Manual Scan to Deliver San Diego Sound to London

Tonight, an audience at the Rock Garden club in London is getting a taste of the San Diego music scene. Ironically, they’re getting it from the newly reformed Manual Scan, a local aggregate patterned after the British “Mod” bands of the ‘60s.

Guitarist-songwriter Bart Mendoza and lead guitarist Kevin Ring founded the original Manual Scan in 1981. With three new members, the quintet left town last Thursday morning for a mini- tour that would see them perform at several of London’s hippest clubs, as well as at the Chippenham Town Center in southern England. Last Wednesday, an excited Mendoza outlined the band’s itinerary as he made last-minute travel preparations.

“We’re opening Sunday night at the Marquee,” said Mendoza, 28, with enthusiasm. The London club was the launching pad for several legendary British bands, including the Rolling Stones. “We have friends in Europe who still can’t believe we’re playing there. It’s a pretty big deal.” This week’s agenda also will place Manual Scan at such unmistakably British venues as the Town and Country, the 100 Club and Crickets at the Oval.

The trip came about partly as reciprocation for favors bestowed on British bands by Mendoza, who imports European groups to San Diego for the “Sounds of the ‘60s” pop festival he has produced every summer (except 1990) since 1982. Mendoza routinely boards several visiting bands at his place for the duration of the weekend-long event, but that’s one favor he’s happy not to see returned.

“A professional booking agent lined up our shows, and a travel agent is booking hotel rooms for us,” he said, “so we won’t have to sleep on people’s apartment floors. We’ve always wanted to play over there, but the whole thing is turning out so cool I still can’t believe it’s actually happening.”

The current Manual Scan roster includes guitarist Ray Brandes (formerly of the Tell-Tale Hearts and Towne Criers), bassist Mark Zardownaski (an original member of the Crawdaddys), and drummer Dave Klowden (Tell-Tale Hearts and Romy Kaye and the Swinging Gates). Mendoza and Brandes each write about half of the group’s songs.

Manual Scan always has been an electric band, but in recent months, the five current members were playing together locally in the Fiascos, an extemporaneous acoustic ensemble that Mendoza characterized as “a musical free-for-all.” When a set lineup emerged from the chaos, and the new quintet reverted to their electric ways, they first called themselves the Shambles to preserve the musicians’ prior identities and reputations. For the trip to England, they became Manual Scan.

“There’s a real resurgence of interest in ‘60s stuff in England right now,” Mendoza said. “And people there know about Manual Scan. That’s partly due to the cultural exchange of bands, and partly because we’ve been written up in various European magazines. The timing for us to go over there couldn’t possibly be better.”

The European Mod magazine “In The Crowd” is sponsoring the gig at Chippenham, which according to Mendoza will be “the only proper Mod show” on the trip. The event is being held on the same weekend that the central characters drive to Brighton for a Mod rally in the 1979 movie “Quadrophenia.” That film, which starred Sting, was based on the Who’s rock opera about the Mod subculture in England, whose adherents favored precisely tailored threads, Vespa scooters, diet pills and American rhythm & blues.

“The Chippenham show is being hyped not only in the magazine, but also at scooter rallies and other places in England where Mods hang out,” Mendoza said. “Thousands of Mods from all over Europe will be there.”

Manual Scan attracted some of their European fans as a result of the 1990 film, “A Girl to Kill For.” The murder-mystery was released only in Europe, and the band’s song “Nothing Can Be Everything” was prominently placed on the soundtrack. Another upshot: Manual Scan tunes now are being considered for five movie soundtracks.

When Manual Scan returns to San Diego, Mendoza will begin organizing the next “Sounds of the ‘60s” festival, which he hopes to produce in June.

Paul McCartney’s anxiously awaited acoustic set on MTV’s “Unplugged” feature will be simulcast on KGB-FM (101.5) tonight at 10 o’clock. Backed by five musicians (if you count wife Linda), McCartney performs covers of country, blues, and rock standards, and such Beatles tunes as “We Can Work It Out,” “I’ve Just Seen a Face,” and “Blackbird.” McCartney taped the one-hour show Jan. 15 at London’s Limehouse Studios.

In an effort to thwart bootleggers, Capitol Records is rush-releasing a one-time-only, limited edition of 500,000 copies of “Unplugged--The Official Bootleg” in compact-disc and cassette formats. Street date for the release is May 13. Of course, KGB’s simulcast will enable local home-tapers to do their own thwarting.

Kenny Rankin’s four-night engagement at Elario’s started on an inauspicious note Thursday night. The singer-songwriter was only a few minutes into his sold-out first set when problems with the house sound system became too much for Rankin or the audience to ignore.

Moonlighting sound man Bill Thompson of the Mighty Penguins struggled in vain with equipment that, at least in the back half of the room, distorted the sound of Rankin’s nylon-string acoustic guitar and splintered his naturally smooth vocals into an annoying crackle. To make matters worse, the bartenders were making so much noise shuttling glasses and ice that at one point Rankin stopped, glowered in the direction of the bar, and said, “Let’s just wait for them to calm down.”

By nature, Rankin, 51, isn’t the most patient person in the world. He became agitated as the problems persisted, then unceremoniously left the stage after an hour. Rankin played his second show that night, but, on Friday morning, he issued an ultimatum to Rob Hagey, the local promoter who books Elario’s: either the sound would be improved, or Rankin would walk out on the weekend stint.

Even before broaching the situation to Martin Mosier, owner of the Summer House Inn atop which Elario’s is perched, Hagey personally purchased new Bose speakers for the rear of the club. Thompson temporarily donated some of his own equipment and got it all working in time for the first set Friday night. He termed the sound “markedly better.” Although Rankin was less than completely satisfied with the improvements, he finished the engagement.

According to Hagey, further improvements in the sound at Elario’s, including the installation of a 16-channel mixing board, might be in place by the time you read this.

GRACE NOTES: The April 1 concert featuring Neil Young and Crazy Horse has been rescheduled for April 23 at the Sports Arena. The new opening acts are Social Distortion and the Buck Pets. Tickets purchased for the earlier show will be honored on the new date. . . .

Just confirmed for the Starlight Bowl: Steve Winwood and the Robert Cray Band on May 12 (tickets on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster); and Julio Iglesias, May 11 (tickets Sunday 10 a.m.); Deee-Lite and Bootsy Collins, with Tribal House, will play Iguanas on April 30 (tickets Friday at 3 p.m.).