George W. Bush better be shining his best pair of dancing shoes this weekend.
The 10-member Boulder band Funkiphino is traveling to Washington, D.C., to perform at the Independence Ball at the presidential inauguration, and they hope to see Bush boogying to their funk and disco music.

"We want to get the house rocking," said band member Jeff Young, 40, who plays the trombone and teaches music at a Denver middle school.

Funkiphino band members found out in December that they were selected to perform, but they said they had to keep their lips sealed until folks in Washington announced the lineups and event schedules this week.

Keeping quiet has been hard, band members admit.

"We've been freaking out," said trumpet player Jessica Flynn of Gunbarrel. "We are just so excited. This is such an honor."

The 6-year-old band has played at Boulder bars including the Foundry and RedFish, at Denver Broncos games and at local festivals. Flynn said she sent the band's promotional packets to inauguration ball organizers a month ago, and when she called to check in with them they told her they had a room full of tapes to go through.
The 55,000 people Funkiphino will play in front of Thursday will be the largest crowd the band has performed for by far, Flynn said.

"These are people who are going to be all dressed up, and we've got to get them loose," she said. "We are a funk band. We will try our darnedest to make them dance."
Band leader Chris Fischer described Funkiphino's original music as energetic dance music, inspired by Earth, Wind & Fire, Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.

He joked that it was ironic a Boulder band was going to play at Bush's ball, but said the band members are of all political stripes.

Boulder's Big Head Todd & the Monsters also are playing at one of the week's inaugural events.

Funkiphino backup singer Sina Espinoza, a Centaurus High School graduate, said she's excited to sing for the troops who will be at the ball. She said her father was a Navy Seal and her grandfather was a Marine.

"They hold a special place in my heart," Espinoza said.

Cathy Griffin, 39, the band's lead singer and a mother from Highlands Ranch, said funk music tugs at her heart strings. When she has the microphone in her hand, she said she is overcome with a level of energy that's too hard to describe.

"We hope to just get people celebrating," Griffin said. "No matter what gig we do, we want to create an incredibly fun atmosphere."