Enter Don, fresh from that Michigan gig. At a show at Portland eatery Eugenio's one day— where Don had accompanied Mike and David as appreciative audience member—he picked up the couple of percussion instruments lying around, and the trio broke into a rendition of Pink Floyd's "Money." With that a band was born. David remembers that day and the electrifying impact it had on all three band members: "From that point on it was full speed ahead. It was like we weren't exactly doing what was happening: it was happening to us, through us. We just realized it, cooperated with it, received it, and are giving it away."

On the horizon for the band are more original tunes that showcase the unique instrumentation of the trio, along with experiments in inspired improvisation. At its most basic, Sneakin' Out simultaneously confirms and explodes listeners' expectations. People recognize the songs, but with a disorienting twist. It's a combination that unleashes laughter, headnodding and singing-along. Hearing Sneakin' Out, you're bound to hear differently.

In the two years that have followed, Sneakin' Out has played hundreds of shows and developed a loyal audience. The band's opened for luminaries kd lang, John Jorgenson and Pink Martini; played on the stages of bars and festivals and concert halls; released one CD (Train Wreck) and recorded another (Opera Tuna Teen Ox, slated for release in 2006); appeared on KOPB's LiveWire and KMHD's Home Grown Live; and formed the 11-piece Billy Shears Orchestra, with which it performs a loving recreation of The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.