Red, White and Blues Brothers

by Kari Frisch

Brainerd’s Fourth of July celebration is going to be extra blue this year as the Brainerd Blues Brothers perform, what might be, their last parade gig. The band which has become as traditional in the Fourth of July celebration as the fireworks and Fleet Farm frisbees, have been singing the blues along Brainerd’s parade route for over 17 years. In that time they’ve participated in almost 40 parades between Brainerd and other area communities like Nisswa, Pequot Lakes and Crosby/Ironton.

The band first started playing and singing together back in 1993 and now consists of 14 members. The incomparable Matt Cooper and Erik Paulson take center stage as Jake and Elwood (respectively). Amy Borash and Emily McDonald are background vocalists. Hannah Cooper can be found strumming the guitar, Sue Lefex takes on the bass while Denny Schanzenbach tackles the keys. Michael Dilley does the drums, Brittany Stegora and Kevin Boyles jazz up the sound with their saxes. The final four members take care of the brass section with Doug Durrant and Jerry Swanson on trombone and Dave Borash and Di Kiehlbauch on trumpet.

Although some band members have come and gone over the years some continue to travel long distances just to perform. Emily travels from Fargo, North Dakota and Michael Dilley, an original member of the band has commuted for almost every performance—the last 12 years he’s commuted from San Jose, California just to be a part of the Blues Brothers’ 4th of July celebration.

The band gets together for a few rehearsals before the big day, although not much practice is really needed when a group has been playing together as long as this one. In fact, long-time member Doug Durrant states “It’s like riding a bike!” So the practice becomes more for social reasons than really for necessity.

From attending one of these rehearsals, it is apparent these band members love what they do and love having the excuse to just hang out and jam together. Matt Cooper explains, “We do this to celebrate the fourth, to have fun, and just to be together as friends…and fun is at the top of the list.” “It’s like we’re a big family. We even have ‘family’ BBQ’s” adds Doug Durrant. That camaraderie off-stage without an audience translates to an even more dynamic on-stage presence when the band performs.

It is that evident fun and interaction with each other that makes the band a crowd favorite at the parade. “We’ve won some award almost every year” describes Doug, “crowd favorite, best band, best overall.” It is that popularity that has given the band the opportunity to do more than just the parade. In 1997 and 1998 they were the opening act for the celebration concert at Don Adamson field before the fireworks. They are asked almost every year, but aren’t always able to commit. So it has been mainly parades where they perform. They’ve become local celebrities. Eric Paulson adds, quoting from the movie, “We’re on a mission from God”.

One year, Jake and Elwood, aka Matt and Erik, signed autographs for about 45 minutes after their performance. Only one year did they not perform in the parade and as Doug describes, “that year it just felt wrong…we were like, uh, no. We’re not doing this again.” And they didn’t. They’ve done every Brainerd parade since and then some. They’ve done up to 4 local parades in one week.

They even have their own facebook fan club. Another reason the Brainerd Blues Brothers are received so well in the community is the familiarity of the songs they sing. “Most are ones everyone can sing along with—and sometimes do” laughs Amy Borash who has also been with the group from its inception. Songs on this year’s performance list include: “Soul Man”, “Gimme Some Lovin”, “Mustang Sally”, “Hey Bartender”, “Chain of Fools”, “Hit the Road Jack”, and “Mini the Moocher”.

So the band encourages you to come out to this year’s Brainerd or Nisswa parades to hear them perform live. Seeing as this is possibly their last parade, missing this year's performance might just have you singing the blues.