For fans, a blast -- for bands, a blastoff

If you see Mark Sovel running around the Sunset Junction Street Fair this weekend naked and screaming that “Sunset Boulevard is closed, man,” cut him a little slack. After all, as music director of the new radio station KDLD/KDLE-FM (known as Indie 103.1) and host of its local music show “Check One ... Two,” Sovel is a little excited about the bands on the bill.

“I saw this lineup and it was, like, ‘This is our Woodstock!’ ” Sovel says. “Every one of these bands is, like, my favorite band.”

And Sovel isn’t even talking about such nationally known end-of-the-day acts as Ben Kweller and the Donnas (who close out the Saturday schedule on the fest’s rock stage near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Bates Avenue) and veterans Love, Camper Van Beethoven and X (Sunday’s cappers). What he’s got in mind is braving the midday sun to see the Like, Dengue Fever, the Vacation, High Speed Scene, Starlite Desperation and Dios Malos, among others.

“It’s not like the bad bad bands are first and then it gets better,” he says. “It’s all great right from the beginning each day.”

Sovel’s excitement is not based just on his affection for these particular bands but also on what he has seen happen to bands that filled the same slots a year ago. Sunset Junction has built a strong rep as a barometer for local talent.

Leading the class of 2003, the band Rilo Kiley has gained national and international attention and now has Warner Bros. Records involved with the release of its new album, while Midnight Movies, a trio with echoes of PJ Harvey, Eagle Rock’s inventive Earlimart and neo-post-punkers Moving Units each has gained in depth and breadth of buzz with new albums either out or coming soon. And the 88, known for its Kinks-sized rock and “Reservoir Dogs” inspired attire, is expected to draw considerable label interest when it finishes its current album.

This year’s readings also seem to be on the rise, with the female teen trio the Like already signed to DreamWorks and several other bands gaining attention in the major-label and indie worlds -- with an even bigger boost due to the advent of Indie 103.1 earlier this year, adding commercial radio support to the noncommercial exposure of local acts on Santa Monica’s KCRW-FM (89.9) and Loyola Marymount University’s KXLU-FM (88.9).

“I want bands that will blow up so people will say, ‘I saw them here first,’ ” says Jennifer Tefft of Spaceland Productions, which books the talent for the Bates stage.

It’s the same attitude Tefft has about the monthly free Monday night residencies she has made a regular feature at the Spaceland club in Silver Lake for the last few years -- and it’s not coincidental that many of the bands playing at Sunset Junction have done a residency in recent months.

“It’s a tie-in that we did,” says Brandon Jay, guitarist of the 88, which played a Spaceland residency and braved the daytime heat in its dapper suits and ties at Sunset Junction last year. “It definitely felt like a big step up. Midnight Movies and others did it as well. A lot of people saw us who hadn’t seen us before, and it was great to be in the whole league of those other performers.”

The solid year experienced by the 2003 crop makes some local music fans eager to see what’s up next.

“I’ve never actually gone,” says Ben Tegel. “But I’m really excited. I’ll probably be there both days. It will probably be the highlight of the year.”

Tegel isn’t exactly impartial. He’s the singer cofounder with twin brother Steve of the Hollywood-based garage-glam band the Vacation, which, having done a February residency at Spaceland, is playing the Bates stage on at 1:30 p.m. Sunday. He hopes that the trend of Spaceland/Junction veterans stepping up the rock ladder will continue, and with the Vacation’s “They Were the Sons” EP garnering strong acclaim in England (where they’ve played the Reading and Leeds festivals) and the U.S., indications are very promising.

“With what happened for the bands that played last year, I’m really excited about it,” says Tegel. “Hopefully we’ll be up there with those guys in the amount of attention they’re getting.”

It is hard, though, to make a direct measure of progress from last year to this by tracking a band’s rise in the billing at Sunset Junction from noontime opener, say, to a cherished later-in-the-day placement. When Spaceland took over booking in 2001, a firm “no-repeat” policy was instituted. Bands that played last year are not allowed to play this year.

“We felt that the amazing talent that exists in the city, it’s unfair to have those slots taken by the same bands every year,” Tefft says.

The 88’s Jay, despite being a victim of that ban, supports it.

“It’s good they do a no-repeat policy,” he says, though he notes that he’s cheated a bit, having played multiple festivals via membership in Lutefisk and several other Silver Lake bands over the years. “There are so many bands here that it’s hard to capture the L.A. scene. Tough to get all different things that would be appropriate, but they’re very fair about it.”

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Sunset Junction

Where: 3600 block to 4200 block of Sunset Boulevard, L.A.

When: 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday

Price: $10

Info: www.sunsetjunction.org

Bates Stage

* Saturday: Bedroom Walls, noon; the Like, 12:45; Dengue Fever, 2:15; Starlite Desperation, 3; On the Speakers, 4; the Unicorns, 5; Har Mar Superstar, 6; Ima Robot, 7; Ben Kweller, 8:15; the Donnas, 9:30.

* Sunday: The High Speed Scene, noon; Dirty Little Secret, 12:45; the Vacation, 1:30; Your Enemies Friends, 2:15; Dios Malos, 3; the scAvengers, 3:45; Juliette and the Licks, 4:30; Thelonious Monster, 5:15; Love Featuring Arthur Lee, 6; Camper Van Beethoven, 7:15; X, 8:30.

Edgecliffe Stage

* Saturday: Great American Yankee Freedom Band, 1; Flames of Passion, 1:45; Raks Majnoun, 2:30; Linda Stevens, 3:15; Tresados, 4:30; Alma da Battacuda, 6; Former Ladies of the Supremes, 7:30; Ashford & Simpson, 9.

* Sunday: Cuahtemoc, 1; Ritmo Flamenco, 1:45; Mesmera, 2:30; Deborah Crooks, 3:15; Cafe Fuego, 4; Drums of Passion, 5; Arthur Adams, 6; Daniel, 7; Stephanie Mills, 8.

Sanborn Stage

* Saturday: Los Bochos, 1; Los Abandoned, 2; Quinto Sol, 3; B-Side Players, 4; Christina Ortega, 5:30. Also: DJ Mount Sims, DJ Justin Early and DJ Eddie X, times TBA.

* Sunday: Acoustica, 1; Sonolux, 2; Very Be Careful, 3:30; Culture Clash, 4:30; Sweet and Tender Hooligans, 5; DJ Blow Up, 6; DJ Ralphi Rosario, 8.

Steve Hochman can be reached at weekend@latimes.com.