MUSIC : Rocking to the Wailing of Baby Huey : ‘Bold and boisterous’ band to take part in fund-raising benefit for Surfrider Foundation.

This year’s finhead fandango, Long May You Ride 4, which is a benefit for the Surfrider Foundation at Toes Tavern in Santa Barbara, promises to be more fun than six-foot tubes. The five-buck cover charge goes directly to the Surfrider Foundation, which, among other things, wants a cleaner ocean, more public access and free parking at our own beaches.

It’s a two-night extravaganza, and the musical lineup’s Cowabunga Quotient is certifiably higher than the surf always is 10 minutes before you get there. On the bill is Baby Huey, much more than a fat duck, and also one of the few original Santa Barbara bands that believes serious rock ‘n’ roll probably isn’t much fun. “Bold and Boisterous,” said the chalkboard outside Toes Tavern last week. Truth in advertising for sure.

“There’s a lot of pretty boys playing la-la music that they think is rock ‘n’ roll--but it’s not,” said the imposing lead singer, Matt (Baby Huey) McLaughlin. “Baby Huey plays old-time rock ‘n’ roll that I think is particularly needed in this town.”

At 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, McLaughlin could brush most other bands (and bouncers) aside as though they were matchsticks. The other band dudes who play up a storm even as they stay out of his way include Mark (The Shark) Bennett on guitar, Bobby (Dirty) Shampine on drums and Ed (Papa) Wada on bass. McLaughlin, when he’s not roaring and romping onstage, is one of the local Santa Barbara movers and shakers.

“Hey, man, I move pianos--about 20 hours a week,” the big guy said. “I get OK money and the rest of the time I’m in the band. What could be better? I’ve delivered pianos to Bernie Taupin, Gregg Allman and lots of famous people. We undercut the moving companies, so UCSB and Westmont use us; we work a lot in L. A. too. It’s a lot of responsibility--some of the pianos cost 70 grand.”

Despite the fact that they have no pianos to move, Toes Tavern seems a good place for Baby Huey, which is sort of a beer and T-shirt kind of band. Toes has 25 different kinds of beer, and usually free peanuts. Surfboards hang from the ceiling like developers from oak trees in an environmentalist’s good dream. Don’t go to Toes to watch the Kings--the screens show continuous vintage surf flicks from the days when California was cool.

In fact, in a particularly inspired double bill at Toes, Baby Huey opened for the Beat Farmers a few months ago. The fat duck band does in fact have some surf influences, playing something akin to ZZ Top-at-the beach boogie music.

“It’s sort of between a Jackie Gleason show and Aerosmith,” according to Bennett.

But make no mistake about it, the mover wants to be as big as the stuff he moves or even the truck he may or may not need.

“I wanna be known,” McLaughlin said. “I don’t want to just wait around to be signed, but if the day happened, I’d go for it.”

Baby Huey’s tape is called “Hard Act to Follow,” and has songs such as “She Licked It Up,” “Sticky Love Song” and “Rotten”--well, you get the idea.

“I think the tape has an incredible sound,” said the biased singer, who also claims that he spent a lot of his time and money putting it together.

Baby Huey practices a couple of times a week and plays about once a month. Their Ventura debut is set March 3 at the Midnight Hour. You’ll have to find out about their gigs from the press. Baby Huey flyers are as scarce as kinder, gentler bouncers.

“Flyers? No way, man; I’m sick of flyers,” the singer said. “In Santa Barbara, there’s this homeless guy that tears all the band flyers down about three times a day. Then he puts up some hieroglyphic computer printout that only he can make sense of. Then again, if you tell your friends about a gig, then if they show up, they think they’re doing you a favor.”

The night following the Surfrider Foundation fund-raiser will feature the best band in Carpinteria, the Upbeat, along with Brad Is Sex, the Haskells and Ella’s Umbrella.

Details

* WHAT: Baby Huey, Tao Jonz, Dishwalla, Alex’s Cane.

* WHERE: Toes Tavern, 416 State St., Santa Barbara.

* WHEN: Friday, 9-ish.

* WHY: Surfrider Foundation benefit.

* HOW MUCH: Five bucks.

* PHONE: 965-4655.