An experimental, Zappa-influenced group from Belgium, X-Legged Sally's membership included Peter Vermeersch, Paul Belgrado, Pierre Vervloesem, Danny Van Hoeck, Peter Vandenberghe, Bart Maris, and Michel Mast. In 1990 the band contributed a track to the Live at the Knitting Factory, Vol. 4 collection, which resulted in a continuing loose affiliation with the New York downtown scene. Following three albums on the Sub Rosa label -- two of them produced by Bill Laswell -- XLS released their American debut, The Land of the Giant Dwarfs, in 1995. Fired, a live album featuring music from several of their previous CDs, was released in 1996, and Bereft of a Blissful Union, an album of music performed by XLS and the Smith Quartet to accompany a modern dance performance, arrived the following year. In 1998 Peter Vermeersch formed Flat Earth Society, an avant big band featuring a number of XLS alumni. Flat Earth Society -- or FES -- performed, toured, and recorded throughout the first decade of the 21st century and beyond.