Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Meet the Band: Yip-Yip

A look at a band with local connections.

Members: Brian Esser on Moog synthesizer, Jason Temple on Korg keyboard.

Home base: Winter Park.

CD: In the Reptile House.

Kudos: Named Best Electronic Act by Orlando Weekly in 2004 and 2005.

The Yip-Yip sound: You've got to enjoy a sonic challenge and have a sense of humor to enjoy Yip-Yip. The two 20-something guys perform kooky electronic pop that's entertaining with catchy beats, but sometimes repetitive and noisy.

The live show: "We have a lot of stuff, probably too much stuff," Esser says. "Four older analog synthesizers, a cheesy organ, two digital toy saxophones, a good sampler, two toy sampler keyboards, two cymbals and some effect pedals. Visually, we try to do something fun with costumes and lights and sometimes videos."

Costumes worn on stage: Checkered, hooded jumpsuits.

Beginnings: "We knew each other in high school and became good friends by the time we graduated," Esser says. "We started the band in 2001. It started out as just a recording project, then in 2003 we started turning it into something we could do live."

How they got this way:

Esser: "I like all kinds of weird music, anything with old synthesizers, organs, horns, and interesting sounds."

Temple: "I mostly grew up listening to pop-punk. That stuff is so simple, it gets super-boring after a little while. I mostly listen to anything that uses interesting tones or textures or time signatures."

Favorite non-instrumental sounds:

Esser: "Certain voices - squeaky voices, belly laughs, groans, shrieks, howls, cackles, snickers, screams, gurgles and yodels - and machine noises."

Temple: "Animals, guns, hand claps and funny voices - most of what Brian said."

If their music were for a comic book hero, it would be . . . : "A spawning, gathered, splicing micrometer shavegrass, bright-silver, silly-facedly swallow wort," Temple says.

Life outside Yip-Yip:

Esser: "I have two delivery jobs. I mostly like to listen to music and draw in my sketchbooks. I dropped out of community college after a year and a half."

Temple: "I work in a photo lab. I quit college twice. I make noise alone, read and listen to music."

Why pancakes? "It comes from one of our first songs," Esser says. "It doesn't really mean anything. I just like pancakes."

Check 'em out: 8 p.m. Saturday with Torche, Light Yourself on Fire, Uh-Oh Spades! and Flying Snakes, Skatepark of Tampa, 4215 E Columbus Drive. $7, all ages. www.yip-yip.com.

- JULIE GARISTO, Times staff writer