by Sharon Woulfe
Pantagraph Staff

It began with a question between bites of pancakes and ham at an Optimists Club breakfast at a fair over the Labor Day weekend.

Somebody asked if they knew of any REALLY good bands they'd recommend for a pretty special gig. The result? Hip Pocket - widely considered Central Illinois' premier rhythm and blues band - will play at one of the celebrity-studded soiree during the January inauguration of President Clinton and Vince President Al Gore.

"Eleven guys I've got to take out there and 4,000 pounds of equipment," said Marc Boon, not to mention a dozen-plus musical instruments and luggage.

"The process is nerve-wracking right now," said Boon, who heads Hip Pocket, the band he formed a decade ago.

Boon said he was "dumbstruck" when he got the invitation, but nothing was made public until the contracts were signed.

And a heck of a lot has to happen between now and mid-January. The band has chartered a 46-passenger bus and hired two bus drivers to take turns on their way to D.C.

Hip Pocket was invited by the Illinois State Society of Washington D.C. and the National Conference of State Societies to play at the Illinois Inaugural Gala Jan.19 at the Grant Hyatt Hotel.