The Meices Make Great Music; They Also Tend To Make Trouble

Few bands conquer the world. Most don’t even conquer the garage.

Unlike what radio and MTV repeatedly force-feed - nauseating mediocrity - there are some banner bands out there.

Yet these outlets make or break bands. And all too frequently many rock bands’ careers end before anyone ever gets a chance to hear and see them.

It’s not injustice. That’s just how the music business works.

Which brings us to the Meices, whom I love to pieces. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

The Meices play Outback Jack’s on Tuesday. The San Francisco pop-rock trio, for one reason or another, has gone overlooked all through their seven-year career.

Most people don’t know that this band has spawned three punchy, sharp-witted albums - “Dirty Bird,” “Tastes Like Chicken” and “Greatest Bible Stories Ever Told.”

Or that they’ve traveled the country more times than a Bible salesman. Or that that they’ve remained a darling of the critics (which is usually the kiss of death).

Maybe it’s just karma standing in their path.

Let me explain:

The Meices may be engaging and pleasant on the surface. They may even compose some sweet melodies.

But deep down, the musicians (singer-guitarist Joe Reineke, bassist Steve Borgerding and drummer Shawn Trudeau) are social deviants of ill-repute.

First, and most importantly, Reineke skipped his phone interview appointment with me.

They’ve scammed clubs for free booze.

The Meices, apparently aspiring pyromaniacs, nearly burned down a hotel by shooting off bottle rockets. Other guests at the hotel were blamed for the incident.

They stole a car in Kansas, took it on a joyride and then returned it to the exact same parking spot.

In Spain, they knocked over a row of Vespa scooters and duked it out with the police.

They borrowed (and I use that term loosely) a yacht in San Diego and ran it aground.

They penned an irreverent celebration of God’s furry creatures called “Animals,” a B-side from the single “Uncool.” The lyrics go something like this: “See em grazing in a field/ waiting to be my next meal … Animal rights they got none/ I like them better on a bun … And I’m not trying to be crude/ but I like them better as food.”

The three Meices even stuffed hamburgers in the equipment of another band, leaving the victims guessing why their instruments reeked.

“We were doing some shows with Uncle Joe’s Big Ol’ Driver,” Reinke told an interviewer. “We were throwing things at each other’s vans while driving (to shows) - mustard, oil, cookies and so on. We were getting bombed (by them), and we couldn’t hit those guys to save our lives.

“So at this show, we put a hamburger in Daves Jazz’s guitar cabinet. We forgot all about it and we flew to Seattle to do a show about a week or so later with them and I had to use Dave’s amp. The thing smelled nasty, like a garbage dump. As soon as I told him what I did, he went over to it and took a bite out of the burger.”

These episodes give light into the reason karma has reciprocated these bad seeds’ bad deeds.

The result? The Meices have been barred from clubs.

Reineke’s Haight-Astbury home burned to the ground last spring.

They did some jail time in Spain for the scooter/fight incident, briefly interrupting a tour with the Offspring.

Perhaps the most karmic was Beavis and Butt-head’s sarcastic indifference to a Meices video.

Even if buying their records may further contribute to the Meices’ juvenile delinquency, they’re great records and should be played over and over.

For you Rocket from the Crypt fans, the Meices borrowed the band’s horn section - musicians Apollo 9 and JC 2000 - on “W.O.W.,” the lead-off track from their latest album “Dirty Bird.”

Opening band Protein, from San Francisco, just joined the Sony Entertainment roster. The band’s album won’t be available until January.

Until then, you’ll have to settle for its quirky 7-inch on Man’s Ruin Records.

Music starts at 9:30 p.m. The cover is $3.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo