A Plum Position : The N.Y. Quartet Has ‘70s Vibes but Is ‘Cherry Alive’ in the Here and Now

The members of Eve’s Plum may have come of age in the ‘80s, but that doesn’t preclude them from having plenty of affection for the music and pop culture of the ‘70s.

Lurking beneath its hooky and contemporary power-pop sound lies a group that possesses a very real appreciation for “Saturday Night Fever”-era disco.

Last year Eve’s Plum contributed a version of Yvonne Elliman’s 1978 dance hit “If I Can’t Have You” to a Rock for Choice compilation album. In recent years, the band also has recorded a rendition--still unreleased--of Donna Summer’s steamy “I Feel Love” and an import-only version of Gloria Gaynor’s disco classic, “I Will Survive.”

Appropriately enough, the New York City quartet, which appears at the Coach House tonight, ended up recording its second and most recent album, “Cherry Alive,” in a studio in the same building that houses Studio 54, the once-trendy, ‘70s-era Manhattan dance spot.

“I think on various occasions we were struck with this urge to dance, drink and fornicate wildly,” vocalist Colleen Fitzpatrick said in a recent phone interview. “We had to rein [those impulses] in.”

The outfit’s name is a semi-humorous tip-of-the-hat to another ‘70s personality, actress Eve Plumb, who played the middle daughter on “The Brady Bunch.”

Fitzpatrick said invitations to some of the band’s shows have been rebuffed by Plumb (a.k.a. Jan Brady). That contributes to the singer’s belief that the former child actress is “probably annoyed” at having a rock group named after her. The band used to jokingly include Plumb’s name on the guest list at each of its shows.

“We’re not really Brady maniacs or anything,” said Fitzpatrick, who added that she is occasionally mistaken for the real Eve Plumb because of the band’s name. “We do enjoy ‘The Brady Bunch.’ We chose Jan because of the obvious: She has the best name. It’s kind of sexual.

“There are a lot of meanings you can derive from the name, and also Jan was Everygirl. She had all the problems. She was the one with the freckles, the one with the glasses, the one with the confusion about having this gorgeous older sister and this super-cute little sister.”

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Eve’s Plum (which also includes guitarist Michael Kotch, bassist Theo Mack and drummer Ben Kotch) also knows a little something about not fitting in.

The band is searching for a wider niche in the pop-music universe. Since being released toward the end of last year, “Cherry Alive” has been largely ignored by radio and MTV, despite containing some infectious guitar-based tunes including the jaunty “Jesus Loves You (Not as Much as I Do)” and the lushly psychedelic “Dog in My Heart.”

The group’s career actually got off to a quick and promising start. It was formed in 1991 when Fitzpatrick was studying dramatic literature at New York University and after a mere year of gigging around the East Coast, the band signed to Sony Music’s 550 Music label. It was Fitzpatrick’s first serious band. “Envy,” Eve’s Plum’s 1993 debut album, received valuable radio and video play.

Fitzpatrick feels “Cherry Alive” is a far stronger and more radio-friendly work than the rawer “Envy,” which she said was put together quickly, before the young band had much time to mature.

Now the former part-time dancer and actress (she had a role in John Waters’ 1988 film “Hairspray”) said the future of Eve’s Plum is unclear. Some of its members are debating whether the band would be wise to make a third album.

“We grew by absolutely leaps and bounds from the first to the second record,” said Fitzpatrick. “I think the potential for us if we continue to work together is unlimited. We can do so much. But who knows?”

* Eve’s Plum, Mercury Tea Company, Friendly Indians and RX play tonight at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. 8 p.m. $8-$10. (714) 496-8930.