Lazy Does It

Pratt Ice Cream Social - May 30, 2014

L to R: Len, guest performer Jim Torok, Jeff, Bill, Glen, Garry, Gordy

 
We had another beautiful day for this year's event.  We've been playing at the Ice Cream Social annually for almost twenty years and have had amazingly good luck, weather-wise - a few sprinkles but only two rain-outs.

 

What a contrast! Garry looks the epitome of effortless nonchalance, while Jeff and Glen seem to be  struggling to squeeze out those high notes.

As always, the audience was large and appreciative. Even Glen's growling and snarling trombone couldn't scare the kids off the floor.

Minneapolis Veterans' Home - November 19, 2013

We played at the vets' home in September and were invited back for this date. We are honored to have the opportunity to play for these brave defenders of our liberty and eager to return - soon and often.

L to R: Jeff, Jonathan, Garry, guest Duey Cady, Gordy, Len, and Bill

 Our appreciative audience of national heroes.

Lazy Does It plays benefit for Refugee Services - 10/19/2013

For the second season in a row, we played as part of the annual series of benefit concerts at Prospect Park United Methodist Church, in Minneapolis. Our trombonist, Glen Newton, posted these videos on YouTube. 

 

 

 

Sorry, no still photos. Our normally trusty photographer forgot her camera.

Pratt Ice Cream Social - June 30, 2013

The line-up was all the regulars, except for Jeffrey Dunitz, who joined us again on drums.

A rare shot of Garry and Len both concentrating at the same time. 

 

Lynn took this great cityscape framed by the graceful arch of Tower Hill's famous Witch's Hat Water Tower.

Salo Park Concert Series - June 13, 2013

Lazy Does It  lead off the 2013 summer concert series a Salo Park in St. Anthony (a northern suburb of Minneapolis). This was the first time we played this venue, but we hope to be invited back in future years. The crowd was large and appreciative, and the weather was gorgeous.

These are mostly the usual co conspirators (see "Meet the Band" photo album), except that Jonathan had something come up, so Ruben played clarinet instead of tenor sax.

City of Lauderdale's "Day in the Park" August 18, 2012

Drummer Gordy Myers was  back for 2012, so we had mostly the same line-up as in 2010. We sorely missed Rueben Haugen, our tenor-sax player, who was unable to join us, due to medical problems. We expect him back in 2013.

We liked playing under this maple so well in 2011 that we set up there again.

L-R: Len, John, Gordy, Jonathan, Garry, Bill (barely visible, in back), Jeff

Pratt Ice Cream Social - June 1, 2012

This year's band consisted mostly of the usual suspects.

L to R: Garry Peterson, Merjaan (sound tech. in white shirt), Len Yaeger, Bill Johnson, Ruben Haugen, Gordy Myers (back row), Kerry Ashmore (special guest clarinetist), Jeff Olsen, Glen Newton

 

 

A view from the base of the "Witch's Hat," Looking up.

A view from the top of the Witch's Hat tower: Looking down at the dwindling crowd, as the sun sets on another Ice Cream Social. This event is the only time, each year, that the observation deck at the top of the tower is open to the public.

http://www.pperr.org/history/thetower.html

City of Lauderdale's "Day in the Park" August 20, 2011

We were back at Lauderdale, again this year, and it was a much nicer day than in 2010. The weather was sunny but in the mid seventies and not particularly humid. The tent supplied was too small to offer much protection from the sun, so we moved up onto a hill, under a large maple.

The band for this gig (L to R):

Garry Peterson - banjo

Tom Wahlrobe - drums

Bill Johnson - piano

Jeff Olsen - trumpet

Len Yaeger - bass sax/leader

Jonathan Preus - clarinet

John Groethe - trombone

Lynn Eggers (not shown) - photographer and groupie (also Len's wife!)

 

Len belts out "Back Home again in Mee-nah-soh-tah."

 

Jonathan solos while John meditates and Tom keeps the beat going.

 

Jeff blows a mean trumpet. He also acts as ringmaster and sound technician.

New shirts for the band.

Inspired by the success of the new signs, Len decided to get matching shirts. After investigating several websites that print and sell shirts, he found one (CustomInk.com) with a helpful design interface that allowed him to upload a logo and adjust its size and location on a mock-up of the shirt. Luckily for Len, his elder son, Mike (who lives in Oregon), is a graphic artist. Mike took the graphic file that produced the signs and rearranged the main elements so they'd work better for shirts.

After a few tweakings, here's the result. Nice work, Mike!

Pratt Ice Cream Social - June 3, 2011

This year's ice cream social came off well, in spite the scheduling snafus that seem to have become as much a part of the tradition as having Lazy Does It play. Due to the cancellation of the other band that usually splits the entertainment duties and the subsequent addition of another act, we got rescheduled not once, but twice. All's well that ends well. The weather was marvelous, and the crowd was large and enthusiastic, as usual. The band featured all of the usual suspects, except that Jeff Dunitz subbed for Gordy on drums.

In addition to several of the standard old war horses, the band debuted a few tunes just added to their repetoire, including the world premiers of two tunes Len recently composed.

 

Frontliners:  Glen - trombone, Jonathan - clarinet, Ruben - tenor sax, and Jeff O. - trumpet.

Backliners:  Len - bass sax, Bill - piano, Garry - banjo (behind Glen), and Jeff D. - drums.

Backline exposed: Bill emotes, Jeff concentrates, and Garry is on autopilot.

Glen sings "five-foot-nine, eyes that shine, she's my little Frankenstein...," while Jonathan backs him up and Ruben looks bemused.

 

Five Foot two

Also featured was Jeff Olsen on trumpet.

 

Ruben pretending he can read music.

 

We introduced a new tune of Len's: "Prospect Park Parade." There were a few rough, first-performance moments, but this always-appreciative crowd seemed to approve.

Prospect Park Parade

Soloists were Glen Newton, Jonathan Preus, Ruben Haugen, and Jeff Olsen.