Flip City is a project I'd wanted to start for years but just kept procrastinating. The membership has evolved over time and is in a state of flux right now because Jason, our original bass player, and his pal Sean, our guitarist, moved to San Diego a couple of months ago. So it's taking us a while to get re-grouped, but we're trying to get back out in a month or two.

We started out with cats that were all from Muncie, Indiana--a lot of Ball State University students, and over time morphed into a group of older folks that are more spread out. Once the new lineup is in place, The band's radius is going to be about 200 miles. Rehearsals won't be fun, but with players as good as we've been lucky enough to get over time, you don't need to rehearse much.

We have, mostly in Central Indiana--Indianapolis, Muncie. It's a blast, and we want to get back out as soon as we can. About a year and a half ago we played the French Lick jazz festival and backed up Branford Marsalis. Bill Stewart's kick drum pedal broke and he had to borrow mine. I never heard it work quite like that before!

"Influences..." well, that depends on who you ask, but mine go back as far as Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa playing with the big bands, to Miles, Gerry Mulligan, Chet Baker, Chick Corea, Pat Metheny, Lyle Mays (don't get the two confused--they may play together, but they're different cats stylistically) John Scofield, Mike Stern, Jack DeJohnette, Steps, Steps Ahead, and of course the mother lode of all fusion bands, Weather Report. Vocally (we have a wonderful singer named Lydia Clowers) we've done some standards, but also a good bit of material from Dave Frishberg, a little bit from Joni Mitchell...like that.

Like Churchill said (and Ross Perot rammed down our throats over and over) "Never give up, never give up, never, never, never!"