Jeff Benjamin and Alex Tate met while attending the UMKC Music Conservatory. Fed up with classical stiffness, they began looking for other musicians to experiment with. Jeff met Nick Vawter, whom he approached about trying the project out. With these three forming the core of Fiat, the band now has two new members. Ryan Heinlein, a UMKC doctoral student, will be playing trombone with us on occasion . Mike Fenton has brought his conga skills into the mix as well.