ROCKERS SING THE PRAISES OF NOHO : CHEAP RENT, HIP SCENE DRAW BANDS TO VALLEY THEATER AND COFFEE MECCA.

Byline: Fred Shuster Daily News Music Writer

Johnne Peters of the North Hollywood rock quartet Slush sits at an outdoor cafe and considers the artsy stretch of Lankershim Boulevard underfoot: ``In five years, this will be Melrose.''

He may be right. Along with a spate of hip new eateries, cool thrift shops, crowded coffeehouses and small record stores, North Hollywood is becoming famous for something else - a gaggle of popular young bands putting their guitar-driven stamp on an area previously known chiefly for oceans of cheap parking.

``We didn't create the scene, but we did crack open a rock caked with jewels,'' Peters said. ``This music community developed because it's cheap to live here and musicians could find lots of places to rehearse and hang out.''

Slush, whose debut album, ``North Hollywood'' (Discovery), is due March 11, isn't the only hot-hot-hot group to call the rockin' 818 home. Silver Lake may have Beck, Possum Dixon and the Dust Brothers, but NoHo can boast Grant Lee Buffalo, Eenie Meenie, Spanish Kitchen, the Carry-Outs, the Andersons, Wheel, Sugarplastic and former Mary's Danish diva Julie Ritter.

Scene and be seen

``I think the community feel of the place had a lot to do with the growth of the local music scene,'' said Gregg Bell, the artist development executive at Discovery who signed Slush. ``At one point, one of the coffeehouses there had a no-cover open-mic room where rock bands, country, poetry and jazz sort of came together on a nightly basis. It was a unique scene where a lot of paths crossed and those friendships still thrive.''

That pivotal scene was the back room at Eagles Coffeehouse, a cozy Lankershim cafe/newsstand that continues as a hub for local music folk even though the no-cover room closed about 18 months ago. An all-ages club called Aftershock in the area is just starting to get off the ground.

``Bands don't all have to sound alike in North Hollywood,'' said singer-guitarist Denise Siegel of NoHo pop-rockers Eenie Meenie. ``I think Silver Lake may have a more homogeneous scene.''

Eenie Meenie, which opens a Wednesday residency March 19 at the Martini Lounge in Hollywood, is currently busy landing a record deal.

The price is right

Siegel, too, points to a wealth of reasonably priced, artist-friendly living spaces for the development of a NoHo arts community.

``Honestly, it's the cheap housing, plus the galleries and theaters,'' she said. ``And a lot of real cool places to hang out.''

Slush - Dean Zuckerman (guitar), Jamie Lau (bass), Kevin Costigan (drums) and Peters (vocals and guitar) - appearing Wednesday at Dragonfly in Hollywood, hosts a witty Web site (http://discoveryrec.com) where a guided tour of NoHo is offered.

One of the related Web pages is titled ``10 Things to See and Do in North Hollywood'' and includes the cheeky suggestion: ``Climb onto the fountain at the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (on Lankershim Boulevard) until the guard runs out of the building and yells at you to get away!''

Sounds like a scene from ``A Hard Day's Night.''

In fact, it's that element of irreverent fun that links the disparate elements of the NoHo music scene, says Simon Glickman, singer with the moody, eclectic pop quartet Spanish Kitchen, which will soon begin recording its debut album with ex-Knack main man Doug Fieger at the controls. The band appears March 8 at Dragonfly.

``It's a scene that's less reliant on style or a unifying look or sound,'' Glickman said. ``There's virtually nothing fashion-driven about any of the music located here. It's really a bunch of people who enjoy this urban neighborhood atmosphere. It's not suburban, but it has a definite small-town feel with endless little surprises. You run into musicians, artists, actors, mystics and seekers all over the place.

``The cheap rent may bring people here, but that's not why they stay.''

Listen up

Slush, meanwhile, has built a loyal local fan base with a high-energy live show that Discovery's Bell believes will translate well nationally.

``Kids go crazy at their shows, and I think that instant appeal is one of the band's strengths,'' he said. ``They really put everything into their live presentation.''

For their part, the members of Slush are enjoying the weeks leading up to the release of the album, which is when work really begins. When not busy rehearsing, the band members can often be spotted riding up and down Lankershim on bicycles, stopping at Eagles to sip coffee and read magazines plucked from the newsstand's racks.

``This is why we made North Hollywood our home,'' explained Slush's Peters. ``It seems like a comfortable small town without any of the limitations. There's a vibe here and a real friendship between the bands. We ride our bikes together and hang out.

``But we didn't set out to create a scene even though we do want to make T-shirts that say, `818 is Great!' ''

THE FACTS

Who: Slush.

Where: Dragonfly, 6510 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood.

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Tickets: $7.

Information: [phone].

CAPTION(S):

4 Photos

Photo: (1--Cover--Color) NoHo Rock

Slush and other bands are putting Valley community on musical map

(2) Ever proud of their home base, the members of Slush titled their album ``North Hollywood.''

Tom Mendoza/Daily News

(3) Spanish Kitchen in front of the North Hollywood landmark that inspired its name.

(4) Slush touts the area via Web pages, including ``That Special Kind of Nothing: A Virtual Tour of North Hollywood With Slush.''