'Locally, improvisation is flourishing. Frequent trips between Austin and Houston gave 34-year-old organizer, educator, and percussionist Chris Cogburn cause to start the No Idea Festival in 2003 as a way to connect a number of the genre's practicing musicians he saw in the two cities. The following year's fest brought in national and international acts splashed across the spectrum – from Houston pedal-steeler Susan Alcorn to Berlin flutist Sabine Vogel – and it has morphed into a different beast every year since. The idea, as it were, behind No Idea is that performance remains a learning experience, always spontaneous, and that something new is born out of the synergy, whether in a group or solo. Much like improv comedy's mantra of