Rooney delivers the goods for the discerning pop fan.

Byline: Serena Markstrom The Register-Guard

Once in a while, a bona fide pop band comes to town.

All bands are indie bands until they get a record deal, but a lot of so-called "indie" bands are just pop bands that have to sleep on couches. Pop bands need marketing machines behind them, and it appears Rooney is as close to that combination as it comes in today's wounded record industry.

Yes, Rooney is a pop band, but it's no boy band in the 'N Sync mold. It is a boy band the way the Beach Boys were: infectious, singsongy, cute, imperfect - and just a little naughty.

Oh, and these five guys came together as a musical unit on their own. Rooney's origins date back to high school, where guitarist Taylor Locke and lead singer and songwriter Robert Schwartzman started playing together.

But their music doesn't sound like it comes from the 1960s. It's one of those bands that sound like an aggregate of all the decades since the '60s, except maybe the boy-band era. That is a good thing.

The night before the Eugene show at the WOW Hall, Rooney is opening for pop royalty in yellow pants and spiked heels - Fergie-Ferg herself from the Black Eyed Peas, whose solo tour includes a stop at Portland's Crystal Ballroom. It's a curious pairing musically, but it shows you the trajectory Rooney has been on since the group started to make waves five years ago.

Teenage girls will love this band, although they might have turned into women waiting for this year's follow-up to the 2003 debut, "Rooney."

OK, women will like this band, too. But teens who weren't among the 400,000 people who bought the debut might just go bananas for Rooney.

The band also toured with Kelly Clarkson last year, gaining more national exposure and access to the disposable incomes of music-loving teens.

Back in 2003, Rolling Stone spotted the guys and told everyone else to watch, too. The magazine put the band at No. 7 on its 10 Artists to Watch list.

The piece noted that Rooney - whose lead singer at the time went by the name of Robert Carmine - was tight with Ramones guitarist Johnny Ramone.

In 2004, "The O.C." took Rooney on as one of its darlings. The band appeared on the TV show, which did wonders for Death Cab for Cutie.

Due in part to his musical ability, Schwartzman was cast as the prince in "Princess Diaries." He also had a role in "The Virgin Suicides," directed by his cousin Sophia Coppola; his brother, Jason Schwartzman (`Rushmore'), is also an actor and rock musician.

Rooney, which is based in Los Angeles, has never had to worry about making connec- tions. But critics continue to point out the band is more than a show biz kid's vanity project.

The band's sophomore effort, "Calling the World," came out Tuesday, after two aborted projects and some label issues. Rolling Stone kept Rooney in its thoughts and put the single "When Did Your Heart Go Missing?" on its Hot List for April 5.

"It's as if Culture Club were backed by Wham!'s rhythm section," the magazine says.

With his habit of changing his name, it can be a challenge to follow the career of Robert Carmine (who's gone back to using Schwartzman) in the news media.

When he went by Carmine, it was an attempt to separate his music career from his acting. So he named himself after his composer grandfather, Carmine Coppola.

For a while, he also signed his autographs Robert Cage, a name that he nicked from another famous cousin: Oscar winner Nicolas Cage.

Whatever you call him, good luck getting out of Wednesday's show without humming Rooney melodies for weeks.

CONCERT PREVIEW

Rooney

With: Grynch, alterEGO

What: Pop and rock

When: 8 p.m. Wednesday

Where: WOW Hall, 291 W. Eighth Ave.

Tickets: $13.50 in advance, $15 at the door

On the Web: Hear music from "Calling the World" at www.registerguard.com /ticketfiles