POP MUSIC : Social D(escendants) to Take a Fuel Break

While Social Distortion busies itself writing and arranging songs for its next album, band members Dennis Danell and John Maurer plan to take occasional busman’s holidays this summer in an offshoot band called Fuel. The band will play one of its first shows tonight at Linda’s Doll Hut in Anaheim.

“This is more of a hobby than anything, just for fun and to blow off steam,” Danell said Thursday. “We can go and play a lot of places we couldn’t play in Social D--get back to a more underground thing.”

Danell, who plays rhythm guitar in Social Distortion, and Maurer, who plays bass, share the singing and guitar playing in Fuel. Mike Rouse plays bass, and Paul Fox is the drummer.

Danell said Fuel doesn’t want to invite comparisons to Social Distortion and won’t be playing any of the parent band’s material. Instead, it will play a set of newly minted originals.

“We think of Fuel as more of a surf-skate band, in the punk vein. What else could we do?” asked Danell, who has been part of the Orange County punk scene since he joined Mike Ness in Social Distortion in 1979.

Danell reports that Ness is finishing the songwriting for Social Distortion’s next album: “Mike’s been coming up with interesting things. He’s taking his time, but it’s good.”

When the songs are ready, the band plans to record with producer Michael Beinhorn, whose credits include the most recent albums by Soundgarden and Soul Asylum. The fourth Social Distortion member, drummer Christopher Reece, has taken on a side project of his own: managing the Orange County band Joyride.

Danell said that Social Distortion will emerge in August for its first live shows since September. Gigs will include a festival bill in Hawaii and a West Coast club tour, “just to try new material and get out and play again.”

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How active Fuel will be “depends what happens with Social D. That’s the main priority,” Danell said. SD has been doing preliminary work for its album at the Fullerton studio formerly known as the Casbah. The band acquired the studio and reoutfitted it for woodshedding purposes.

Over the years, SD had either recorded or done preparatory work for all its albums at the Casbah with producer Chaz Ramirez, who owned the studio until his death in an accidental fall in December, 1992.

“We’ve been in there for a good six months now,” Danell said. “Fuel evolved out of sitting around the studio, working on stuff.”

* Fuel and Sister Goddam (with Tony Montana of the Adolescents) play tonight at Linda’s Doll Hut, 107 S. Adams St., Anaheim. 10 p.m. $3. (714) 533-1286.