Cream of the Pop

Here’s another of Orange County Calendar Weekend’s occasional looks at pop acts that rank among the elite of the local music scene. This feature’s guiding principle is that by sampling the best of grass-roots clubdom in O.C. and environs, you can be kind to your wallet while indulging your ears.

Russell Scott and His Red Hots: This L.A. County trio is a staple of the Orange County roots-rock scene, making its home in some of the same clubs that helped launch a kindred band, Anaheim’s Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys, to a national and overseas profile. Scott is a big, stout fellow in trademark denim overalls, who thumps a big upright bass while singing in a sweet, pure tenor. He can sound like a Paul McCartney who decided to forsake fabness for deep roots-consciousness. Because Scott’s voice lends itself to a range of material beyond conventional rockabilly grit, he and his bandmates, drummer Philippe Aubuchon and guitarist Gene E. Jaramillo, stretch out to include the likes of the Beatles and Harry Belafonte.

* 9 p.m. today with Hellbound Hayride at Linda’s Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim. $5. (714) 533-1286. Also, 9 p.m. Friday with the Sprague Brothers at the Foothill, 1922 Cherry Ave., Signal Hill. $7. (562) 494-5196.

Rule 62: Don’t cry for Madonna. Among the stable of acts primed in ’97 to continue the Alanis-led success of the Ciccone-owned Maverick Records is the capable Rule 62. The Orange County band’s front man, Brian Coakley, is one of those few punk-rooted rockers willing to drop the tough-guy veneer and cry (well, sort of). Coakley, who built impeccable alt-rock credentials as a guitarist for Cadillac Tramps, has been fronting Rule 62 with full-on passion since 1993, specializing in songs about deep emotional entanglements. A debut indie album, “Love and Decline,” established the band in ‘94; lineup shifts followed, but with Jon Goodell on guitar, Eric Banks on bass and D.I. alum John Knight drumming, Rule 62 will bid for mass exposure on Maverick with an expected June release.

* 9 p.m. Friday with Perfect, Thump and All the Madmen at Linda’s Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim. $6. (714) 533-1286.

Dick Dale: A tree won’t bear fruit if its roots aren’t strong, and the amazing Dick Dale is the root of Orange County rock ‘n’ roll--plus a good, thick slice of the trunk and branches. When he emerged in 1961 as King of the Surf Guitar, Dale ignited the local scene and became Orange County’s first contribution to rock ‘n’ roll history. Now, as he approaches his 60th birthday May 4, Dale is anything but a museum piece. Since launching a comeback in 1993, his albums and shows have had the intensity of electrical storms, bursting with simply-conceived-but-torrentially-unleashed guitar rock. Amid all the mayhem and unpredictable interaction between Dale and his two-man rhythm section (including longtime sidekick Ron Eglit on bass), Dale plays the doting dad--coaching and coaxing little Jimmy, his 5-year-old son and adjunct drummer. Musically and persona-wise, there’s nothing quite like Dale; until you see him, you’ve missed the fundamental O.C. rock experience.

* 8 p.m. Friday with the Green Room and Fabulous Nomads at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. $15-$17. (714) 496-8930.

Red Five: It’s not all Gwen around here. O.C. alt-rock long has been a boys’ club with few exceptions, but Jenni McElrath and Betty Carmellini, the strumming-songbird duo of Red Five, rank second to No Doubt’s Stefani in terms of female perseverance on the local scene. They emerged in separate bands in the early ‘90s, hooked up in 1994 and rewarded fans last year with a catchy, hard-hitting debut album on Interscope Records that recalled the Pixies and the Breeders as it married songs about weirdness and humiliation to the front-duo’s native exuberance. Drummer Adam Zuckert and bassist Mitchell Townsend round out the band, which takes its name from Luke Skywalker’s code designation in the climactic attack on the Imperial Death Star in “Star Wars.”

* 9 p.m. Saturday with All Day and Four at the Foothill, 1922 Cherry Ave., Signal Hill. $8. (562) 494-5196.

The Ziggens: If death-ray-wielding Martians landed in O.C. demanding a good, rockin’ time--or else--I’d take them to a Ziggens show. Orange County is known for its taunting, snotty-humored punk bands, but the Ziggens trump them all with humor that’s innocent and full of embracing good spirits. Their sharply played concerts and albums are like animated games of hopscotch, jumping gleefully from surf rock to country to punk to folk. Fun as the Ziggens are, Brad Nowell, a friend and fan, pointed to another side of the band when he dropped the line “Bert Susanka made me drink” into a Sublime song. Offsetting all that silliness and light satire are front-man Susanka’s openhearted songs about heartbreak, loss and mortality. The other Ziggens are ace drummer Brad Conyers, bassist Jon Poutney and guitarist Dickie Little.

* 9 p.m. Saturday with the Tiki Tones, Del Noah & the Mt. Ararat Finks and Tarantulas at Linda’s Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim. $6. (714) 533-1286.

* POP LISTINGS, F35