The Good Life – January-February 2024
On the cover – Artist and illustrator, Matt Mastrud aka “Punchgut.” Also in this issue – Dad Life with funny and relatable stories showing what it means to be a loving and involved parent. Our Having A Beer with segment: a light-hearted interview giving our readers a glimpse into the lives of well-known men in our community. Also in every issue, a Local Hero showcasing men who are making a positive impact and inspiring others to do good.
On the cover – Artist and illustrator, Matt Mastrud aka “Punchgut.” Also in this issue – Dad Life with funny and relatable stories showing what it means to be a loving and involved parent. Our Having A Beer with segment: a light-hearted interview giving our readers a glimpse into the lives of well-known men in our community. Also in every issue, a Local Hero showcasing men who are making a positive impact and inspiring others to do good.
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PHOTO BY: TEN LITTLE CHICKENS PHOTOGRAPHY<br />
“We are a family of musicians that somehow manages to pull off quite a feat every week by<br />
setting our lives aside to do what we love and love to do.” – Brad Schmidt<br />
“My love of music and the joy in sharing whatever<br />
talents I might have with music; my love of veterans<br />
and the freedoms they've given and continue to give us;<br />
the family of the band ... We are a family of musicians<br />
that somehow manages to pull off quite a feat every<br />
week by setting our lives aside to do what we love and<br />
love to do,” he said. “We are stuck together at the hip<br />
through thick and thin. We are a family. <strong>The</strong> look of joy<br />
on someone's face, especially a veteran, when we play<br />
our music is simply priceless and breathtaking.”<br />
Although he’s not a veteran himself, Schmidt has<br />
family and friends who have served. Retired Brig. Gen.<br />
Lawrence Woodbury, who served in the North Dakota<br />
Air National Guard and also happens to be a retired<br />
engineer, invited him to join. Woodbury plays clarinet<br />
and saxophone and often speaks of the rewarding<br />
experience playing in the band brings him.<br />
Despite chair after chair of talent, there’s one voice<br />
that can bring a noisy bar at the end of Veterans<br />
Day to silence. Gene Okerlund, a regular in eight<br />
local musical ensembles, often brings his idol to life<br />
in solo performances. From the early notes to the<br />
deep, guttural, drawn out, “oh, yeah” ending to “It’s a<br />
Wonderful World,” fans feel ushered back in time to the<br />
days of Louis Armstrong.<br />
Beyond Veterans Day and Memorial Day, when the<br />
band performs at multiple locations from morning<br />
28 | THE GOOD LIFE
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