BEST WEEKS OF THE MONTH.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

Randy Weeks does boffo box office at the Cinema.

Not the multiplex, mind you, but the tiny music dive in Culver City that's long been a top destination for roots-music fans from all over the city - and beyond.

Weeks, an earthy countryish rocker whose songs have been covered by Lucinda Williams and used in Hollywood movies, draws a thirsty crowd to the Sepulveda Boulevard joint every other Saturday night. It's the sort of scene where music-loving folks from the nearby studios mingle with the cream of the city's alt-country scene in a packed-like-sardines room drenched with some of the best atmosphere on the Westside.

``It's a very special place,'' says Weeks, who co-led the popular Los Angeles alt-country combo the Lonesome Strangers in the '80s and '90s. ``The band has gotten to the point where we can kind of play in our sleep because we know the scene so well, and we can free-form it without any hesitation. It's a spectacular thing for us, and the crowd is always with us.''

A typical three-hour Weeks set takes in mostly originals - strong, soulful rootsy rock numbers that can make someone with a long memory and stamps in their passport fondly recall British pub-rock outfits like Ducks Deluxe, the Kursaal Flyers and Bees Make Honey. Weeks' band - which includes dependable names like Tony Gilkyson (guitar), Mike Stinson (drums), Danny McGough (keyboards) and Glen Sherba (bass) - also has been known to cover Bob Dylan's ``Positively 4th Street'' as well as the r&b classic ``I'd Rather Go Blind.''

Weeks, who appears Saturday at the Cinema, says the roots music scene in L.A. is stronger than ever.

``There's a lot more bands playing these days than in the '90s, due to a resurgence in people going out, and I think it's been good for everybody,'' he said, after returning to his Santa Monica home from a series of gigs in Austin, Texas, at the high-profile South by Southwest Music Festival.

``I'm just a little spoiled myself with what I've had going on at the Cinema, but there are other good places to go around town. There are bands out there really keeping the flame alive.'' < Even without the guaranteed good time of a Weeks gig, the Cinema is worth checking out. Originally a piano bar that opened in 1947, the place hasn't changed much. The sign out front, a neat piece of historic neon, is as beckoning as the warm, welcoming atmosphere inside. About 100 people come and go during one of Weeks' biweekly shows, which have been going on for about six years. In fact, Weeks called his second solo album in '03, ``Sold Out at the Cinema'' (and a new album is due this fall).

``We've all talked about who can take credit for how it started,'' said Weeks, whose song ``Can't Let Go'' was made famous by Williams on her ``Car Wheels on a Gravel Road'' album. ``I just dropped in one day and saw this great combination of people and a room with really good sound.''

It was just that sort of happy accident that led to a Weeks song being used by the Farrelly brothers in their film ``Shallow Hal.'' A friend of the directing team saw a Weeks gig at the Cinema and made the introductions. Weeks' tunes have been used in more than a half-dozen films.

``It started with a bunch of people we knew, and now it's all these new faces,'' Weeks said. ``We're very happy with how it's going.''

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

RANDY WEEKS

Where: Cinema Bar, 3967 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City.

When: 10 p.m. Saturday and every other Saturday.

Cover: None. [phone].

randyweeks.com

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Randy Weeks has found a good measure of alt-country success with a biweekly gig at the Cinema Bar in Culver City.