POP MUSIC REVIEW : RIBBIN’ & BLUES BY CAMPER VAN

Camper Van Beethoven members have fretted publicly that their fondness for writing funny lyrics and appropriating assorted musical styles may have marked the group as a joke band.

That may go with the territory when you write witty ditties like “Take the Skinheads Bowling” and “Joe Stalin’s Cadillac,” both of which the Santa Cruz-based band performed Tuesday at Goodies in Fullerton, and when you tackle genres from hardcore to bluegrass with an intentionally ragged approach that falls somewhere between authentic and pathetic.

But Tuesday’s show just strengthened the impression that those who dismiss Camper Van Beethoven as a novelty are missing the point--and missing the boat. The group simply repudiates a couple of rock tenets: that you can be pretty funny or pretty serious but not both, and that you shouldn’t jump from style to style, at least in the same show or album.

This grinning heresy actually serves CVB and its audience. Especially now that the quintet--once the epitome of a garage band’s spirit over skill--is playing with increased precision and assurance. This was particularly noticeable on the instrumentals, including feisty punk and ska originals as well as a haywire, wonderfully indulgent version of Pink Floyd’s “Interstellar Overdrive.”

Not that the band automatically becomes wacky when frontman David Lowery starts singing. Among the serious vocal numbers was “Sad Lovers’ Waltz,” a tender and touching country tune. And, of course, there was still lots of humor. In addition to “Skinheads” and “Cadillac,” CVB played such wry romps as “Ambiguity Song,” which repeats the memorable line, “Everything seems to be up in the air at this time.”

When all was sung and done, it was clear that Camper Van Beethoven can indeed make jokes without being one. The band’s Southland swing continues with shows tonight at Cal Poly Pomona, Saturday at McCabe’s and Sunday at Al’s Bar.