In work or in play, Russ Lesser just can’t seem to get away from the beach. And that’s the way he likes it.

The 71-year-old president of surf brand Body Glove International LLC has developed something of a following for his beach-themed rock band, Thin Ice.

Specializing in what he calls “Jimmy Buffett-type stuff,” the band has built something of a local following for its songs about coral reefs; surfing; and the tourists in Manhattan Beach, where Lesser lives. They play a handful of small gigs each year – they’re set to play Marina Del Rey in July – and have made four CDs.

Lesser said the group has been offered money to play live, but usually doesn’t accept it.

“We took money once, so now we can say we’re professional musicians,” he joked.

The band got its start more than 20 years ago with Lesser and his son learning to play guitar at home. Now, his two sons and another seven friends play together.

As for the name?

“We’re called Thin Ice because when we’re playing, that’s what we feel we’re on,” he said.

Getting Along

Rep. Kevin McCarthy is a Bakersfield Republican. Rep. Janice Hahn is a San Pedro Democrat. McCarthy is House majority whip, the third-ranking Republican in the chamber. Hahn has been in Congress for just nine months.

So Gary Toebben, president of the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, was surprised to learn a few weeks ago that the two members are remarkably chummy.

“These two are pretty far apart on the political spectrum, but it was like they were old friends,” said Toebben, who observed an impromptu meeting between Hahn and McCarthy during the chamber’s annual Washington, D.C., lobbying trip.

McCarthy was scheduled to speak at a chamber breakfast and Hahn stopped by to greet chamber members.

When Hahn went to say hello to McCarthy, Toebben, 64, who was standing nearby, said he was taken aback by their apparent camaraderie.

“It’s always surprising when, in Washington, you see Democrats and Republicans being friendly with each other,” he said.

Toebben later learned that Hahn and McCarthy, just days before the chamber delegation arrived in Washington, had traveled with other members of Congress to Alabama to commemorate the anniversary of the first Selma-to-Montgomery civil rights march.

Staff reporters Richard Clough and James Rufus Koren contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].