San Diego Reader

It happens every ten years or so, though only the most attentive notice it. In 1968, the sound that would forever be called "mod" was distilled by the Who, the Kinks, the Small Faces and their foppish, finely dressed ilk. By disguising itself unconvincingly as Power Pop in the late '70s, it all came back to be reinterpreted, right down to the go-go dancers, by Nick Lowe, Greg Kihn, and Squeeze.

Then, the Quadrophenia film attempted to immortalize the original mod scene -- instead managing to trivialize it, while anyone who sounded remotely like Paul McCartney became as hard to sell as, well, Paul McCartney.

At least in San Diego, the '80s were friendly to mod-leaning rockers with thin ties and a bright pop sound to match the polish on their shiny shoes. Managing to be both stylish and retro (no easy feat), Manual Scan thrilled not only the metal Vespa crowd, but amassed a European following as well with several popular single and EP releases.

Bart Mendoza and Kevin Donaker-Ring have been musical partners since 1980, when they paired up to form the mod-inspired Manual Scan. "You had to own a metal scooter to be mod," Mendoza says, referencing local scenesters who used to hang out at Vespa Super Shop and Gelato Vera in Mission Hills, checking out the Tell-Tale Hearts at the old downtown Soma or rallying to see Quadrophenia at the Ken Cinema.

After a string of overseas hits (with little attention paid in the States), the duo reformed in the early '90s as the Shambles, with a rotating roster of new players (including bassist Mark Z of the Crawdaddys and a succession of drummers rivaling Spinal Tap's). Their songs still maintain that '60s sound, albeit more powered-up, à la Nick Lowe or Oasis, plus they have a vast repertoire of eclectic covers (Badfinger, the Zombies, unreleased bootleg Beatles cuts, and more).

Mendoza is currently cowriting a book covering "every record released from every San Diego performer" from the turn of the 20th Century through the '90s. He also collects local vinyl, with the most rare piece in his own collection being the Scottsville Squirrel Barker album with Chris Hillman (later of the Byrds), from around 1962. "Copies have sold in excess of $200 in mint condition. I got mine at a thrift store, although that was 25 years ago." He still rides a metal scooter and has never owned or driven a car.

The locally published comic book Vampyrates features a character named Doctor Kevin Ring, a scientist who battles a demonic race of vampire pirates; the character is based on Donaker-Ring. "He isn't a rocker -- he's educated, refined. The last thing he wants to do is leave behind his true love Anne Marie [based on Donaker-Ring's real-world wife] and chase down horrific apparitions in the deep Atlantic. He only does it because he's broke and it's the only way to save the family estate from anxious creditors." Broke with anxious creditors; sounds pretty rock and roll.

The Shambles have toured extensively and performed in Mexico, Spain, England, and throughout the U.S., appearing in concert as well as on TV and radio. They've also contributed to over three dozen compilation albums and have released four of their own albums to date. There's been a fair bit of press, from Billboard to Creem, and they've gigged with Jonathan Richman, the Rembrandts, Superdrag, the Records, OK Go, the Wondermints, Sugarplastic, Rusty Anderson (Paul McCartney, guitarist), the Alarm, Robyn Hitchcock, 20/20, Graham Parker, and Stereophonics, among many others.