MUSIC CRUCIAL DBC : Reggae Road : The band rejects the norm and travels to venues far from the beaten path.

Crucial DBC is not your average band. First, they have a trombone player. Also, few people know what DBC stands for. Plus these reggae rockers play a lot in Bakersfield, where skanking is a thang cowboys just don’t do.

The band’s got a spirit of adventure, since reggae in Bakersfield is sort of like 2 Live Crew playing at Tipper Gore’s bridge club. Crucial DBC doesn’t do any Buck Owens or Dwight Yoakam covers.

It’s the ‘90s and brevity is king--DBC stands for dread beat control, which nobody can explain.

“Or maybe DBC stands for ‘Dead Brain Cells,’ ” said Pete Lester, the bass player and only native Californian in the group.

Crucial DBC is the antidote for standing around looking dumb--you’ll probably end up dancing and looking dumb. The band has been around for six years or so and attracts a Cecil B. De Mille-sized crowd of dancin’ fools wherever they play. Except when they played at a Goleta venue on a recent Sunday night and attracted a Chick Hearn crowd-95% of the fans came disguised as empty seats. It pays to advertise.

And, naturally, the band is diligent and hard-working, except, of course, at the last practice when only three of the six showed up for this interview or, more importantly, to watch “The Simpsons.”

Crucial DBC has opened for the likes of Ziggy Marley, Jimmy Cliff, Fishbone and the Untouchables, which has helped them amass a group of fanatical followers in Santa Barbara.

“We have a small group of very loyal fans,” Lester said. “People who are more into dancing than scamming on each other come to our shows. The meat market crowd doesn’t like us too much because we make their mascara run. Ours is a participatory show.”

Or maybe “DBC” stands for “Dreamin’ ‘Bout California” since the band--like 90% of the people here--came from somewhere else. Crucial DBC used to be the best reggae band in northeast Ohio.

“We started the band in Bowling Green, Ohio, in 1985,” trombone player Stan Middleton said. “There was a fairly active music scene back there. We played all over Ohio, Michigan and even New York. Cleveland had a fairly happening reggae scene.”

But the band wanted to relocate closer to the music industry. “Norm (Jones), our lead singer, had a brother in Santa Barbara--so here we are.”

The band has played just about everywhere between San Diego and San Francisco--even Fresno and Bakersfield--plus a festival in that rock ‘n’ roll mecca, Arvin, and even an adventurous New Year’s Eve in Tijuana.

It’s not a local band, Lester said. “We’re a regional band. And the reggae thing--we’re not so much a reggae band, but a dance band. We’ve had Jamaican dudes leave our gigs shaking their heads saying ‘Dat no reggae, mon.’ Basically, we just love the gourmet foods they serve us before we play, and of course, traveling fourth class. Aside from the pay--this is a great job.”

The band is not into your basic one beat, one-hour reggae mortis. It plays ska-influenced upbeat stuff, a local version of The English Beat. In fact, the band does a killer 10-minute version of the Beat’s “Ranking Full Stop,” plus a rocking and reverential cover of Wilson Pickett’s “Midnight Hour.” The rest are original tunes from the band’s three tapes. A new tape is expected to be released any day now.

“We’re excited about the new record,” said Middleton. “We’re just hanging out on the pier, waiting for our ship to come in. Someday, we’d like to record a live album at Budokan with Spinal Tap and then headline all over the world so long as we don’t outnumber the audience. Or maybe we’d do some more weddings in Montecito. We did a poolside wedding there once for this rich girl who said something like ‘I’m getting married, my dad’s rich, and I can get any band I want.’ ”

* WHERE AND WHEN

Crucial DBC plays Wednesday at Felix’s Cantina, 525 State St., Santa Barbara, 962-1432. Doors open at 9 p.m.