MUSIC / LIZ LARIN : Rocking On : Bereft of a band, the native Detroit singer presses on with a new album, an upcoming acoustic show and new backups.

Know how to fit in with the Motor City locals? Well, it wouldn’t be by wearing a Yankees hat, a Chicago Bulls T-shirt or by putting a “Bob Seger Stinks” sticker on your Honda.

Know how to fit in with Southern California locals? Don’t ask Liz Larin, a Detroit local relocated to sunny Santa Barbara.

In a recent phone interview, she never uttered the D word ( dude ) once, and she became most excited when told that Kirk Gibson re-signed with the Tigers. Larin is easy to spot on the beach--she’s the one wearing black leather. And shoes. This makes for a weird tan and, for her, surfin’ still has a ‘g’ at the end.

Larin didn’t come to S. B. to hang out on the beach, anyway. She came to get away from Detroit when her last band, Rebel Heels, broke up. She stayed on with Atlantic Records and recently released her solo debut, “Test Your Faith.”

After nearly three years as a Santa Barbarian, the hard-rockin’ bass player is just now starting to play her new hometown. Since about every person under 30 is either in a band, just out of a band or thinking about joining a band, it was easy for Larin to find some backup players. In her case, it’s Bucket on drums and Sven on guitar. Larin will be doing her third local gig, a free show at Alex’s Cantina, Sunday night.

She’s been practicing away at a place across the street from the Anaconda Theater. Larin discussed what’s what from a nearby pay phone.

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Hey, Liz--where are you?

I’m at a pay phone in a pool hall across the street from my practice place in Isla Vista. I’m sharing a place with Leadhead. They’re very cooperative.

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So how’s “Test Your Faith” doing?

Oh, I’m rich. My limo is parked across the street, and all my fans and groupies are all over me. Actually, the album’s doing really, really well. The label people are very supportive--they really like it.

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Well, it could be worse. You could have a label that hated you and wouldn’t return your calls.

Yeah, then I’d have to call and say I was Mick Jagger’s wife. Actually, it’s great to be on a big label. Atlantic has so much history. The same people working for me are working Mick Jagger’s stuff.

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You’re from Detroit; how did you end up in Santa Barbara?

I had to be near the business, so it was either New York or L. A. and I chose Santa Barbara because I could go there (L. A.) and live here. When my band broke up, I was really, really, really down. The guys in the band just quit. I didn’t want to quit; I wanted to do something else. I could’ve ended up anywhere, but I’ve been here almost three years now. Since I wasn’t born here, I won’t blow off rehearsal to go surfing. I’m from the Midwest--we work.

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Why do so many rockers wear black?

I think it’s because they don’t have very much money and black matches with black.

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Do you check out the local rock scene?

Oh yeah, I go out a lot. There’s some really good bands here, none that absolutely floor me, but a lot of potential. Some of the players are kind of good in their white, Southern California way. I still hear strains of the Beach Boys in the music out here.

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So how many times have you played in Santa Barbara?

I played at the Brewhouse once, but he didn’t advertise it. I’m going to play at the Green Dragon, an acoustic coffeehouse. I kind of hate folk music and anything that’s wimpy, but a friend of mine dared me to do something acoustic that wasn’t wimpy.

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Has your music changed since the Rebel Heels days?

It’s changed a lot. It’s a lot edgier. That stuff was a lot more subtle as to what we were writing about. We sounded more like an English band. We actually did go to England and work with a producer named Rupert Hine. We were his first American band; he thought we had that English alternative thing. I just wanted to get out there and rock. The songs now are what’s on my mind and not hidden by some metaphor.

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Gordon Gano, the little weirdo from Violent Femmes, apparently experienced too much religion and too little sex or vice versa, which made for a lot of odd songs. There’s a lot of religious symbolism in your songs.

Absolutely. I went to Catholic school. It was very difficult for me to resolve all that stuff and move forward. I have a lot of Angst. I’m just a damaged Catholic girl. How do you resolve all that stuff and say, “I want to rock”?

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Have you always wanted to be a musician?

Yes, ever since I was 10. I’m just stubborn. I came from a family of lawyers. My parents were hoping I’d go to law school, but there’s plenty of lawyers in the family.

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Is there more pressure being a solo artist than being just a member of the band?

Definitely. It’s the same kind of pressure as owning your own business. You only go as far as you want to push it. There’s no one to say, “That’s OK.” I thought, “Do I want to put my name and my face on something?” But so far, it’s been surprisingly good.

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What’s it like being a female rocker?

It’s sort of like a circus freak show. Proportionately, there’s not that many women that rock. Still, there’s women that hang in there like Melissa Etheridge and Stevie Nicks. At one time, people wanted me to be a folk singer. I hate that stuff. I’m following in the footsteps of guy rockers. I respect them a great deal. They’ve done it really well for a long time, but I think a lot more women could rock.

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What about male groupies?

I like groupies. I love that part of it, seeing guys do what women usually do. It’s interesting that people think that every girl in a rock band is a slut. I may be a slut, but I’m a lot of other things, too.

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Who goes to your gigs, metal kids?

Yeah, luckily. I’m really happy about that. I like a lot of metal stuff. I like songs about death and spirituality. Heavy metal deals with the darker side of the psyche. I like Metallica and I love Nine Inch Nails.

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What was your first concert?

Unfortunately, it was Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. It wasn’t that good of a show. I was 16, a sophomore in high school and I went with this guy who was a senior. He just clawed me the whole time. It was a bad time. Every time I hear that stuff, I think of that 18-year-old, pimply-faced guy.

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So what’s next for Liz?

Hopefully, I’ll be touring shortly. I go to Atlantic once a week and stay on the phone calling radio stations. I’m going to go wherever radio stations are playing my record.

* WHERE AND WHEN

Liz Larin at Alex’s Cantina, 633 State St., Santa Barbara, Sunday night. 9-ish. Free. 966-0032.