah Franke. Dawn is a nurse out in St. Paul and is doing well. Sarah Franke recently graduated from MSUM, and I'm really not too sure where she ran off to. I guess I could ask her dad, he's my National Guard Band commander. Dawn has a boyfriend out in the Cities, and she's looking for other forms of work, I think. She's thinking about volunteer work, which is pretty commendable and such.
We met all of our Manadan friends at music contests, honor bands, and Music Camp, which were all pretty cool back in the day. The memory of getting to know all of them is pretty fun to think of, and even though we have lost touch with some of these people, it was pretty cool to just be young. It's just something for me to think about as I turn one more year older!
May 1, 2003
It's funny to look back sometimes and see who your friends were back in the day. In this picture, taken at the University of Mary Jazz Festival 1993, we see one of my best friends, Matt Tompkins, Mary High boy Justin Binek, and myself. Well, ten years later, we see that Matt has graduated college (NDSU) with a major in Mass Communications, lived two and half years in Japan teaching English, and is now back in Fargo working at a bank. He's now engaged to his long-time girlfriend Becky Berg.
Justin Binek graduated the University of Mary in 2001, and has moved on to being the director of jazz studies at that very college. He had a very succesful college time, excelling in vocal jazz, piano, and saxophone. He also won a Downbeat award for performance excellence.
Then, there's me, but you know all about me alright, right?