‘Mr. Shovel’ digs emerging acts

For a man whose name has been butchered, Mark Sovel certainly is good-natured.

“For a while I just grudgingly accepted it,” says Sovel (that’s so-vel) of “Mr. Shovel,” the moniker bestowed upon him by “Jonesy’s Jukebox” host Steve Jones on Indie 103.1 (KDLD-FM). “Now I’m honored, because I got my nickname from a Sex Pistol. And it’s a good rock ‘n’ roll name.”

Sovel, 42, has handled his own Indie 103 show -- the Sunday night local music program “Check One ... Two” -- with similar aplomb. In 2 1/2 years, Sovel’s slot has become a primary port of call for emerging rock bands in Southern California. His platform has helped catapult bands such as She Wants Revenge, Giant Drag, the Like, the Vacation, Monsters Are Waiting and the Submarines to bigger things, while reinforcing his station’s reputation as a place where broader tastes supersede commercial interests.

“It’s given people another avenue to expose their art,” says the station’s program director, Michael Steele, “and that is good for the music business and the bands and the radio station.”

A partnership with the Viper Room -- where “Check One ... Two Mondays” have featured sets from Sovel-picked bands -- marks its two-year anniversary Monday night when Gram Rabbit and Porterville perform. “It’s very endearing to the local music scene to have the kind of focus that Mark does,” says Joe Rinaldi, the Viper Room talent buyer who has seen his own venue adjust its palette in recent years. “We needed to have a wider perception of the kind of music we offer.”

For Sovel, it brings satisfaction to his weekly ritual of sorting through boxes full of submitted CDs.

“Every week there’s a great surprise,” he says. “Every week there’s something that makes you say, ‘... I can’t wait to play this on the radio.’ ”

*

-- Kevin Bronson

“Check One ... Two Mondays,” the Viper Room, 8852 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood. 7:30 p.m. Monday. $10. (310) 358-1880.