Hipcheck16 Prepares for Weekend Performance

Hipcheck16 made headlines last year when an unknown person used the name to post controversial remarks on a newspaper's online comment board, and ended up in an ongoing legal battle.

Now, a local band is trying to capitalize on that name recognition.

Buffalo Grove resident Mike Terson is a member of the four-person Hipcheck16 rock band, which covers hits from the 1970s to the present.

Their songs, Terson said, include those by Creedence Clearwater Revival, U2, Gin Blossoms and Foo Fighters, among others.

"One of the things that makes us a little different is a lot of bands have a special style or category of music," said Terson, who plays the drums and provides occasional backup vocals for the year-old band. "We play rock music. That's the one constant."

"We try to have a set list of songs so that everyone at the event will say at least once, 'Oh, I love that song,'" he said.

Terson is joined by lead singer and bass player Glenn Nelson of Bartlett, and two guitarists — LaGrange resident Jon Clarke and Lake Zurich resident Bill Bhullar.

Recent local performances included a show at Buffalo Grove Days, where the group was billed as "Mike Terson Band" after the festival's committee expressed interest in the group, but voiced concern about the Hipcheck16 name, Terson said.

Hipcheck16 has political connotations, as former Buffalo Grove Trustee Lisa Stone filed a lawsuit in 2009 to learn the true identity of the online commenter. The lawsuit claims that a person using the name Hipcheck16 wrote defamatory comments about Stone's then-15-year-old son, who was targeted upon revealing his identity in the online conversation. The case has yet to be resolved.

"I thought the lawsuit was ridiculous. That's my personal opinion," Terson said. "Because I and the other people in my band felt that way, we saw the humor in using the name because it was a lot issue getting a lot of attention."

"I knew it would gain some publicity if we chose that name," Terson acknowledged, "and band plus publicity is a good thing."

Still, the band agreed to change its name for the village's festival, leaving its Hipcheck16 logo displayed on Terson's drum.

"I understood their reasons for it, but when it was all said and done, it wasn't really a big deal," he said. "In the long run, no one really cared what our band name was."

"I think it got blown way out of proportion," he added.

Terson is no stranger to the Buffalo Grove political arena. After an unsuccessful run for trustee in 2009, he has announced he will seek election again in April. He also has strong ties to the village as a graduate of — where he displayed his drumming ability with its Expressions show choir — and as the current public relations and marketing manager.

While he admitted that many of the band's fans are involved in the local political scene, he said he thinks it's Hipcheck16's music, not its name, that keeps listeners coming back.

"I've got to tell you, if the band was named Sunshine or Apple Pie, I think those same people would come to see us play," he said.

"I think our fan base is pretty wide and varied," he added.

Hipcheck16 will perform beginning at 10 p.m. Saturday at Flatlander's, 200 Village Green, Lincolnshire. The show is scheduled to run until 12:30 a.m. The band will also introduce its first T-shirts, which will be available for $20.

For more information about Hipcheck16, visit the band's Facebook group.