On the Flipp side.

Band enjoys high-fiber diet of rock 'n' roll showmanship

Freakish, comic book-inspired rock bands are a regular occurence in rock 'n' roll - from Kiss to Sigue Sigue Sputnik to White Zombie. Minneapolis-based Flipp is ready to stake its own claim to the tradition with showmanship, spectacle and evil clown makeup.

"We're a visual band as much as a rock band, so it's not much of a stretch for us to roll the camera and rock," lead singer Brynn Arens said of the band's flair for audacious imagery.

"Besides, we eat a lot of Flipp cereal, and it gives us tons of energy to spare."

Product placement and raucous cultural satire isn't the sum total of the Flipp experience. On the group's latest release, "Blow It Out Your ...," the band deploys short-and-sharp punk-pop paeans to rock 'n' roll decadence with onomatopoeic, semi-literate title such as "Zoom" "Wow" and "La De Da." It is all set to music that alternately recalls the 70's heyday of glam bands including Mott the Hoople or punks such as the Sex Pistols, with visuals that suggest "Batman" villains or Halloween in lower Manhattan.

Arens, his brother and multi-instrumentalist Chia Karaoke Arens, bassist Freaky Useless and drummer Kilo Bale made their mark by being sort of a pop-rock version of the Insane Clown Posse. While the ICP's stock in trade includes spraying Faygo soda on its fans, Flipp earned its first headlines by dumping a half-ton of its trademarked Flipp cereal on fans at an outdoor festival in 1997.

Never ones to turn down an opportunity for exposure, Flipp has appeared in two horror movies by the low-rent shock house Troma Films, including "Terror Firmer" and a sequel to "Toxic Avenger" titled "Citizen Toxie." However, it was the endorsement of Everclear's Art Alexakis that is giving the band its best and most valuable exposure.

After seeing the video for "Rockstar," Alexakis asked the group to join Everclear on its current tour. On the band's official bio, Alexakis said he stole a copy of the video from Everclear's bassist, Craig Montoya, and immediately was turning cartwheels for Flipp.

"I tild him, 'You have no idea how good this band is,' " Alexakis said. "They have so much fun playing rock 'n' roll - and I think that's the right kind of attitude to have."

On the other hand, Flipp seems stuck on this cereal-dumping motif.

"Our stuff isn't planned or preconceived," Arens said. "In rehearsals, we suck down a few beers, crank our amps to 10 and say, 'Wouldn't it be great if we hired a helicopter to drop a ton of Flipp cereal on the audience while we're playing?' It's much harder for the hyperactive, sugar-fueled, cereal-eating... Flipp to sit and do nothing than it is to give you the best show you've ever seen."

Bring your own milk.