BIGGER HIPPOS; VAN NUYS BAND READY FOR NEXT LEVEL WITH ITS FIRST ALBUM ON A MAJOR LABEL.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

Even if the road from skateboard park to world domination doesn't materialize in front of them, Van Nuys' Hippos don't mind. They've covered plenty of miles already.

The six-piece party band is known for tireless cross-country tours and building such a sturdy fan base that major label Interscope Records offered them a deal. The Hippos' second album, ``Heads Are Gonna Roll,'' was recently issued.

``We wanted to keep it pretty low pressure and low budget,'' says singer-guitarist Ariel Rechtshaid. ``We're not that hungry for money. That's not what it's about for us right now. It's all about developing. And we didn't want a lot of pressure on this record, so we went into the studio and started exploring.''

The Hippos got started four years ago when Rechtshaid met bassist James Bairian at a skateboard arena and the conversation turned to pop music. Finding a drummer, the trio launched a Green Day-style thrash outfit. Soon, a trumpeter arrived on the scene, closely followed by trombone and keyboards.

Suddenly, this poor man's Green Day was sounding a lot like the Specials and English Beat. The ska-punk explosion had begun.

``We'd play for two people, but the next time we came around there would be four people,'' Rechtshaid said, adding that the Hippos toured while friends back home in the Valley were hanging at the beach.

``We were doing what we thought was fun,'' he recalls. ``Like, I could be in 12th grade or be in New Orleans.''

Christened after Rechtshaid's imaginary childhood friend the Dangerous Hippo, the band - which also includes Louis Castle (trumpet, vocals), Danny Rukasin (trombone, keyboards, vocals), Rich Zahniser (keyboards, vocals, trombone) and Kyle Briggs (drums) - became a fixture on the local music scene. Their self-produced debut album, ``Forget the World,'' recorded for Vagrant/Fueled by Ramen (a label co-owned by the drummer from Florida ska-punks Less Than Jake), found 20,000 fans from as far away as Japan and earned airplay on KROQ-FM (106.7).

``The fan hype was so great that major labels stuck their noses in, and a couple wanted to jump on the ska explosion bandwagon,'' Rechtshaid, 20, said. ``But we didn't want to pigeonhole ourselves with one gimmick. We knew we had a lot of different influences and wouldn't always be playing ska. I mean, when we were 16, it was fun. Ska was what was going on. But there's so much more.''

To cut ``Heads Are Gonna Roll,'' the band recorded in environments ranging from a friend's living room to top studios like Mad Hatter in Silver Lake and Sound City in Van Nuys.

``Because we didn't spend a lot of money, we have a better chance of recouping than 90 percent of bands on major labels,'' Rechtshaid said.

For the near future, the Hippos can be found in their natural habitat - on the road.

``It's something you have to get used to,'' Rechtshaid said of touring. ``But once you're out there, playing every night, the road is where you want to be.''

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Photo: With their constant touring, the Hippos already have a large following, and they sold 20,000 copies of an independent release before their first Interscope disc hit the racks.