Liquor Giants: Top of the Pops

ANAHEIM — The Liquor Giants surely could have declared victory if Friday night’s summit of four L.A. / O.C.-based pop acts had been a battle of the bands. In hook-filled song after song, the Giants moved effortlessly between gritty tales of low self-esteem and romantic disillusionment to more melodious, upbeat offerings sprinkled with themes of perseverance.

Yet to call this mini-marathon at Linda’s Doll Hut a competition would be a disservice to the communal spirit that engulfed the tiny roadhouse for nearly five hours.

Players from each band--the lineup also included headliner Baby Lemonade, Perfect featuring Tommy Stinson, and 00-SPIES--spoke with genuine respect for one another on and off stage.

The mutual affection was particularly endearing when Baby Lemonade’s singer Rusty Squeezebox strayed from the set list for a glorious version of Badfinger’s 1970 hit “No Matter What.”

Within seconds, Stinson and Liquor Giants front man Ward Dotson--like two people catapulted onto the dance floor upon recognizing one of their favorite songs--leaped on stage, grabbed a microphone and happily added backing harmonies.

Each band put its own spin on a few well-chosen covers. Adding to the concert’s freewheeling charm earlier in the evening were Perfect’s noisy, abbreviated version of Bow Wow Wow’s “I Want Candy” and 00-SPIES’ thick, hazy take on Tommy Roe’s bubble-gum hit “Dizzy.”

The Liquor Giants offered Elvis Presley a belated birthday dedication with a version of his 1959 hit “I Need Your Love Tonight” which they carried to an astonishing climax by injecting a snippet of the Knack’s “My Sharona.”

Sure, bits and pieces of the Beatles, Kinks, Beach Boys and even Stinson’s old band, the Replacements, infiltrate each group’s repertoire. But each one--and particularly the Liquor Giants--succeeds in moving beyond its influences in creating modern-sounding pop that stands sturdily on its own.

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On the menu Friday night were tasty variations on the melody-rich, harmony-driven pop recipe, ranging from the guitar-centered pop-rock of opening act 00-SPIES (pronounced “double naught spies”) and harder-edged punk-pop of Perfect to the ‘60s-influenced pure-pop of both Liquor Giants and Baby Lemonade.

The Liquor Giants’ veteran singer-songwriter-guitarist Dotson emerged as the most original popmeister, one whose off-the-wall banter masked what an incredibly talented tunesmith he is.

Dotson, the former member of the Gun Club and Pontiac Brothers, specializes in catchy, propulsive pop. During his third-billed set in front of a then-packed Hut, Dotson--who grew up in Orange and is back living in L.A. after a brief stay in New York--alluded to his local roots when introducing one lovable new song titled “Bastanchury Park”: “Here comes our Orange County song--feel free to toss your hair back and kick up your legs like Davy Jones.”

And why not?

His melodies are so hummable that the music is uplifting even when the lyrics aren’t. Many of his songs chronicle crushed dreams and day-to-day disappointments, including bitter romantic breakups.

Yet Dotson’s bouncy lead riffs and the soaring three-part harmonies simply overpowered the downbeat themes addressed in “Chocolate Clown” and “Cranium,” the latter including the line: “Life is just a bowl of mud / It’s like getting punched when you need a hug.”

He and his mates--including Fullerton drummer and fellow Pontiac Brothers alumnus Matt Simon--brought a rougher, biting edge to several meatier selections, including the defiant “Jerked Around” and a slower-paced, tense, brooding new one titled “Fake Love.”

Agonizing over the inability to let go of a destructive relationship, Dotson desperately cried out with his ragged-but-right voice: “Won’t you take me back . . . again?”

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The Santa Monica-based quartet Baby Lemonade, fronted by the winning vocal-guitar tandem of Rusty Squeezebox and Mike Randle, served up a satisfying mix of dreamy, neo-psychedelic pop textures, sweetly played, jazz-like improvisations and fast-paced rock ‘n’ roll.

(Unfortunately, it was past 1 a.m. when the band took the stage, and only a handful of fans remained to hear it.)

Randle lent his grainier vocals and explosive guitar chops to several selections, spiraling to a high point during a Squeeze-like pop gem titled “Long Train Rides.”

Baby Lemonade unjustly seems better known for playing behind ‘60s pop-rock legend Arthur Lee of Love than for the band’s excellent new album, “68% Pure Imagination.” On the strength of that CD and this solid live performance, that should duly change.

Second-billed Perfect wasn’t exactly a natural fit in a lineup billed as “Pop Night.” The quartet’s fast and furious sonic blast lies a lot closer to punk than pop, and at times, the very loud din offered little more than an exercise in repetitious aggression.

Still, Stinson and company’s best garage rock was unleashed with an appealing exuberance and self-deprecating sense of humor. And when the band did slow down for “Miss Self-Esteem”--a quieter ballad chronicling a young woman’s loss of innocence--evidence emerged, however fleeting, that Stinson is a songwriter with something to say.

00-SPIES featured hearty--sometimes too-generous--portions of ‘70s-style guitar jamming in its spirited opening set. Nonetheless, the quartet’s two strongest songs, “Jupiter” and “Dandelion,” showcase the two-part harmonies, hazy psychedelia and hard-driving instrumentation that distinguishes its appealing style of punchy pop-rock.

Maybe none of these bands will ever move beyond the small clubs that such independent-label acts are playing now. But with music as appealing as Ward Dotson and his cronies have to offer, they might just surprise us. After all, who figured the Jacksonville Jaguars or the Carolina Panthers would have made it so far down the road to the Super Bowl?