MEALTICKET DISHES OUT TEEN-BASED SKA.

Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer

When the popular ska-influenced local band Mealticket got started five years ago, it was the only group on the scene with horn players.

In fact, the band had its own slogan: ``We're the band with the horns!''

Now that the Southern California ska movement has spawned the multimillion-selling No Doubt; major label signings Goldfinger, Dance Hall Crashers and Reel Big Fish pack them in all over the country; and rising young outfits like Van Nuys' own Hippos gain new fans everyday, horns are no longer such an oddity.

But Mealticket still holds a special place in the ska world. With its mix of classy vocals courtesy of Genai Canale, solid musicianship, imaginative songwriting and energetic live shows, this band is often ahead of the curve.

As Canale puts it: ``Not everything we do is danceable. A lot of the other bands try to get everyone up and dancing throughout their set. We don't always do that.''

You can see for yourself tonight when Mealticket, plus the Hippos, appear in an all-ages show at Mancini's in Canoga Park.

``We won't play a 21-and-over show unless we really need the money,'' said Mealticket trombonist Richard Ferreria. ``Our fan base is all teen-agers and we embrace that.''

So far, the band - which also includes Jim Cushnie (tenor sax), Ricky Estrada (guitar), David Ferreria (bass) and Dennis Leipert (drums) - has cut two albums of original material for the North Hills-based Pork 'n Beans label - 1994's ``Misconceptions'' and this summer's ``13 Apologies.''

Ferreria, who was raised in Sunland and graduated from Van Nuys High School, said many Valley-based ska groups grew out of school jazz bands.

``The horn thing developed out of the high school jazz bands,'' he said. ``I'm talking about us, the Hippos - we studied and played jazz at school.''

Mealticket, which performs an average of five times a month and tours out-of-state several times a year, is well-known in the ska world and has received write-ups in small-press music magazines throughout the nation.

Perhaps surprisingly in this day and age, the band members, who range in age from 18 to 24, haven't given much thought to chasing a major label record deal.

``When we started out, there was no consideration of signing with a major label because there was no chance of that ever happening to us,'' Ferreria, 23, said. ``We never geared ourselves that way. Now, there's a feeling within the band that maybe we should go in that direction.''

One of Mealticket's most distinctive and crowd-pleasing elements is Canale's easy-on-the-ears delivery. A fan of such jazz divas as Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan, the 22-year-old Canale also names Swedish alt-rock popsters the Cardigans a current fave.

Although the group traveled to Berkeley last weekend for a gig, Canale said she would have to think twice about a lengthy coast-to-coast road trip.

``It would be interesting,'' the Reseda High School graduate said. ``I think the guys would be more into it. After all, it's a big sacrifice.''

THE FACTS

Who: Mealticket and the Hippos.

Where: Mancini's, 8321 DeSoto Ave., Canoga Park.

When: 8 tonight.

Tickets: $7.

Information: [phone].

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Photo

Photo: ``A lot of the other bands try to get everyone up and dancing throughout their set. We don't always do that,'' says Mealticket's Genai Canale, right. The group performs tonight at Mancini's in Canoga Park.