NEON THIS WEEK

Japanese Motors

revs beach vibes

Garage popsters Japanese Motors are as evocative of their Orange Country stomping grounds as deep tans and shallow chicks (hey, we're just going by what "The OC" tells us here).

"Come on down to the beach," frontman Alex Knost sings on "Single Fins and Safety Pins," and he sounds like he's already there, his words rolling out of him in loose and unhurried fashion. It's the soundtrack to lazy Sundays and sun-baked Saturdays spent drinkin' brews and hittin' the waves. Just make sure to keep the sand out of your swimming trunks. See the band at 10 p.m. Tuesday at the Beauty Bar, 517 Fremont St. The show is free; call 598-1965.

-- By JASON BRACELIN