No Busman’s Holiday : Road to Success Has Many a Turn--and Radiator Trouble--for TwistOffs

Success, the adage goes, is 10% inspiration and 90% perspiration.

For 11 years now, the TwistOffs have been doing their share of perspiring while chasing success, plugging away through personnel changes, indifference from major record labels and playing in smoke-filled, alcohol-soaked dives.

The payoff?

Not exactly Fat City.

Earlier this week the Ohio band found itself stuck in a bowling alley somewhere between gigs in Seattle and Portland, the victim of a blown water hose and radiator cap on its tour bus.

But rather than sounding frustrated when reached by phone there, founding singer, guitarist and accordionist Erik Walter, speaking over the sound of tumbling bowling pins, took this latest setback in stride. He chalked it up as just a part of the gamut of life experiences.

As for success, the TwistOffs’ closest alliance with fame so far is its trombonist, Al Mothersbaugh. He’s the cousin of two members of Devo.

That’s not to suggest that the group hasn’t made any progress with its danceable, horn-driven, often good-humored rock.

“It’s been amazing watching how this thing has evolved from a silly band playing in my parent’s basement to traveling and performing over 200 shows a year, including opening for people like Fishbone, Toad the Wet Sprocket and the Spin Doctors,” Walter, 28, said.

Employing a do-it-yourself work ethic, the TwistOffs in 1992 created an independent label (Interrobang Records) and have three albums, including their latest, 1995’s “Cup of Fish.”

Primarily through constant touring, selling CDs at its concerts, and some college radio airplay, the band is catching the ears of an audience that is slowly but steadily growing.

“Years ago, we wanted to put a record out, but no label would look at us, so we said, ‘[Forget] it,’ we’ll record it and release it ourselves,” said Walter, who was born and raised in Kent, Ohio.

“We also wanted to tour, so we pooled our money and bought an old, yellow school bus.” That bus, incidentally, has since been upgraded with a 6,000-watt generator, bunk beds, a carpeted ceiling, and television, he said. “We’ve been on the road for about three years now, and each of our records has sold better than the last one. We’re actually making a fairly decent living at it.”

As for its 10% inspiration, the TwistOffs combine diverse influences--from Tito Puente to Frank Zappa to R.E.M.--in creating a frenetic, horn-driven fusion of pop, rock and jazz.

The seven-man band--which plays the Galaxy Concert Theatre on Sunday--thrives on humor (“We’re fairly low-grade comedians”) and includes a wacky horn section that punctuates its shows with energy and a dash of unpredictability.

The group loves a good gag, but according to Walter, sometimes things can go amiss.

“We inadvertently engulfed a former trumpet player in flames, where his upper torso and hair actually caught fire,” he explained. “We got an incredible response from the crowd, but he had to go to the hospital, so we try not to make a habit of it.”

Within the safer confines of the studio, the band is less combustible but only slightly more structured when it comes to songwriting.

Input comes from each member of the band, which also includes guitarist Patrick Drouin, bassist Kris Carter, drummer Gregg Garlock, trumpeter Brian Fricky and alto saxophonist Andy Stephan.

“Erik basically is our lyricist and holds the bucket for our songs,” Mothersbaugh said while taking a turn on the phone. “Our job is to contribute enough to help fill it up with worthwhile ideas.”

Walter, who cites such disparate sources of inspiration as Ravi Shankar, John Denver and polka king Frankie Yankovic, added: “When we write songs, we really don’t know what they’re gonna sound like. They tend to come about slowly, sometimes even over a period of years.

“I don’t write poetry,” he continued, “so we tend to string together bits and pieces of ideas.”

Putting across some of these ideas in a song, particularly live, is challenging for the introverted Walter.

“It’s hard for me to sing [about] personal things over and over in front of people,” he said. “Maybe that’s why we lean on fun and laughs in concert.”

As a vocalist, Walter lacks the firepower of a Paul Westerberg or emotional range of a Chris Isaak. Sometimes, his voice sounds as if it’s about to give out--a quality shared by some of the musicians he most admires.

“I remember hearing Bob Dylan and thinking that his ideas were killer, but damn, this guy can’t sing,” he said. “And I really admire Tom Petty too. I think they represent singing that is slightly marginal, but it stays with you because of its character and emotional impact.”

Walter draws the most out of his own grainy vocals during several songs on “Cup of Fish,” including the up-tempo “Lifelike,” the chilling “Voodoo Farmer,” and most tellingly, the autobiographical, anthem-like “Second by Second.”

As if capsulizing his band’s existence, Walter sings: “The world’s always turning / And it spins us around / Sometimes you can stand up / Sometimes you fall down.”

Said Walter: “Yeah, we’re stuck here in a bowling alley tonight, and we’ll probably miss our show. Hey, that’s life sometimes. But, man, when we opened for the Spin Doctors in front of an excited, huge crowd, I thought, wow, this is what you imagine rock ‘n’ roll to be like!”

* The TwistOffs, Ex-Presidents, Wise Crack and Donuts ‘N’ Glory perform Sunday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. $8. (714) 957-0600.