MUSIC / MARVIN THE MANDOLIN MAN : Stringing Along : It’s passionate, it’s from the heart and it cuts to the bone. And he’s closer to Jimi Hendrix than Bill Monroe.

Some sucker once noted that it’s better to give than receive. But if you’re going to give stuff to your children or grandchildren, be careful. You never know how it’ll end up.

Little Marvin Etzioni’s grandfather gave him a mandolin and listen what happened: Marvin the Mandolin Man will headline Friday night at the home of all that gnarly beer, the Brewhouse in Santa Barbara. Opening will be Brad Is Sex--who may or may not be--but certainly is Brad Nack, formerly of the Tan and Nothing. Also on the bill is the raging and funny folk rock of Los Guys.

Etzioni made his mark in the mid-’80s in the L. A. scene as a founding member of country rockers Lone Justice. As a songwriter and producer, he has worked with Voice of the Beehive, Victoria Williams, Peter Case, the Williams Brothers, Sarah Hickman and Jimmy Barnes. Etzioni produced the second album of Santa Barbara popsters Toad the Wet Sprocket, and just returned from a tour with them.

He’s played in Russia and most points west. And he even has a solo album which just came out, full of mellow songs dealing with important, serious stuff.

In a recent phone interview, Etzioni discussed the life and times of his favorite mandolin-playing troubadour.

So you just got off the road?

Yes. I did a fair amount of touring opening up for Toad the Wet Sprocket. They’re really nice guys. All the behind the scenes stuff was OK, and the more we got out there, the better it worked.

What’s it like being the opening act when most of the fans came to see someone else?

It’s really challenging. I think if you give it all you got, and if you don’t turn into the headliner--I don’t believe in the chameleon theory. Be true to yourself. The best I can offer is myself.

You’re an L. A. local?

I was born in Brooklyn, but I went to Fairfax High in Los Angeles. What happened to California? You tell me. It’s getting crowded. You can really tell when you drive.

What’s the L. A. music scene like?

I can’t really understand it, so I don’t really try. I just do what I do. I don’t really have time to follow it, anyway. I try to play here once or twice a month; that’s fine. There’s nowhere here where you could play four or five nights in a row. In L. A., every night is like the Fourth of July--then what do you do on the 5th? But on the road, if one night doesn’t work, you can work it out for night two.

How did you become Marvin the Mandolin Man?

Well, you know, I’ve been doing these things for awhile. My grandfather gave me a mandolin when I was a kid. I was in bands in high school, and I’ve always been inclined to write, which was very easy for me. So I just started writing songs on my own and just kept it up over the years.

How would you describe Marvin music?

It’s passionate, from the heart and cuts to the bone.

What’s the best thing about being a musician?

It’s probably one of the greatest expressions of freedom when you’re working on a record or a gig. It’s like you’re tapping into something higher. But it’s a 24-hour-a-day job, it’s not a 9-to-5 gig.

What happened to Lone Justice?

When bands break up, it’s usually the human factor, not that they couldn’t play “Louie, Louie.” With Lone Justice, I just didn’t like what it seemed they were going to become. Right now, I’m co-writing an album with Maria McKee, but it’s not going to be another Lone Justice album.

You obviously like records. On your CD, you hear the needle drop at the beginning and the tone arm go off at the end, but it’s a CD, not a record. Explain.

I can hear the difference between records and CDs. A CD only costs about a dollar more to produce than a cassette, so the consumers have been fooled to keep the prices up. But CDs are portable, you can play them in your car, and logistics and comfort are important to people. But I grew up with records. When I hear that sound, I get a particular kind of feeling. Like “Exile on Main Street”; the vinyl was better. Miles Davis, the vinyl, original pressings are better. So I’m frustrated by the death of vinyl. What you hear on my CD is actually a playback from a record. I call it AVD, which is analogue-vinyl-digital. And, you know, records only constitute 1% of the market anymore.

So where have all the mandolin players gone?

I don’t know. I’m closer to Jimi Hendrix than I am to Bill Monroe. What would the Velvet Underground have sounded like with a mandolin player? Or the Clash? The Beatles never had a mandolin player, but they could’ve.

So what’s next?

Well, first, finish up Maria’s record. Then I’m going to master my second album. It should be out by September. My goal is to put out two albums a year.

* WHERE AND WHEN

Marvin The Mandolin Man, Brad Is Sex, Los Guys at the Brewhouse, 202 State St., Santa Barbara, Friday night at 9 p.m.--seven bucks now, 10 at the door. For more information call 963-3090.