Flip Down South

With 16 songs under its belt and about 20 in the works, Flip Down South is well on its way to becoming a staple in the ever-changing Bloomington music scene. Combining influences from bands such as Incubus, 311 and Blackalicious, its music provides an energetic mix of funk, melody and lyrical rhyme. \nFlip Down South is comprised of lead vocalist Nic Baria, bassist Alex Baria, drummer Zac Russell and lead guitarist Brian Casel, all whom are quickly generating a local buzz from their Monday night gigs at the Bluebird. \n"We are definitely trying to do something different by trying to join different genres of music together to make it actually good," Baria says. "Some people try to label us as rap-rock, and that label tends to turn people off a lot. The way I've seen it, in a college town like this you have a lot of people listening to lots of different types of music and there are those people who listen to rock and just about everybody's listening to rap, but not a lot of people put it together well. And basically that's what we're trying to do."\nFlip Down South claims its strong lyrics and original grooves are what sets it apart from many of the other local bands, giving the band an edge it has worked hard to cultivate over time.\n"We try to focus a lot on songwriting," Casel says. "But in addition to that, I think we bring a certain energy to the stage that a lot of bands around here don't bring. There are a lot of great energetic bands around here, but…"\nRussell is more modest about the band's sound.\n"Aw, we're just louder," he jokes. \nJoking aside, the band takes its music seriously. Blending underground hip-hop styles along with energetic rock music, Flip Down South is working to develop its innovative stylings. \n"Sometimes we'll get a couple of songs that we just feel are too repetitive through the verses," Russell says. "So we'll try to incorporate different grooves and different riffs, to change the song up and give it a different flavor." \nWith a tedious attention to detail, and a professional dedication to creating new and innovative music, the band refuses to debut a new song until it has worked it out to the best of its collective and collaborative abilities. \n"We try to put as much work as possible into the songs before we know we are ready to play them live," Casel says. "We'll spend a couple of weeks practicing songs before we know we are ready to take them to the stage. Then once we do, that's the real test."\nIt is never easy to be the new band in town, so in attempts to get the word out about its music in the competitive Bloomington scene, the band often passes out free CDs in local bars. \nUntil the popular trend among bar patrons changes from the current favoring of cover bands, original bands like Flip Down South will have to continue to find new and innovative ways to attract fans. It hopes this promotional technique will give bar patrons a chance to hear its music, in hopes of proliferating its steadily growing local following. \n"There are a lot of live music venues, and that's one of the things that attracted me to this school," Casel says. "But the drawback, at least for us right now, is that the majority of people who go out to the bars aren't very open to original music. I think if people just gave it a chance and actually listened to it a little bit, they would like it a lot."\nIn addition to hammering out new music, Flip Down South faces the perpetual challenge all performers must face: Developing its stage presence in a way that will both engage and entertain its audiences. \n"When I'm on stage, I'm back there thinking up funky grooves to get the people up off their seats and move," Russell says. "Because from a drummer's perspective, I hate sitting in the back of the stage and watching the crowd just sit there. Show some initiative and get up and dance a little bit."\nWhile it waits for fans to take notice, Flip Down South is working to strengthen its lyrics and continually create original music that will keep the audience's heads nodding. \n"When we're making a song and everything's coming together you just know it's a good song," Baria says. "(Everything) just finally clicks." \nFew of the band's songs have a specific story behind them, but many of Flip Down South's lyrical themes reflect the band's attitude towards the importance of both accepting who you are and working to develop that to the best of its potential.\n"I think basically what it comes down to is, we play the music we want to," Russell says. "I don't want to play music that people want me to play. Being a musician is all about doing what you want to do and finding your own style."\nIn the next year, the band has plans to move to either Chicago or New York in hopes of landing a record deal. Ideally, Baria says he would like for music to be a full-time job, pulling in enough money to pay the bills. By pooling together its resources, Flip Down South is just hoping to continue attracting a following while at the same time making good music. \n"Every musician's dream, especially those that play in a band, is obviously to break through into the music scene and get a fan base," Russell says. "We are just trying to broaden our horizons in any way possible."\nThis move will require sophomore guitarist Casel to transfer schools and the band to leave behind the safe haven created through its beginnings in a large college town in order to try their luck in the often cut-throat music industry. But with a fresh energy and passion for the music they're creating, the members of Flip Down South are willing to take the risk.