LOUD BLASTS OF PRESENT, PAST QUEEN MARY FEST SETS ITSELF APART.

Byline: Paul Andersen Correspondent

It has taken awhile, and there have been a few bumps along the way, but fans of adventurous, genre-bending music will finally have a chance to celebrate this weekend as the All Tomorrow's Parties 2003 Pacific Festival lands at the Queen Mary. And unlike a lot of musical events at the venerable grand dame of the high seas, this one will take place both aboard ship and at the adjacent Queen Mary Events Park.

Launched in 1999 by London concert promoters Barry Hogan and Helen Cottage, All Tomorrow's Parties was seen as an answer to what had become an increasingly corporate slate of music festivals. To ensure that theirs would be totally eclectic in nature, the promoters invited an individual musician, writer or artist to serve as curator of each festival. If the person responsible for choosing the performers was a musician, the picks would provide a reflection of his or her influences. With other artists, it would basically be like invading their record collections. Either way, it ensured that each festival would be unique.

``It is kind of like the ultimate mix tape,'' said Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, the band that presided over last year's festival at UCLA, the first ATP outside of England. In Britain, tickets to the festivals at the Camber Sands Holiday Centre have included accommodations. That isn't the case this weekend, when the tickets will only provide festival-goers wristbands allowing them to wander back and forth between the two concert sites. But being that the Queen Mary is also a hotel, it is possible to stay over on your own.

The American ATP originally was slated to make its debut in Los Angeles in October 2001, but due to the events of 9-11, it was postponed until March 2002.

Last year's festival was a sprawling affair on the UCLA campus, and ticket holders were shut out of some venues due to occupancy restrictions. That problem has been addressed at the Queen Mary, where everyone with a wristband is guaranteed admission to the Events Park stage where the larger names will be performing. The indoor stage aboard ship, however, will once again be subject to fire marshal limits - and that, along with the fact that much of the music will run concurrently, should be cause for attendees to plan ahead as to which acts they want to see.

This year's festival, curated by ``Simpsons'' creator Matt Groening, is weighed toward the punk, avant-garde/experimental and DIY/alternative end of the musical spectrum. It was initially booked for three days in June at a trio of historic venues in the heart of Hollywood but, due to sluggish ticket sales, was postponed until September. It was once again delayed, this time to November, with a totally new venue, the Queen Mary. It has also been pared down to two days.

Some of the original acts that Groening selected - Patti Smith, the Breeders and Nick Cave - could not be rebooked for the new dates, but much of the original bill has been preserved. New to the Long Beach edition is a rare performance by Iggy Pop and the Stooges, along with Cat Power, Built to Spill and a duo reunion set by former Minutemen George Hurley and Mike Watt. Other acts from the original bill (for the full schedule, visit www.atpfestival.com) include the Bangs, Bardo Pond, Daniel Johnston, Sonic Youth, Moris Tepper, Black Heart Procession, Carla Bozulich and the Magic Band.

Besides the Iggy Pop appearance - an exclusive for the festival - and the Watt/Hurley duo anticipation is high for the Magic Band. The former backing unit for the legendary avant-garde rocker/poet Captain Beefheart, the band has reunited, sans Beefheart, for the pair of ATP festivals this year. Finally, there will be a tribute to the late singer/songwriter Elliott Smith on Sunday, anchored by Lou Barlow of Folk Implosion/Sebadoh. Smith was originally slotted for Sunday's show.

It may not be an everyday kind of party, but ATP is sure to cause some lasting memories for those adventurous enough to partake of it. Venture forth - and party.

ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES 2003 PACIFIC FESTIVAL

Where: The Queen Mary, 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach (both inside the ship and at the adjacent Queen Mary Events Park).

When: 2 p.m. to midnight Saturday and Sunday. Gates open at 1 p.m.; will call/wristband pickup begins at 11 a.m.

Tickets: $50 for a single day, $85 for both days. [phone] or www.atpfestival.com.

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Previous All Tomorrow's Parties curators Sonic Youth will also perform at this year's festival.