Garage door openers

As Shaw puts it, "We are not stained yet by the major-label machine. It's easy to have street cred when you are totally broke and playing for 200 people instead of 2,000."

And Shaw remains hopeful that turning the dial back to garage rock's frequency will bring his band more listeners as well.

"Ultimately, if people buy Hives records and start going to local rock shows and having fun, that will bring it back to what rock is about," he says.

To help, Mr. Van Zandt has launched "Little Steven's Underground Garage," a weekly syndicated radio program that is broadcast on more than 50 stations nationwide.

"It's my way of taking listeners back to the days when radio mattered," he explains. Acting as program director, music director, and disc jockey, Van Zandt has almost total creative control over his latest media venture.

"I will play garage rock as I define it," he says. "For me, it's a back-to-basics rock that is directly related to the '60s."

Whether today's garage rockers are "pale examples," as Conolly puts it, or bright beacons to rock's future, one thing appears to be undeniable: Rock 'n' roll is here to stay.

"It's a certain sensibility that you have when you're 17 or when you're 67," Van Zandt says. "It never goes away."

BRMC – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club (Virgin): This band lacks a one-two punch name like that of The Vines or The Hives, but then the trio's music is more complex than other garage-rock bands. BRMC are fond of layering their rumbling bass and fuzzy guitar to produce an effect of cascading waves of sound, at times emulating British indie artists like Jesus and the Mary Chain. The influence of The Velvet Underground is equally present, and on the single, "Whatever Happened to my Rock 'n' Roll [Punk Song]," BRMC encapsulate the spirit of garage rock with the lyric "I gave my heart to a simple chord." By Stephen Humphries

The Hives – Veni Vidi Vicious (Burning Heart): Ever wonder why nearly every teenager wants an electric guitar and a really loud amplifier? This is why. Irresistible power riffs, slamming, hyper-speed drums, and a lead singer (the aptly monikered Howlin' Pete Almqvist) who sounds as if he's punished more than his share of microphones. The songs are about – hey, I'm not really sure – but they're fast, fun, and loud! Hailing from pop-music-fertile Sweden, these five rockers sound nothing like a Volvo. And they don't stop for speed bumps. By John Kehe

The Strokes – Is This It (RCA): The Strokes may have blazed the way for the new generation of garage rock, but musically they haven't reinvented the wheel so much as given it a fresh set of treads. Retreads, actually, since this three-chord rock sounds little different from when Iggy Pop or The Who did it. But context matters, and, in a time of affected corporate rock and cynically formulated pop, The Strokes' oeuvre sounds vital again. Their roving bass lines and trash-can drum clatter offer a tuneful backdrop for Julian Casablancas's voice – which ranges from insouciance to jauntiness. The result is 35 incendiary minutes of punkitude. – S.H.

White Stripes – White Blood Cells (V2 Music): Talk about back to basics! Singer/guitarist Jack White and his sister, Meg, on drums ARE White Stripes. That's it. But it's more than enough to rattle the speakers and fill your house with primal, infectious rock 'n' roll. Jack writes the songs that morph the history of rock, blues, punk, and soul into two-minute, bite-sized chunks of red-hot candy. Before you realize how inane most of the lyrics are, that song is over, and he hooks you with the next one. – J.K.

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