POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Elvis Hitler Jabs at Trash Culture

A canny, icon-bashing name still capable of shock appeal, Elvis Hitler suggests all kinds of satirical possibilities. But do not expect any socially acute agit-punk (i.e., the Dead Kennedys) from this Michigan-based quartet, which plays tonight at Night Moves in Huntington Beach.

Neither “skinhead” fascists nor a theatrical novelty, Hitler’s stocky lead singer-guitarist, Jim Leedy, does not wear a tiny mustache or a big pompadour, and his band is about as political as corn pone.

Playing Raji’s in Los Angeles this weekend, Hitler blasted a brand of “hellbilly” faster than a speed-metal bullet racing “From Berlin to Memphis.” That title is where the Third Reich ‘n’ Roll comparisons begin and end: Primarily, these turbo-charged songs (befitting a Motor City outfit) are about automobiles; the band’s philosophy is summed up in this motto: “Live fast, die young and leave a good car.”

Hitler’s humor jabs at the soft underbelly of American trash culture with post-adolescent humor. The high point of this kind of wit was the group’s juxtaposition of the “Green Acres” theme song over Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” the kind of silliness that goes over big with fans of such pop-culture trash shows as MTV’s “Remote Control.”

Elvis Hitler is not breaking new ground--such bands as the Cramps and all that followed them tilled this particular shock ‘n’ roll field years ago--but with their high-velocity assault and ferocious enthusiasm, they come awfully close to crashing the sound barrier.

Universal Congress Of, which ended the evening, is becoming one of the local scene’s vital musical resources, a primarily instrumental quartet capable of sliding from funky blues to free-jazz improvisations to sly be-bop. The band’s intricate, multilayered, rebirth-of-cool approach lies far outside the rock-club mainstream.

That UCO can make these sounds so accessible and appealing is just another indication of this band’s increasing artistry. A band for the future.

Elvis Hitler, Tube Blaster Overdrive and the Don Hodads play tonight at 9:30 at Night Moves, 5902 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach. Admission: $3. Information: (714) 840-6118.