Alcohol Funnycar: At Its Best When Facing A Challenge

X Who they are

Buzz Crocker, drums. Works at a bagel store.

Tommy "Bonehead," bass. Works for a fiberglass manufacturer.

Ben London, guitar and vocals. Court reporter.

X How they got together

Bonehead is a Washington native whose family bounced through California before ending up back in Seattle. He's played in Love Battery and Crisis Party. Crocker and London are transplanted Midwesterners. London used to play in Big Brown House. Alcohol Funnycar formed a little more than a year ago, and Crocker joined about six months ago.

X How they got their name

London: "It came from a joke. . . . Band names are stupid, and it's just kind of one that stuck."

Crocker: "It actually means a dragster."

London: "Like a nitro-burning funny car. We don't want Mothers Against Drunk Driving after us."

X How they describe their music

London: "Melodic punk rock . . . guitar-based . . . emotional."

Bonehead: "Up-tempo. Orchestrated."

Crocker: "Powerful."

X What makes a show click

London: "One of the best shows we've done was at the Moore Theatre. . . . I think we were all kind of scared about it so we all prepared for it. Sometimes you rise to the occasion."

Bonehead: "This band can pretty much rise to any occasion. I think we're at our best when we're challenged."

X Where their inspiration comes from

London: "This band would not be where it is today if not for our overriding hatred of the management of Hot Lips Pizza, where some of us used to work."

X What all the attention - and the big money - flooding into the Seattle music scene means to them

Bonehead: "Not anything to me. More important in my mind is to enjoy my involvement in music, maybe peer respect and maybe a little bit of money to carry you through."

London: "Sometimes it's a curse to be living in Seattle. A number of us know people who have made it really big. They're popular, but they aren't necessarily happy. Sure, they're getting paid a lot to do it, but all of a sudden it turned into a job."

Bonehead: "Sometimes I wonder what would happen to me if I had all the money and time I wanted."

X Tapes to bring on tour

Crocker: Bad Brains' "Quickness" and Primus' "Frizzle Fry."

Bonehead: Big Drill Car's "Bash" and Suicidal Tendencies' "Lights, Camera, Revolution."

London: Squirrel Bait's "Skag Heaven" on CD and Husker Du's "New Day Rising."

X Recordings

Alcohol Funnycar has an old 7-inch single on Rathouse Records and a new one that came out this week on New Rage Records. (Both are untitled.) Tomorrow, they release a five-song CD on C/Z Records called "Burn." One of their songs is also featured on a C/Z sampler to be released this month, and they'll record a full-length CD in June.

X Where to hear them

Call Infoline, a telephone information service at The Seattle Times free in the Greater Seattle area. From any touch-tone phone, call 464-2000 and enter category BAND (2263).

Or you can see them live at the Weathered Wall tomorrow night, at their record-release party. The band will also play at the Central Clubhouse in Milton April 3.