Another shake

Gambling, cheap cocktails, loud music and lots of it. For the promoters of the Shakedown festival three years ago in Las Vegas, it was a combustible combo that couldn’t miss.

The inaugural event in 2000 offered two stages of nonstop raging riffs -- from the likes of the Donnas and the Fuzztones -- and attracted a colorful sea of tattooed and spiky-tressed fans to an old-timer downtown casino. It was a unique and raucous success that underground rock fans still talk about.

Unfortunately, lady luck wasn’t on hand the following year. The 2001 Shakedown was set for late September, and after the terror and uncertainty of Sept. 11, the hedonism of a two-day rock ‘n’ roll fest lost its appeal. The show still went on, but it was moved to a new, noncasino location, a slew of bands pulled out and it drew only about half the expected audience.

Now, almost a year and a half later, creator Ralph Carrera is ready to start anew, bringing the sonic jamboree to Los Angeles. Although the L.A. Shakedown might not offer the spectacle and high-stakes excitement of Sin City, an even more boisterous, more diverse bill -- 66 bands on three stages over two days this weekend at the Variety Arts Center -- just might make up for the absence of blackjack.

“I haven’t moved the Shakedown to L.A.,” says Carrera, who regularly showcases local rock at the Garage in Silver Lake. “I plan to have these events in both L.A. and Vegas eventually.”

Although he says that holding the festival here is largely an experiment, Carrera, who is putting on the event with Tobin Shane, co-owner of the Garage, says that one advantage is the exposure that the acts -- mostly punk and garage rock -- should get.

“A lot of A&R; people are planning to attend,” Carrera says. Certainly garage rock has captured industry interest following the success of riff-heavy grinders such as the Vines and the Hives. “They hear the label ‘garage’ and figure it’s easy to go and see all these bands in one shot.”

Still, for the lineup’s newer indies such as Portland ‘60s- and ‘70s-rooted thrash band the Hunches (playing Saturday), the opportunity to rock out with peers is more important than industry-head attendance.

“We’re happy where we are,” guitarist Chris Gunn says of the Hunches’ label, In the Red. “We’re just excited to see and play with some of these great bands.”

The sound spectrum at this noise-o-rama is impressive, and although styles range from greaser psychobilly beats to mop-top psychedelia grooves to chaotic hard-core grinds, Carrera says this year’s bands have one thing in common: aggressive guitars.

“My Shakedown formula is: reunion bands such as DMZ and the Rezillos; established bands with big draws such as the Supersuckers and the Dwarves” and most important, he says, “the next-big-thing bands, the ones that only a handful of people know about right now.”

In one sense, the Shakedown may be too plugged into the up-and-comer list for its own good. In 2001, promoters lost the White Stripes when the group landed another tour; this time it was Ohio blues-blasters the Black Keys, which joined Sleater Kinney’s February tour, and NYC gutter glamsters the Toilet Boys, now in Europe touring with the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The rowdy amalgamation of rock above and below the radar -- old and new, big and small, fierce and friendly -- helped the musical mash-up hit the jackpot the first time around. How well everything meshes this time will determine the event’s future.

“In Vegas it was all about getting together for wild, unself-conscious fun,” says L.A. punk princess Exene Cervenka, who’ll perform with her band the Original Sinners on Sunday. “If we can keep that element, it should be a great party.”*

L.A. Shakedown

Where: Variety Arts Center, 940 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles

When: Saturday and Sunday, noon to 2 a.m.

Cost: $35 a day, $60 for two-day pass

Info: (323) 662-6802

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Shakedown’s best bets

AntiSEEN: Southern-drenched punk rock ‘n’ roll from South Carolina, packed with bar-brawlin’ brutality.

The Briefs: Buoyant new-wavy punk from Seattle, complete with ‘80s get-ups and ‘70s-style Sex Pistol-ish attitude. Won’t be a secret much longer -- the group’s new album is due this spring.

Demented Are Go: Blood-curdling psychobilly from England circa early 1980s.

The Epoxies: Art-damaged new-wave punk featuring a fashionably freaky female singer and a live show bursting with manic charisma.

Guitar Wolf: Japan’s answer to MC5 and Stooges rock ‘n’ roll is a lo-fi, eardrum-bleeding rampage of guitar violence held together by a primitive rhythm section.

The Lords of Altamont: Playing retro biker-rock with a dark and debauched twist, this local gloomy gang is as notable for Cramps-like organ grinds as for its fiery stage shows.

Midnight Evils: An ominous mix of hard-core, garage and metal, this Minneapolis quartet’s album on Dart Records falls somewhere between the Dwarves and the White Stripes.

Mystery Girls: Green Bay, Wis., garage-rock superpowers are about as extreme as they come. Fast, intense and raw to the bone.

Nebula: Heavy psych-metal from L.A. that owes as much to Black Flag as to Black Sabbath. Burnout rock that smolders and crackles.

Nine Pound Hammer: A rich Southern heritage that includes influences such as Ted Nugent and Foghat, Nine Pound (featuring Blaine Cartwright long before his days in Nashville Pussy makes this pioneering honky-tonk punk outfit a must.

Super Bees: These black-clad stingers have garnered consistent local buzz for their unbridled, Detroit-style garage-metal and reckless, face-to-the-floor live shows.

The Upper Crust: These four powdered-wigged aristocrats display their brand of “Rocque ‘n’ Roll,” as they call it, a la AC/DC meets Rose Tattoo. Absolutely entertaining and hilarious.

The Warlocks: This acid-drenched eight-piece, with its psychedelic euphoria, is one of the most spellbinding indie bands in L.A. Garage-psych at its best.

-- Lina Lecaro