With Female Flair

It will be Ladies Night at the Ventura Theatre tonight, on the stage particularly. The ska-flavored, dance-inducing Berkeley-based Dance Hall Crashers, fronted by Elyse Rogers and Karina Denike, will headline.

More female rockers, the Muffs and Buck, will open the show.

The Crashers are touring in support of their fourth album, “Purr,” another collection of pop and ska songs featuring dual vocalists who can really sing, unlike the off-key screamers in bands such as Mary’s Danish. The band’s Bay Area roots are apparent on yet another song about SoCal, “Beverly Kills,” which according to the band’s bio is “an urban anthem about the leeching, life-sucking drain power of Los Angeles.” Yeah, well, how ‘bout those Niners?

The Crashers recorded three successful albums for label giant MCA, but left to join Fat Wreck Chords, an independent label owned by Fat Mike of NOFX that specializes in punk bands. But “Purr” came out on Pink & Black Records, a new subsidiary label that will feature girl bands, with the Crashers being the first. A live album is slated for release in May.

While cruising up the California coast to a gig, Rogers discussed her favorite band.

So are you people all rich rock stars now?

Oh yeah, we’re rich rock stars absolutely.

How is “Purr” different from the previous albums?

I guess it’s more personal than the other three. Before, we had a famous producer and block of time, but this one is different because it captures more of the energy of our live shows. If we had any complaint about our first three albums--and we love them all--it’s that they’re lacking some of our live energy.

Where did the name come from?

Actually, we took the name from a Jamaican compilation album 10 years ago--we really started in 1989, so I guess it’s 11 years.

Eleven years and four albums. That’s a long time for a band these days.

We do whatever it takes to keep things fun. That’s a big priority for us. When things started to look like they might become less fun, we split with our old label, an amiable split, and signed with Fat Mike, who has been a friend of ours for a long time. He’s got a great label with a lot of cool bands.

Two cute girls in a rock band. How do you deal with the male groupies?

I don’t think that’s any different for any other band. Every band has groupies. Our demographic is probably 15 to 28 years old and a lot of girls, maybe 50% girls.

Will the girls get squished in the mosh pit?

No way. There’s a lot of tough girls out there.

What was your strangest gig?

One time we did a show . . . with Robert Goulet, who punched our drummer in the stomach for no apparent reason. We thought that was pretty funny. Another time we played with Prince in L.A. in 1995, but we never did see him because no one was allowed to look at him. He and his people hid backstage, and when they finally came out, we tried to get a look at him, but they kicked us out.

What do you think Dance Hall Crashers music sounds like?

Elements of punk and ska with some pop and rockabilly.

How do you account for the continued popularity of ska, especially in California?

The energy of the music--it’s the same with punk. The younger audience totally gets into it.

What advice would you give to an aspiring female musician?

All the obvious answers of course. Don’t do anything you’ll regret. Have fun. If you’re not having fun, there are plenty of other careers to get into. I always looked at this as sort of a hobby and I never really planned on any of this, but now here I am 10 years later.

DETAILS

Dance Hall Crashers, the Muffs and Buck at the Ventura Theatre, 26 Chestnut St., 8 tonight. Cost: $15. Call: 653-0721.

*

*

With 10 No. 1 hit singles and 7 million albums sold so far, country superstar Clay Walker could probably afford to buy the Civic Arts Plaza in Thousand Oaks, but instead will play there Saturday night.

Yet another Texan in a big hat, Walker has consistently ranked among the top touring country acts since his 1993 debut.

On his own since age 17, Walker, out of Beaumont, honed his skills by playing almost nightly for years on that endless road trip, all the while cultivating his aura of a charming, approachable hometown boy.

And his country hunk good looks have managed to attract a lot of ladies to his shows, which never hurts.

Country radio helps as well, or so says the artist in his current bio. “I’ll tell you what matters: What matters is radio and Wal-Mart. It ain’t what people in Nashville think. If you want radio to play you, you have to have a good hook. The hook factor is the most important thing in a song--be it melody or lyrics.”

Look for the guy with the big belt buckle to play selections from his fifth studio album “Live, Laugh, Love.” And like the Beatles and Frank Sinatra before him, expect a lot of screaming females providing a nonstop chorus.

DETAILS

Clay Walker at the the Civic Arts Plaza, 2100 E. Thousand Oaks Blvd., Thousand Oaks, 8 p.m. Saturday. Cost: $49.50, $39.50 or $29.50. 449- 2787.

*

*

Back in the early ‘60s when even AM radio was cool and your parents were trying to be, the two-minute pop song was the standard measure of success. Between doo-wop and the British Invasion, teen idols of both sexes ruled the airways.

Several of those performers, including Leslie Gore, Little Eva, Brian Hyland, Lou Christie and Sam the Sham, will sing their hits during a Saturday night Rock & Roll Revival show at the Arlington Theatre in Santa Barbara.

Lesley Gore hit it big with her first single “It’s My Party,” recorded while she was still a teenager back in 1963. Instead of the whiny girl teens willing to kiss the ground their dumb boyfriends loved to see them crawl on, Gore displayed a decidedly feminist perspective in her songs.

Not only did her songs have sophisticated production techniques, thanks to Quincy Jones, but “You Don’t Own Me” also told the guys in no uncertain terms to get a clue. In those days, it seemed every week there was a strange new dance with an even stranger name, such as the pony, the surfer stomp and the mashed potatoes. Little Eva did her fair share to keep the dance floor busy in 1962 with her No. 1 hit “The Locomotion.”

Teen idol Brian Hyland hit it big in 1960 with his novelty song about why boys liked the beach: “Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini.” But he also sang some more standard songs about girls--”Sealed With a Kiss” and “Ginny Come Lately.”

Lou Christie and his speaker-threatening falsetto voice had a string of hits, including “The Gypsy Cried” and “Two Faces Have I,” while Sam the Sham & the Pharaohs are forever linked to “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Wooly Bully.”

DETAILS

Rock & Roll Revival with Little Eva, Lesley Gore, Brian Hyland, Sam the Sham and Lou Christie at the Arlington Theatre, 1317 State St., Santa Barbara, 8 p.m. Saturday. Cost: $29.50 or $24.50. 963-4408.