Flipper Drafts Novoselic For New Album
Fifteen years since its last studio album, influential punk outfit Flipper is up and running once more.
“I think that we’re 99% there, if not done,” drummer Steve DePace tells Billboard.com of a new, as-yet-untitled Flipper album. “We’ve got 10 songs, and we just did another round of mixing. The album sounds great — I think it’s some of our best work ever. That also is an indicator for more future songs to come. We know we can write songs with Krist now that sound just like Flipper.”
The “Krist” that DePace mentions is none other than former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, who has been a Flipper member since 2006 — joining original members Bruce Loose (vocals), Ted Falconi (guitar), and DePace. After previous bassist Bruno DeSmartass gave notice in September 2006, Flipper needed a replacement in time to play an All Tomorrow’s Parties show in London in December, curated by Thurtston Moore.
“I chatted with Thurston and told him that I had this idea to contact Krist Novoselic,” DePace recalls. “Thurston called Krist, and he said, ‘Absolutely, I’d be honored’.”
With Novoselic on board, Flipper eventually got to work on a new album, with producer Jack Endino at the helm. “We started recording in August. We set up a makeshift studio at Krist Novoselic’s place up in Washington. Krist said to us, ‘Jack Endino is still a really good friend of mine. I can have him come down, we can set up a studio at my place, and record new songs’.”
DePace is enthused about new songs like “Be a Good Child,” “Night Falls Like Dirt Rocks,” “Triple Mass Murder Suicide,” which was inspired by the shootings at Virginia Tech University.
Despite singer Loose recuperating from recent back surgery, Flipper hopes to support the new release with live dates. “We’re going to go back into rehearsals in February, and hopefully into the spring and summer, we’re going to be out there touring.” Updates can be found on the group’s MySpace page.
Also on the horizon is a DVD of vintage Flipper performances, “Flipper Live: Target Video 1980-81,” due Feb. 19 via Music Video Distributors. There are also plans to reissue the band’s entire back catalog in 2008.
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