FLIPP FARGO

When warming up for the big show, some bands loosen up their vocal chords and fingers. Some bands relax with a case of beer and friends. But there is one band that takes a quite different approach.

"Usually we get together, naked or in our underwear, holding hands in a circle around four individual and properly colored Jagerineister machines," lead singer and guitarist, Brynn Arens of Flipp told HPR.

"Then we begin to rub each other's bellies in praise of the Flipp Buddha, where we then proceed to drink many shots of Jagermeister. It seems like the guitars are more in tune when we do that."

Flipp, born in Minneapolis three years ago, will be hitting the Fargo-Moorhead area Friday, April 16, for the very first time. They will be performing at the Playmakers Pavilion with the local band Recaster. The band is made up of Arens, his brother Chia Karaoke (guitar and vocals), Kilo Bales (drums), and Freaky Useless (bass and vocals).

Arens' favorite comparison of Flipp is to Cheap Trick and the Sex Pistols. Prognosticating on the negativism of the grunge scene, Arens said "Like anything, it takes a little bit to get up in the morning. But when you're blessed with the ability to do what you like to do, what you sought out to do, to do what you love to do, don't f*#king stand on stage and try to make me believe that you don't want to be there, 'cuz frankly I don't f*#kin' buy it." One thing Flipp can honestly say is they love to be on stage. Looking like soldiers in the Joker's Avant Guard from Tim Burton's Batman, these four have been making a name for themselves nationally. While playing in Chicago, Flipp had hired a helicopter pilot to dump a half-ton of cereal on the unsuspecting crowd. The pilot was thrown in jail, but Flipp did their best to compensate him. Stunts like this have given them press on MTV, as well as a video (which cost the band $5) that has aired on 120 Minutes on MTV.

The band was originally called Toast.

Arens said, "You have to hire some legal-schmegal person to research your band name to make sure no one else has it. Frankly, I just think f*#k everybody who cares. There could be 15 million Toasts out there for all I care. But everyone else seems to care. So he calls me up and says we gotta think of another name. So I light up a cigarette, and on the bottom of the package it says flip-top box. So I said, call the band Flipp, search Flip, add an extra "P" for insurance, and if there's another band named Flipp with two "Ps" then we're f*#ked."

Arens claims he would like to think he was smart enough to have strategically named the band for their self-proclaimed "schizophrenic" music style, but all the credit belongs to a pack of Merit cigarettes.

One of their most memorable moments with another band was at Somerset, Wis.

Arens said, "We did a show once with the Misfits. You know, a really hard core band. We're in the Misfits' dressing room before their show but after ours. They got that big hair thing coming down in the front and they're all evil looking with their black spikes and evil looking instruments. Except they're all going, "Yeah baby," giving each other back rubs and calling each other sweetie. It totally freaked me out. Chia walked into the bathroom and one of the Misfits was spraying in his bald spot with some of that black hairspray."

Flipp wanted to stay away from getting institutionalized by the club scene when they first started. Arens said they tried and still do try, to make all of their shows, no matter how big, a concert.

"We would call up radio stations and tell them whose garage we would be playing in, trying to create alternative venues. Kids could come. There's a barbeque going on next in the backyard and the neighbor's got a bottle of brandy in a brown paper bag sitting next to you trying to make out with you!"

Another famous Flipp show was their first CD release party in which they rocked out on a flatbed truck in a post office parking lot late in the evening on tax-day.

"How can we make this fun for us? If we do, it's going to rub off and the show is going to be a success," Arens said. Success has led to very little tension among the band members. But Arens feels that band "smells just a little too bad" for huge success to come knocking on their door. "I get a little nervous when I'm doing interviews on MTV. Good thing they couldn't smell the shit in my pants over the television. Good thing it wasn't in smell-around sound."

Arens wants the Fargo-Moorhead audience to know that their show isn't one lead guy and then his support band. Flipp is four individual performers. Something new they have incorporated into their act is solo performances by all the members. Arens said that Kilo's segment usually involves a lot of smoke and Freaky Useless is prone to fly around the auditorium. Arens said of his own segment, "I do expect for the crowd in Fargo to keep up with me, Jagermeister for Jagermeister."

"Wherever you go, you know, having a good time and listening to good music is universal. I've done gigs in Mexico where they don't understand the words but still have a good time."

Flipp is almost done with their second album. Arens is happy with the songs they have, now they are hunting for a producer. But for the brief time Flipp is in Fargo, all studio worries will be put aside and the fearsome foursome will be drinking, singing, rocking, and maybe fishing. Arens expressed interest in catfishing along the Red River with his Popiel Pocket Fisherman while in full concert attire.

One last word of advice from Arens before attending the Flipp show next Friday:

"There are two good options that you have before you come to a Flipp show. You drink really heavily the night before to get your body ready, or get alot of sleep."

This also appeared in the same issue of the High Plains Reader:

What is Flipp? That seems to be the question everybody's been asking lately. Well. the answer is a crazy four-piece band out of Minneapolis. Flipp was signed to a major label in 1995, had a video on MTV's 120 minutes, and wound up on the show "Hard Copy" after dropping a half ton of cereal (their own Flipp brand cereal) on a Taste of Chicago crowd. Flipp's music style has been described as a hedonist/nihilist glam rock encyclopedia, combining melodic, stuck in yer brains for days hooks and snags. But the best part of Flipp, is its live show, an insane, comic book meets a train wreck rock 'n' roll spectacle. Recaster will also bring their unique style to the party, in which for most of you, will be your last chance to see them. Tickets are available in advance for $8 at Disc Go Round, Vinyl Connection and Playmakers, or at the door for $10. All ages are welcome!