Twelve and a Half Charlies is Paul Erickson, Nathan Jaqua, Nick Simon, Tom Likely, and Jesse Yost, a motley lineup that has remained remarkably intact for more than 25 years. Their longevity alone feels statistically improbable, helped in no small part by at least one member who refuses to let the band die the death it probably deserves.

Twelve and a Half Charlies was originally formed in 1989 by Rodney Wells, Mark Romanowski, and Paul Erickson. Paul played exactly one show before deciding that was probably enough, so Pat Gayken and Nick Simon quickly stepped in. This was back when being in a band in South Dakota mostly meant hauling gear out of basements, loading it into Ford Pintos, and playing shows at places like Wild Water West or the Nordic Hall. Eventually, they graduated to bars that may or may not have had functioning bathrooms.

What started as a group of high school friends playing mostly Twin/Tone Records-inspired cover songs, including very early Soul Asylum and Hüsker Dü, quickly turned into decades of grinding through nearly every small town in the Midwest surrounding Sioux Falls, playing everywhere between Madison, South Dakota, and Madison, Wisconsin. Over the years, the band survived tiny Midwest tours, legendary weekends, questionable motels, and enough late-night drives to develop a spiritual relationship with small-town Taco John’s across the Upper Midwest.

Along the way, Twelve and a Half Charlies shared stages with bands like Reverend Horton Heat, Marvelous 3, Bloodhound Gang, At the Drive-In, Janis Figure, Kruddler, and Hi-Test while building a loyal following throughout the Midwest.

The band also recorded two albums in the 1990s: Kasha and the self-titled Twelve and a Half Charlies, both still floating around wherever fine digital relics are streamed. Though the band officially tried to “stop being a band” sometime in the early 2000s, nobody actually stopped playing. A van purchased on Paul Erickson’s credit card guaranteed reunion shows would continue indefinitely.

Notable past members include Terry Taylor, Chris Anderson, and Justin Den Herder. Today, the band continues playing festivals, reunion shows, and Hall of Fame events throughout South Dakota. They remain deeply honored that people still care about a band that started in a basement and somehow turned into a decades-long institution with tens of devoted followers.

Proving that some bands never die, they just keep refinancing the van.

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