WHOSE COATTAILS? FOO FIGHTERS' DRUMMER TAYLOR HAWKINS ENJOYS BEING OUT FRONT FOR A CHANGE.

Byline: Fred Shuster Music Writer

Taylor Hawkins definitely has a sense of humor.

The drummer for the hugely successful Foo Fighters calls his side project the Coattail Riders, a sly dig at everyone who thinks his band members are merely jumping on Hawkins' Foo- related fame.

After years of playing but not singing - except for the occasional Foo Fighters B-side - Hawkins began recording his own album more than a year ago, working at a friend's house in the Valley. The Riders' self-titled debut, a charmingly raw classic-rock-tinged set on which Hawkins drums and sings, has just been issued.

"I always thought I should make a record some day, so I did a whole lot of demo sessions but was never comfortable with the results," said Hawkins, 34, a Topanga resident and familiar presence in the West Valley. "But when this group started messing around, it just had a vibe, and I had a clearer direction. I had a sound in mind this time."

Hawkins' Coattail Riders, appearing tonight at the Viper Room in West Hollywood and Saturday at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, also includes bassist Chris Chaney (Jane's Addiction, Alanis Morissette) and guitarist and longtime friend Gannin (just Gannin).

The record's 11 tracks - and the hidden track "Perfect Day" - echo Hawkins' rock heroes: the Police, Devo and '70s prog rock.

"I'm still a music fan," Hawkins said, adding that Tarzana's CD Trader is his favorite local record emporium. "I buy records all time. And I've always gone on kicks where I totally get into one particular artist. I've been on a Gram Parsons kick for a while now. I can get kind of dorky about it."

The Coattail Riders are touring on a far less grand scale than the Foo Fighters, which is led by ex-Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl and headlines festivals and stadiums worldwide. Hawkins' band, which is a potent live act, by the way, is traveling by RV from town to town - and having a blast.

"I love it," Hawkins said. "I sometimes prefer these smaller gigs. I like the intimate vibe. To be honest, I get kind of scared at the giant Foo Fighters shows we play. I get a similar amount of fright with the Coattail Riders, but once we get out there, it's just so much fun. You always give it 100 percent."

Along with soaking up new music on CD and vinyl, Hawkins goes to shows. He enthused about a recent gig he attended, Britpop band Supergrass at the Avalon.

"They were just right on the money, and they sing like birds," the affable drummer said. "It was a very classy show."

Hawkins, who grew up in Laguna Beach and has been playing professionally since he was a freshman in high school, ended up in the Foo Fighters by way of Morissette, with whom he toured just as her multimillion-selling debut album was taking off. That was also where he met Coattail Riders bassist Chaney.

"I'm totally blessed and lucky," Hawkins said. "We were in Europe playing some festivals with the Foo Fighters and Neil Young, and I got to know Dave a bit and found out that their drummer had quit. Two weeks later, I was in the Foo Fighters. I am very blessed."

Hawkins shows his appreciation by being extremely nice to fans who recognize him on the street.

"I think I have the perfect amount of fame, because it's at a level where I'll have only two or three people come up to me in a week and say, Aren't you the drummer in that band?' Which is great because it was never an aspiration of mine to be extremely well-known. When you're a kid looking at the back of a Queen album and thinking, I want to do that,' you don't think it'll ever really happen."

As a drummer-turned-singer and frontman, Hawkins has a strong role model. Grohl, of course, moved from the back seat in Nirvana to center stage in the Foos. In that band, though, Hawkins gets a share of the spotlight - he frequently sings a song or two during a Foo show, and he handled lead vocals on the track "Cold Day in the Sun" on the Fighters' "In Your Honor" disc last year.

"In the Foo Fighters, we take breaks - and I'm no good when I'm not working," Hawkins summed up. "So, I had to create another environment to keep busy. This is really a lot of fun, but it's a lot harder than I thought it would be - drumming and singing for 45 minutes a night.

"As I've been telling people, I'm going to be very fit at the end of this tour."

Fred Shuster, [phone]

fred.shuster(at)dailynews.com

Death Cab for Cutie is among the performers at local public-radio station KCRW-FM's annual ``A Sound Eclectic Evening'' benefits concert Saturday at the Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk.

The lineup also includes Ben Harper, Gomez, Feist, Sia and Goldspot, with additional acts expected.

Tickets are still available at Ticketmaster locations, [phone], ticketmaster.com.

TAYLOR HAWKINS & THE COATTAIL RIDERS

Where: Viper Room, 8852 Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood.

When: 11 tonight.

Tickets: $15. [phone].

viperroom.com

CAPTION(S):

4 photos

Photo:

(1) From left: Chris Chaney, Hawkins and Gannin

(2) - Taylor Hawkins

(3) DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

(4) FEIST