The Kids Are All Right

The Pinehurst Kids sounds like the name of one of those teeny-bopper bands always turning up on the Disney Channel.

But the story behind the Oregon-based alt-rock group, which plays two Orange County shows this week, is more suited to “Frontline” or “60 Minutes.”

Singer, songwriter and guitarist Joe Davis, a founding member, was born in Pinehurst, Idaho, a mining town where he spent the first five years of his life coping with a variety of maladies, including asthma, poor blood circulation and intense food allergies.

Years later Davis learned that before going bankrupt, a mining company had dumped toxic waste in the town. A government-sponsored medical research team discovered that lead had contaminated water, soil and air.

Medical tests in 1995 revealed Davis had three times the normal level of lead in his system. So when he started a band, he chose the name Pinehurst Kids as a tribute to the other children, who like Davis, grew up sick.

Beyond that, the other band members have weathered near-disastrous personal experiences.

Bassist Caleb Gates had meningitis; touring guitarist Devin Morrow was nearly poisoned by chlorine gas; and new drummer Marnie Martin was practically electrocuted during a thunderstorm.

But rather than be consumed by misfortune, the Pinehurst Kids have remained determined to move on.

Davis moved with his family to Boise in grade school then left in 1995 for Portland, where he met Montana transplant Robler Kind, the group’s original drummer. The two worked as a pop-rock duo until they added bassist Gates two years later.

The trio recorded a handful of songs and self-financed a debut CD, “Minnesota Hotel.”

Shortly thereafter, the band was spotted in Austin, Texas, at the South by Southwest Festival by representatives of Chicago-based indie label 4 Alarm Records, which signed the group and reissued “Minnesota Hotel.” The album has earned several favorable reviews and reached No. 25 on the CMJ New Music Report charts.

In support of its follow-up release, “Viewmaster”--available chiefly at indie record stores but arrives at larger retail chains next month--the band kicked off a West Coast tour Monday in Chico.

According to Davis, 29, all the “shared, spooky experiences” have created a strong bond among the four musicians.

“It’s really weird . . . when we started out, we felt pretty defeated in a way,” Davis said recently by phone during his lunch break from a temp job in Portland. “We’re not kids--we’re all nearing 30 and the road has been full of potholes.

“But now, the tide has turned for us, and I’m glad we’ve gone through so much because we’re thankful for what we’ve got,” he said. “We’re also very happy just to be alive.”

Now, good karma seems to follow the band.

“[Being in] The Pinehurst Kids just makes sense to us,” Davis added. “The big boost has been college radio. . . . There’s just a lot of excitement for us out there. Station managers have been e-mailing us and our label with such positive feedback. I’m blown away. Without college radio, I don’t know how a band like us would really get the word out.” Though regularly tagged as an emo-pop band--short for emotionally charged pop-punk--and frequently compared to that sub-genre’s prime mover, Sunny Day Real Estate, the Pinehurst Kids possess more sonic crunch and elasticity than most of its peers.

*

Snarling, sometimes layered guitar lines, thunderous rhythms and Davis’ wailing vocals drive home themes of rage, bitterness and despair that sometimes lead to hope and resolve.

Davis covers a variety of moods in songs about affection--for his cat (“Gatsby”) and people (“Jodie Foster”)--to more intense sketches about a childhood friend he’s lost track of (“Johnny Mercer”), grappling with married life (“Trepidation”) and the music scenes (“Me Wrong”).

Although Davis said he prefers simply calling the band’s music “rock ‘n’ roll,” he understands why others tag it with narrower labels.

“There’s so much [music] out there that categories can, in a way, be a good thing,” he said. “At least you have some idea of what to expect. I have influences that have shaped our sound and style--you have to. You keep writing and playing and making mistakes along the way. But they’re your mistakes, and through them, you become you.” If some listeners don’t quickly get Davis’ poetic, often abstract lyrics, that’s OK with him. What’s more important, he says, is understanding the mood.

“I’ll dabble a lot, try a lot of sounds that sometimes I have no idea what it is,” Davis said. “It’s just this visceral approach where I’m after something that’s more instinctual, that just feels right. I know this sounds New Age-y, but I’m interested in making uplifting records that move people, that take them away from day-to-day life.”

Davis said he and his mates are generally optimistic, an outlook that stems from being healthy, happy and playing music even they don’t always understand, but still love.

*

Still, there are times when his mind drifts back to Pinehurst and a sadness creeps into his voice as it narrows to a whisper.

“I’m still hoping I’ll actually run into Johnny Mercer--he may not even know of the evil he’s been exposed to,” Davis said. “One thing the government has done, though, is replace all of the yards in the community. That’s pretty staggering, really. To go in there, dig up and replace 16 inches of dirt and grass--around all of those blocks of houses.

“I drove through there for the first time in ages on our last Midwest tour.” he said. “It’s like a ghost town. But hopefully, the story will alert people to the possible dangers that may be going on around them.”

For Davis, it’s a nightmare that refuses to go away.

“It’s weird: My mom told me not too long ago that she remembers my sandbox having that black slag sand--pure lead, it was just covered with it,” he said. “The only ill effect I suffer now is poor circulation--plus I’m a little bit shaky and I have asthma.

“Other than that, I’m pretty resilient,” he said. “I guess it’s like they say: ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger.’ ”

*

The Pinehurst Kids play tonight at Chain Reaction, 1652 W. Lincoln Ave., Anaheim. With Limbeck, Driving by Braille and Velcro. All ages. 7:30 p.m. $5. (714) 635-6067. Also Thursday at the Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. With the Flys and Noogie All ages. 8 p.m. $8. (310) 276-6168. Also Friday at Koo’s Arts Cafe, 1505 N. Main St., Santa Ana. With Nuzzle, Four Letter Words, the Rattlesnakes and the Von Steins. All ages. 8 p.m. $5. (714) 648-0937.

* BY GEORGE: George Jones on Monday sounded better than a body has a right to. F5