FlipOut for babies

Lend Phil Pinson your ears Friday, and he’ll sing you a song. And he’ll try not to sing out of key.

Moreover, he’ll try to entertain as many of you as he can.

The self-proclaimed Beatles fanatic has fronted a cover band, FlipOut, for nearly three years, and he and his bandmates have regaled bars, parks and private parties with tunes from the Fab Four, Bruce Springsteen, Foo Fighters and others.

This weekend, though, Pinson has more desire than ever to appeal to a wide audience. His band will be among the acts performing at a charity concert for March of Dimes, and he’s hoping to see a large crowd of all ages cutting up the dance floor.

“We’re going to mix classics with modern rock and try to appeal to everyone there,” said Pinson, a Brea resident. “We just don’t know the age group that’s going to be there.”

He added that he limits himself to two Beatles songs per show – but “if people are dancing, we’ll jump into ‘Twist and Shout.’”

Friday evening at Don the Beachcomber in Huntington Beach, FlipOut will share the bill with singer-songwriter Johnny DeMaria and comedian and master of ceremonies Grace Fraga.

All proceeds from the event will go to March of Dimes, which organized the show along with Farmers Insurance Group, to treat premature babies and fund research to prevent premature birth.

DeMaria, an agency development manager for Farmers Insurance in Huntington Beach, helped to spearhead the event and got connections through two of his colleagues. One fellow agent knew Fraga from a previous career in the film industry, he said, while another agent is the sister of FlipOut keyboardist Randy Garell.

Even though Farmers Insurance regularly raises funds for March of Dimes, DeMaria said, his team put on added effort to lure people to the event.

“With the economy the way it is, asking people for money is different these days,” he said. “So we wanted to provide an evening where people could come out, dance and see a number of acts.”

Since the show aims to raise funds for babies, the organizers hit on another gimmick: Every patron is asked to bring a baby picture and post it on the walls of Don the Beachcomber. At the end of the night, prizes will be given for cutest baby picture, most huggable and more.

Pinson, who has played benefit shows before, said he felt doubly energized when he had a cause to support.

“The best gift I feel I can give someone is to sing a song – to give them something that’s going to entertain them,” he said. “That’s my thing.”

What: “FlipOut for Babies!”

Where: Don the Beachcomber, 16278 Pacific Coast Hwy., Huntington Beach

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday

Info: (562) 592-132