The Refreshments’ Daily Special: a Rock ‘n’ Roll Tonic

Much of what passes for entertainment in the hot, dry Arizona desert focuses on the success of the Wildcats, the University of Arizona men’s basketball team. Loyal enthusiasts flock to sold-out home games in Tucson each season to support their highly rated Pac 10 team.

Meanwhile, up the dusty road apiece in Tempe, the less successful Arizona State Sun Devils have played second fiddle for as long as one can remember.

But when it comes to Arizona rock music, Tempe is the scene, having gained national exposure in recent years as home to both the critically praised Meat Puppets and the radio-friendly Gin Blossoms.

From that same mold come alternative rockers Dead Hot Workshop and the Refreshments, both creating wonderfully catchy and vibrant rock ‘n’ roll. Dead Hot Workshop recently signed with Atlantic, and the Refreshments--who play the Galaxy Concert Theatre on Sunday night--got their big break in 1994 at the celebrated South by Southwest Music Festival in Austin, Texas, where they met Peter Lubin, a Mercury vice president.

Lubin had been impressed by the group’s 1994 independently released CD, “Wheelie,” but watching them in concert cemented his opinion.

“The minute I saw them, I honestly thought they were perfection,” said Lubin in a recent phone interview from New York. “They possess an extremely strong repertoire of skills for such a young band, and even though they present themselves as clownish and goofy, there’s an undeniable depth to these guys. Plus, I was equally moved by their personal character and nature.”

Not long afterward, the four band members were flown to New York to meet the label’s staff and enjoy the Big Apple as Lubin’s guests. Negotiations ensued, and the Refreshments signed a contract in the summer of ’95.

“We were very comfortable around Peter, sharing shots of tequila and listening to Who and Cheap Trick records,” recalled lead guitarist Brian Blush during a recent conference call that also included lead singer Roger Clyne. “Early on, he had a good idea of what we’re about, and his belief in and commitment to the band was earnest. That meant a lot to us.”

Released in February and currently No. 2 on the alternative rock chart, the band’s major-label debut, “Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy,” has sold a respectable 60,000 units, and the wacky video of their single “Banditos” is now in regular rotation on MTV. The band was in Hollywood last week to begin filming its next video, “Down Together,” which Blush described as “an epic tale of love gone awry, with monkeys, models and crazy costumes.”

A rollicking mixture of contemporary rock and roadhouse blues--spiced with countrified, twangy guitars--the group’s sound and style conjure up a liberating feeling of spaciousness, of adventures happening wherever the road takes you. Blush described the group’s outlaw spirit as ‘that Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid thing.’

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“It’s like we’re desperadoes on the run, you know . . . us against the world,” he offered. “Our songs have this openness to them, kind of a solitary but triumphant character. I think we all enjoy the journey as much as reaching our destination.”

That wandering ethos drifts through their “Fizzy Fuzzy Big & Buzzy” (a title obviously inspired by the Who), from the reggae-tinged “Mekong” to the popified “Down Together” to the mariachi-intro of “Mexico.” In fact, the band’s preoccupation with our neighbors south of the border--typified by the tunes “Banditos” and “Nada”--can be traced to Clyne’s boyhood experiences.

“Yeah, I guess we do have a fixation with Mexico,” Clyne confessed. “I was born and raised in Arizona, and my dad and I would go down to Nogales a lot and ride horses on the old trails. And as part of a Mexican American exchange program, I went to school for a time in Ensenada to study Spanish and anthropology. I know some Americans don’t enjoy Mexico, but I love it, and I go back whenever I get the chance.”

But not too long ago back home, the Refreshments--also featuring drummer P.H. Naffah and bassist Buddy Edwards--earned a reputation on the local club circuit for their rowdy, drunken shows in which wild stage antics, silly banter and sloppy playing often overwhelmed the band’s promising songs. Has their lust for frat-house rock diminished any?

“When we first got going, drinking was certainly an ethic for the band,” Clyne answered, “but it’s sort of weaned its way out now. We still party, but we don’t endorse cross-eyed, drop-dead, blind-drunk behavior.”

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The maturing group, whose members range in age from 23 to 28, now wants to focus on career opportunities.

“This is an odd occupation to have,” Blush said. “Sometimes it doesn’t seem real. . . . You get a record deal, you get on MTV. . . . It’s very gratifying to accomplish these things.”

“But to quote [ex-Replacements front man] Paul Westerberg, it’s a lot harder being in a band than it looks,” Clyne interjected. “It takes a lot of discipline and savvy to keep it going, and it’s very exhausting to put yourself on the line night after night on the road.”

* The Refreshments, Miracle Days and Cola perform Sunday night at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. 8 p.m. $10-12. (714) 957-0600.