Surprise Me Mr. Davis has tricks ready for Boulder

The Slip had a good thing going, but the avante-rock group decided to take a side-trip with its music.

The band joined forces with keyboard pro Marco Benevento and singer-songwriter Nathan Moore to form Surprise Me Mr. Davis. The players changed musical gears to create their own brand of electro rock and folk tunes.

Surprise Me Mr. Davis is making a special trip to Colorado, and Thursday the innovative band headlines the Fox.

"The band features all of us from The Slip," guitarist/keyboardist Brad Barr said. "We've been working on a new Slip record, because it's been four years since our last one. We had to sit back and really define what success was.

"It became clear that our childhood dream of arena rock stardom was probably not going to happen. Our great success was going to happen from persevering at what we did. We really did connect to a base of fans that loved us and we want to tour behind the new record."

The Slip members joined forces with award-winning, singer-songwriter Moore, and the players realized they had the ingredients to form a new band.

"We got snowed in one night and started recording stuff. We realized this could really be an experimental band," Barr said. "As we kept recording, whenever someone asked a question we'd say, 'Surprise me.' We got the Mr. Davis part from a strange message on our answering machine.

"We came to the point where it became this real communal creative process. We created this experimental, electrical folk music. We can take a really good song and do anything with it -- we enjoy stretching it out and finding the places where the band can really go."

As an extra perk, the very busy Benevento (from the Benevento Russo Duo) joined the band.

"We've known Marco since the Slip started," Barr said. "He played some of the first Slip shows with us. He's been a great friend and he has this great, intoxicating energy.

"When we started playing as Surprise Me Mr. Davis, Marco said he wanted to be in the band. He has his own group Garage a Trois, but we try to plan when he can play with us. He's as committed as any of us to this band."

Surprise Me Mr. Davis is touring behind its 2010 EP, That Man Eats Morning For Breakfast. The band's also getting ready to surprise Boulder with a first-rate show.

"This show is rocking and funky," Barr said. "This is the most fun I've had in a stage situation and we have all these good dance songs.

"It's a pretty sweaty experience and this music can go anywhere. Nathan's also a brilliant magician -- he has some good tricks planned for Boulder."