MUSIC / SKIN : Stretching Out : Onetime Colonel Vince Dirt of Official Resistance has formed a new group, he says, to shed the acoustic influences of the ‘70s.

Vince Dirt, who has enough tattoos to make “The Illustrated Man” jealous, swears his new band Skin isn’t named after himself. Or maybe he’s just getting humble in his old age, what with his demotion and all.

In his last band, the hard-rockin’ Official Resistance, Dirt and the other three guys all had rank, as in Colonel Vince Dirt, etc. Busted all the way back to civilian after the demise of O. R., Dirt and former Major Jason McComb, the bass player, formed Skin along with guitarist Stephen Mitchell and drummer Kevin Kriveishei. A tape is threatened, but more on that later.

Official Resistance was a hard-rock band with The Attitude that lasted for a few years in Santa Barbara, playing often and everywhere and releasing three tapes plus a number of videos. When the band wasn’t rockin’ hard, they were rockin’ soft, performing several acoustic sets.

So what was worth resisting in Santa Barbara? The group didn’t like one-way streets? The weather dipped below 70 degrees? Couldn’t park closer than three blocks from Nordstrom’s, and then the piano lady by the escalator didn’t know any Guns N Roses songs? Well, something like that.

“Jason and I just wanted to branch off,” said Dirt in a recent interview. “We wanted to do something more influenced by what is going on now and get rid of the ‘70s influences. We wanted to drop the acoustic stuff and do something more like the ‘90s.

“Skin is like one real vision--we’re all on the same trip. The honesty of this band is the best thing whether you love us or hate us. We were very proud of Official Resistance, but we just got sick of it.”

In sickness and in health, in science class and sports, there is much talk about chemistry. T’was ever thus in rock ‘n’ roll as well.

“The two new guys came from the Isla Vista scene,” said Dirt. “They know a lot of people. Before, Official Resistance would play three sets a night then split. Now we’re meeting the other bands. Isla Vista is more Ugly Kid Joe, while Santa Barbara is more the old dude bands like Spencer the Gardener. Santa Barbara music is kind of goofy. Isla Vista rock can be big in other places than State Street. There’s like a ray of hope now.”

There’s more than hope now. There’s industry people floating around S. B. these days with motives so transparent you can almost see what they’re thinking.

And why not? There are only about 37,000 bands in S. B., maybe more. Some of them are even good. Between the Blue Dolphin Tavern and Alex’s Cantina, a distance of about five blocks on State Street, there are venues galore and a different band playing about every 10 feet.

“The local scene has changed a lot,” said Dirt. “There’s a lot more support from the local press. They used to just write about my tattoos, but now all of a sudden, the whole scene is something.”

None of this is news to locals. But since the signing of Toad the Wet Sprocket three years ago, Ugly Kid Joe has become a nationwide hit and Cinderblock has also inked a deal. Several hundred other bands are hoping.

A recent article in Billboard has heightened industry interest from a mild uproar to a full-fledged frenzy, and a recent 17-song CD of local bands has just been released. Here’s the real mindblower: After years of neglect, even local radio is starting to play local bands.

“The main champion of local music is Jeff Hanley of KTYD, who came over from KLOS,” said Dirt. “He saw Official Resistance one time and wondered why our local station wouldn’t play local stuff. Now he has a show called ’99.9 State Street,’ and it’s on Mondays at 6.”

Official Resistance just completed a four-song tape that is for radio play. “If it’s good,” said Dirt, “we may release it or do four more songs. We’ve got about a dozen songs now.”

Nothing about Skin music is remotely mellow. They crank it up and don’t turn it down. And they’re going to start playing a lot. But between gigs, you can find Dirt appearing in a play, “Rock Radio KIDZ,” written by Hanley and now running at the Theatre by the Sea in Ventura.

“I met Jason at Dos Pueblos High School where we both acted,” said Dirt. “He went to Boston University to study while I did the street method. I used to act all the years before I got into music.”

During what few spare moments remain, Dirt has the usual rock ‘n’ roll day job.

“I try and not get evicted and spend a lot of time avoiding the marshal.”

* WHERE AND WHEN

Skin and Mr. Slate tonight at the Calypso Bar & Grill, 514 State St., Santa Barbara, 564-3231.