Not Dead Quite Yet : Charlie’s was supposed to be gone by now, but will be hosting rock ‘n’ roll shows through the end of the month.

The report of Charlie’s death has been exaggerated, at least so far. The Ventura beachside hangout and hotbed of local rock ‘n’ roll will live at least through the end of September, maybe longer.

And there are three good reasons to go to Charlie’s Saturday night: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, J. D.’s Last Ride and Sinister Fisch. There’s even a chance that Durango 95 will do a last gig for the last time.

The Fischband, about as sinister as a pillow fight on “Full House,� are an accomplished bar band. I found them on one recent night smack-dab in the middle of the cultural center of the Western Hemisphere--Oak View--where they meet twice weekly to practice.

At this particular practice, the band had difficulty getting started because the drummer--the guy who goes “1-2-3�--wasn’t there.

Anyway, on hand that night were guitarists John Moreno, Gary Gutherie (who also plays sax), keyboard player Liz Stuart and bassist Jack Bolda. Drummer Chris Jensen was not there and thus, had no lines.

Sinister Fisch has an 80-song repertoire, 30 of which are originals. Thus, the band could please just about any bar crowd, perhaps even a biker bar, despite the fact they don’t know the Harley National Anthem, “Born To Be Wild.� But they could probably fake it, and, anyway, they know “Magic Carpet Ride.�

The Fischies also cover tunes by such diverse artists as Talking Heads, X, the Pogues and Oingo Boingo, plus lots of others that cause drunks to dance and act even sillier than before.

Fisch originals are those basic three-minute pop tunes featuring vocals by Gutherie, Moreno and Stuart. Moreno thinks their music is like the Talking Heads and the Grateful Dead. Gutherie thinks it’s like Blue Oyster Cult and the Kingston Trio. Stuart thinks it’s “desert rock, with bits of country and lots of pop.�

Whatever it is, much like Phish, Sinister Fisch has difficulty spelling those stinkly little critters that Flipper munches like Twinkies.

“I got the name from a novel called ‘Devices and Desires,’ � said Gutherie. “The hero was at a nuclear power plant looking at these rods cooling off at the bottom of a water tank and said they were lying there just like ‘sinister fish.’ �

“But Fisch is the correct spelling in German,� said Moreno.

Since their debut gig at Maxie’s in Oak View about two years ago, the band has not only played all the usual local hangouts but have played at the Ventura Street Fair, the Oxnard Strawberry Festival and lately, the County Fair.

“Most of our 30 originals are not applicable to everywhere we play,� said Moreno. “We play songs according to the place we play. Like at the fair, we did all of our originals.�

“Last St. Patrick’s Day, we played to over 600 people at McGinty’s,� said Stuart. “We played six hours, and they wouldn’t let us leave.�

Their worst gig, said Stuart, was at Gold Street in Camarillo. “They didn’t like us and we didn’t like them,� he said.

They have an old tape (better hurry, only nine left) a new tape is threatened, sinister T-shirts are available, but there’s no band name on the drum except for Ludwig. Perhaps it should have a sticker that says “sucker.�

“It seems like most of the local bands don’t have any equipment,� said Moreno. “They’ll call up and say, ‘Can we play with you guys . . . can we use your P.A.?’ �

“It seems like it’s been like that for the last 80 gigs,� said Gutherie. “We set up all our heavy equipment; everybody uses it; then we have to pack it all up at the end of the night.�

Part of the reason the local bands are under-equipped is the reason the front section of the newspaper is too boring to read--the economy. Call it what you will--depression, recession--nobody’s got a quarter; everybody’s broke, and we’re all just a heartbeat from a Vons shopping cart at the beach.

None of them seems ready to hang himself despite day jobs for everyone and regular practice nights. The band expects to play three or four times per month and make a five-song demo tape, then maybe shop it around.

“We just have fun,� said Moreno. “It keeps getting better with this lineup. And, you know, we’ve played with Ariel about 1,000 times, and I heard they got brand-new equipment. So last time, I said ‘hey, can we use your P. A. this time?’ Turns out, they just blew it up.�