Aces of Clubs

Brrrr, it’s chilly out there. It’s a frosty feeling from clubgoers in Hollywood, where musicians have to put their best foot forward or they’ll be left high ‘n’ dry when encore time rolls around.

The attitude isn’t snobbism, as many people deduce--it’s simply that clubgoers who’ve grown up in Los Angeles have a “show me something I haven’t seen” air about them. The regular clubgoer in L.A. has pretty much seen it all.

Spoiled? Maybe. Beyond the point of no return? Not at all. With Ozomatli leading the way (see Cover Story, Page 6), some Hollywood artists keep proving if you’ve got the goods, you’ll get the encores.

Here are some hot acts, and they all share the common denominator of having that elusive L.A. ingredient: a loyal fan base. These acts continually pack in the crowds:

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Sugar Ray

Don’t hate them because they’re beautiful. This camera-ready quintet, which relocated to Hancock Park from Newport Beach three years ago, dress the part, look the part and acted the part of proper rock stars long before the release of “Fly,” the hit single from its 2-week-old sophomore album, “Floored.”

“I’ve always been a rock star in my own mind,” says Mark McGrath, Sugar Ray’s lead singer. The energetic performer is everything a ‘90s frontman shouldn’t be: a USC graduate, better looking than Lucky Vanos and unashamed to whine to his rabid fans, “I didn’t get a BMW till I was 18!” The audience gets the joke. Regularly packing the Hollywood club Dragonfly, Sugar Ray practiced its amped-up, hip-hop-influenced brand of rock in front of an audience that responded to McGrath’s proclivity for bawdy comedy.

“People either love us or they hate us,” says McGrath, who is joined on stage by drummer Stan Frazier, Craig “DJ Homicide” Bullock, guitarist Rodney Sheppard and bassist Murphy Karges, “which is a good thing. I don’t ever want to be somewhere in the middle.”

Catch ‘em: Sugar Ray is performing around the country on the Warped Tour, which continues through July. Look for a big homecoming show in August (possibly at the Palace in Hollywood).

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Touchcandy

Having recovered from a stunning tragedy--the death (in a car accident) of bassist Eric Barbella--this self-financed outfit known for its sexy British frontman, David Willis, and its fervid fans, took its music to a new level recently, adding a drum machine and a sequencer to its already Moogie mix. New bassist Rico Adair and drummer Billy Pleasant (both of whom were not featured on “The Nights of Touchcandy: Part One,” the Silver Lake-based band’s independent album released this past spring) fill out Willis’ and guitarist-vocalist Cathy Cooper’s erotic cabaret interplay. “They’ve already got a whole new album of material that needs to get out now,” says Chris Kraft, who manages Touchcandy with his wife, Loretta.

In recent weeks, A & R execs have come a’courting, and if there’s truth in numbers--throngs of scenesters attend Touchcandy shows in local clubs--now could be the time.

Catch ‘em: Saturday, “Silver Lake Bazaar 2” at Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Blvd., Silver Lake, (213) 413-4442; July 26, Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 276-6168.

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Jon Brion

Fans of this popular producer-singer-songwriter and multifaceted musician are all acutely aware of one thing: Brion is never boring. Every Friday at Cafe Largo in West Hollywood, guests can see a different side of Brion (who’s worked with such artists as Aimee Mann and Fiona Apple). The impulsive musician might perform a poetic pop song, launch into a 15-minute, experimental grunge riff on guitar, zip over to a piano across the restaurant to bang out a blues number, then invite an audience member to take a crack at the drum kit. “He’s very into audience-participation,” says Flanagan, Largo’s owner. “There’s no one quite like him.”

Brion and his weekly guests, who range from his sometime house band, Grant Lee Buffalo, to singers Michael Stipe and T-Bone Burnett, pack the venue with guests who can’t get enough of his funky stuff.

Catch ‘em: Friday, Largo, 432 N. Fairfax Ave., West Hollywood, (213) 852-1073.

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Boogie Knights

Jamie Brown, the former frontman of the original version of this disco cover band, turned his Afro-wigged, retro revue into a campy cottage industry. After he and his band packed the Dragonfly every Wednesday for a year, Brown stepped down to manage the band full time, then formed two other variations--Bootie Quake, which plays every Friday at the Viper Room, and Disco Inferno, which performs at various clubs. Not one to let a trend pass him by, Brown pulled another Frankenstein move by masterminding the M-80s, a popular New Wave cover band, and Metal Shop--you guessed it, a heavy-metal spoof band. The joke is on us, however. Like the Boogie Knights, all his bands are made up of quality musicians who do what they do well, and now the Boogie Knights are too big to play their old haunts--what with weekly Vegas gigs and monthly House of Blues shows.

Catch ‘em: They’ll be at the House of Blues in an August date to be announced. Those who want to check out their offspring, Bootie Quake and the M-80s are scheduled to perform July 20 at the Roxy, 9009 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 276-2222, $10 cover. Bootie Quake plays every Friday night at the Viper Room, 8852 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 358-1880, $15 cover. The original Boogie Knights, the M-80s and Metal Shop perform at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas on Aug. 22, 4455 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, (702) 693-4000.

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Tenacious D

Actor Jack Black (“Cable Guy,” “The X-Files”) and partner Kyle Gooseman form Tenacious D--two guitar-wielding guys in sweatpants who have crafted a most wickedly funny music shtick in the vein of comedy’s crazed ‘70s heyday. “Jack is like a young John Belushi,” says Kelley Kai, a spokeswoman for the Viper Room. “We’d let him play here if nobody came.” (Lucky for him, people do). Black, who’s been performing in local clubs for three years, looks at his craft more modestly: “We’re like a Smothers Brothers for the Dungeons and Dragons misfits set.”

Catch ‘em: Aug. 3, the Viper Room, 8852 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 358-1880.