Turn it up: Flipp set to release new CD, 'Volume'

A St. Cloud garage is about to get the full Flipp treatment.

Again.

Flipp members Brynn Arens, Chia Karaoke, Kilo Bale and St. Cloud's own Freaky Useless, in their typical over-the-top style, bring their party Saturday to a local garage as part of a one-day, three-show tour of garages to celebrate the band's soon-to-be-released CD, "Volume."

The St. Cloud contest is sponsored by WHMH-FM 101.7, "Rockin' 101." The winner had not been announced at press time, so look for details on flippcentral. com.

The show is sure to be a unique rock 'n' roll experience, to say the least. Saturday's shows are an extension of an annual contest that lets fans win a Flipp show in their garage -- or in some cases, their parents'.

"It's worked out so great for us it's almost become a Flipp trademark to play garages," lead singer Arens said.

And it's never the same show twice.

"You know, it's Flipp. Expect the unexpected. But neighborhood liquor cabinets, beware. We've been known to raid a liquor cabinet," Arens said.

And about that new CD. Flipp fans will remember the band's highly successful tour last year opening about 50 shows for Everclear. It went so well that Everclear lead singer Art Alexakis signed the band to his Popularity Recordings, a division of Artemis Records, which puts Flipp in the company of Kittie, Kurupt and Steve Earle, among others.

The first single, "Freak," cowritten by Arens and Alexakis, was released a few weeks ago and has been in rotation at about 40 radio stations nationwide, including Rockin' 101.

"Volume" hits the streets Tuesday and is a compilation of new material and songs reworked from Flipp's last CD. It also includes the video for "Rockstar," so you can pop it in your computer and watch it, Arens said.

Alexakis and Arens coproduced the CD, and Alexakis cowrote two of songs.

"It was great. Art's a real rock 'n' roller," Arens said.

The last CD had a limited release, so Alexakis and the band rerecorded some of the songs from the last CD, in addition to the new songs, for distribution on a national level.

"It feels really good to be able to get some of this stuff out there," Arens said.

Alexakis also shares vocals, in a sort of Beastie Boys back-and-forth style, with Arens on a rerecord of the song "Hairdo."

"As we recorded it, Art came into the control room, and he was in kind of a feisty mood, and he threw on some headphones and started singing and we were able to do it in one burn," Arens said.

The whole CD was recorded in that same impromptu style.

"It's full-on Flipp. It's Flipp live in the studio," Arens said. "We don't really do a lot of fancy dancing in the studio ... we do things on the fly. We'll write things while we're there and make it up as we go."

Meanwhile, the band is gearing up for another round of memorable garage gigs. There's no better way to get up close and personal with their fans.

"It's a blast, because when you're standing in a garage playing, and the people are three feet in front of your face, it's just so immediate. It's so real," Arens said.

If you're out on the town Saturday night, keep an eye out for the Flippsters. Rumor has it they might stop in at the Red Carpet Nightclub.

For more information about Flipp's garage shows and the band's new CD, log onto www.flippcentral.com.