What do you get when you cross SNL’s original Not Ready for Prime Time Players with the Black Lips? Probably something a lot like Yacht Rock Revue, best described as the musical equivalent of TV’s The Orville, straddling an often baffling line between tribute and parody. No 1970s soft-rock act is safe from their setlist, from the worst of Michael McDonald to the best of Steely Dan, all presented as a vaudevillian late-night TV commercial for some half-remembered K-Tel compilation. The genius of the production is its ability to capitalize on the way classic-rock programming, from radio to satellite stations and retro movie soundtracks, has made that music part of the DNA of multiple generations, earning the band a fan base of Deadheadian devotion that calls itself the Nation of Smooth.

We tried to find out if Yacht Rock Revue will be performing one of their entire-album shows at the Music Box on February 15, since past SoCal gigs at the Belly Up and elsewhere have found them tackling everything from Thriller to Dark Side of the Moon and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The only reply we received was a set of links to YouTube clips featuring occasions where the band has been joined onstage by Gary Wright (of “Dream Weaver” fame), Robbie Dupree (“Steal Away”), and John Oates of Hall and Oates. That could mean attendees will be treated to a special guest star, or it could just as likely refer to a new mashup or even a planned “battle of the bands,” where the group pits songs against each other as audience-fueled battle royales. Whatever they have in mind should be a lot more fun than anything else you’re likely to find in Little Italy on a Thursday night.