Veikko Lepisto used to stop into Beaner's Central when he was in town from Los Angeles and visiting family in Duluth. This was cool for owner Jason Wussow. He knew Lepisto was in Royal Crown Revue, one of his favorite bands. "I couldn't believe h...
Veikko Lepisto and Jason Wussow are Wood Blind. Lepisto spent a decade touring with Royal Crown Revue, a Los Angeles-based swing band. Wood Blind performed at Beaner’s Central as part of an all-day New Year’s Eve party in 2013. Veikko Lepisto used to stop into Beaner’s Central when he was in town from Los Angeles and visiting family in Duluth. This was cool for owner Jason Wussow. He knew Lepisto was in Royal Crown Revue, one of his favorite bands. “I couldn’t believe he’d come in for coffee,” Wussow said. Lepisto ended up moving to Duluth and still spent time at the West Duluth coffee shop and music venue. “One day he said we should jam,” Wussow said. “He’s into old ska and not too many are.” Since then, Wussow and bassist Lepisto have been playing together as Wood Blind, a roots band that channels 1960s and second-wave English ska. Lepisto was born in Duluth but moved around throughout his childhood. He studied bass with Billy Barnard at the University of Minnesota Duluth and has had 25 years in the music biz. “He’s got an adaptive sound,” Wussow said of his band mate. “He knows ska, he knows jazz, punk rockabilly. I think he’s just a fun guy to be around, which is a big part of music.” Royal Crown Revue, with a lineup that has shifted over the years, was born in the late 1980s. Lepisto joined in the mid-1990s, around the time the band was featured in the movie “The Mask” and signed with Warner Bros. He played with them in the Vans Warped Tour, appeared on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and backed Bette Midler. Lepisto left the band after about a decade because of artistic differences and tour fatigue.
Veikko Lepisto used to stop into Beaner's Central when he was in town from Los Angeles and visiting family in Duluth. This was cool for owner Jason Wussow. He knew Lepisto was in Royal Crown Revue, one of his favorite bands. "I couldn't believe h...
Veikko Lepisto and Jason Wussow are Wood Blind. Lepisto spent a decade touring with Royal Crown Revue, a Los Angeles-based swing band. Wood Blind performed at Beaner’s Central as part of an all-day New Year’s Eve party in 2013. Veikko Lepisto used to stop into Beaner’s Central when he was in town from Los Angeles and visiting family in Duluth. This was cool for owner Jason Wussow. He knew Lepisto was in Royal Crown Revue, one of his favorite bands. “I couldn’t believe he’d come in for coffee,” Wussow said. Lepisto ended up moving to Duluth and still spent time at the West Duluth coffee shop and music venue. “One day he said we should jam,” Wussow said. “He’s into old ska and not too many are.” Since then, Wussow and bassist Lepisto have been playing together as Wood Blind, a roots band that channels 1960s and second-wave English ska. Lepisto was born in Duluth but moved around throughout his childhood. He studied bass with Billy Barnard at the University of Minnesota Duluth and has had 25 years in the music biz. “He’s got an adaptive sound,” Wussow said of his band mate. “He knows ska, he knows jazz, punk rockabilly. I think he’s just a fun guy to be around, which is a big part of music.” Royal Crown Revue, with a lineup that has shifted over the years, was born in the late 1980s. Lepisto joined in the mid-1990s, around the time the band was featured in the movie “The Mask” and signed with Warner Bros. He played with them in the Vans Warped Tour, appeared on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and backed Bette Midler. Lepisto left the band after about a decade because of artistic differences and tour fatigue.
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