SD’s Maurer to Unveil Band Foxy

While Mike Ness keeps company with two of rock’s big names on his upcoming solo album, his longtime Social Distortion sidekick, John Maurer, has put together a band of all-stars from the Orange County grass-roots.

Ness’ album, “Cheating at Solitaire,” comes out April 13 on Time Bomb Recordings--with Bruce Springsteen sharing vocals on “Misery Loves Company” and Brian Setzer contributing a guitar solo to “Crime Don’t Pay.” Ness will tour to promote the record, leaving Social Distortion, which hasn’t played since last summer, on indefinite hold.

Maurer, a buddy of Ness’ since their Fullerton school days, and SD’s bassist and backup singer since 1984, has stayed busy during the pause by producing and releasing recordings on his own label, Slip Records.

Now Maurer has a new outlet for performing and songwriting: Foxy, a four-piece rock band that debuts tonight at Linda’s Doll Hut in Anaheim, opening for L7.

Maurer shares vocals with Lisa “LP” Parker, who is moonlighting from 4-Gazm, and collaborates on the songwriting with Greg Antista, whose work with Joyride in the early 1990s stands among the best pop-punk the Orange County scene has produced. Maurer and Antista play guitars; Parker is bassist, and Kip Dabbs, formerly of the Long Beach blues-rock band, Rhythm Lords, is on drums.

“Lisa and I are almost doing an X vibe” on vocals, Maurer said, adding that he named the band Foxy in the spirit of Blondie--so that unsuspecting fans would wonder whether Foxy was the name of the band or its female lead. “Three of my favorite bands are Blondie, Social Distortion and X,” Maurer said. “The influences are blatant. You’ll hear it and go, ‘Oh, yeah.’ ”

Foxy aims to release a mini-album in May or June on Slip.

“This band has really enabled me to feed a hunger I’ve always had,” Maurer said. “I’ve never [before] been able to release music on my own platform.”

During a long pause between Social Distortion albums in the mid-1990s, Maurer and SD’s rhythm guitarist, Dennis Danell, started a band called Fuel, but it only gigged locally and didn’t put out any recordings.

Maurer produced an album for the psycho-billy band, Hellbound Hayride, last summer and issued it on Slip. He foresees putting out on his label occasional singles by other acts, possibly including 4-Gazm, while he concentrates on Foxy.

Maurer says he is used to rumors and speculation any time Social Distortion, which is in its 20th-anniversary year, takes an extended break.

“You hear the strangest things when Social Distortion goes on hiatus. It’s always, ‘They broke up,’ or ‘So-and-so is using [drugs] again.’ At this point, you just kind of chuckle.

“We’re not a band that puts out a record each year, which may have something to do with our longevity,” Maurer added.

Maurer says he’s not having anxiety pangs about Ness’ solo flight turning into a Springsteen-like long-term severance from familiar bandmates.

“I have always encouraged Mike to do a solo thing. It’s something I knew he’s always wanted to do, and I knew he was always a big fan of folk-type music, the Hank Williams- and Johnny Cash-type stuff. When I heard about [Ness’] solo plans, I thought, ‘great.’ I played bass on his demos for his new album.”

Ness has said he intends to go on recording and performing with Social Distortion after his solo project runs its commercial course, and Maurer is confident that’s how it will play out.

“Social Distortion is part of [Ness’] life. Playing through a Marshal and Fender Bassman at 10 with a Les Paul, and getting on stage and spitting in front of the crowd, is part of his life. Social Distortion signed with Time Bomb, and there will be more Social Distortion records. When is going to depend on the success of Mike’s album and how he feels about it. I don’t see us getting into the studio until late fall or early winter at the earliest.”

“That is,” Maurer added with a chuckle, “if Foxy doesn’t sell 5 million records.”

* L7, Foxy and the Tank play tonight at Linda’s Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim. 9 p.m. $8. (714) 533-1286.