UNDERGROUND : Pontiac Brothers Offer Refreshing Sound, Style

Big John’s in Anaheim is the kind of bar where the people slosh beer in each other’s mugs and shout down the jukebox at will, and the Pontiac Brothers looked right at home there Friday night, playing to a crowd of bikers, punks and hippies.

It wasn’t because the Brothers practically live around the corner (though they do) but because their music is the perfect background for late night underground revelry: It’s a cross between Rolling Stones-roadhouse blues and three-chord punk, with some searing ‘70s-type lead guitar work thrown in for good measure.

The band has a record, “Fiesta en la Biblioteca,” that recently hit big in the college radio charts, but patrons never got a chance to hear anything from it. Instead, they were treated to a couple of originals (an early tune called “Doll Hut,” a newer one called “Out of Luck”) and then bombarded with covers: U.F.O.’s “Too Hot to Handle,” Humble Pie’s “30 Days in the Hole,” Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust.”

Not exactly a trend-hound’s pick of the hits. But the Pontiac Brothers couldn’t sound arty if you tied them up and put gel in their hair. These are guys who probably think Depeche Mode isn’t a rock band but a department store in Paris, who would spit at the sight of a black beret, who habitually dress in plaid and denim. Lanky vocalist Matt Simon looks like a Ramones reject with an education and sounds like Howling Wolf. Guitarist Ward Dotson--he of the sonic solos--has all the moves of rock ‘n’ roll hero down pat. And bassist Curt Bauman and drummer D.A. Valdez hold the beat down just like they’re supposed to, no more, no less.

It all sounds refreshing, especially in the face of a resurgence of glam-metal monsters who seem to be taking over the southern part of the state. Melody and soul, after all, don’t hurt, a large dose of unpretentiousness is an equally welcome addition to any band. The Pontiac Brothers, utterly bereft of glamour, have all those things in spades.