The Nashville punk band Teen Idols come to Hangar 9

Factoid:The Teen Idols will be playing with The Copyrights at 10 p.m. Dec. 3 at Hangar 9. For more information on Teen Idols, go to www.teenidols.net or www.honestdons.com

Slicked-back hair and leather jackets have been firmly secured in pop culture by films such as “Grease,” but you won’t see John Travolta in this group.

The Teen Idols, formed in 1997, come from the birthplace of rock ‘n’ roll, Nashville, Tenn, and accordingly play a style of rock that most people often refer to as pop punk. Although the term pop punk might apply to any number of other non-descript bands, it falls a little short when being applied to Teen Idols. Although the Teen Idols are predominantly pop punk, they venture over into surf rock and doo-wop.

The band’s debut self-titled album, released in 1997, has received rave reviews and is hailed by some as a reach back to oldies music from the ’50s and ’70s punk rock. Indeed, Teen Idols’ influences include Chuck Berry and The Ramones.

Since its inception, the band has since produced two full-length albums, the first being “Pucker Up” in 1999 and “Full Leather Jacket” in 2000, and has appeared on more than a dozen various compilations and split seven-inch records. They have recently finished work on a split CD with the Lafayette, Ind.,-based Squirtgun, which will be released in February on Asian Man Records. The group has toured with such bands as NOFX and The Queers. Teen Idols have also played shows with the likes of Reverend Horton Heat and Jawbreaker.

According to the only remaining founding member, Phillip Teen Idol, the group has gone through several lineup changes, 11 by his count, but has remained constant as of late. He has maintained in past interviews that the Teen Idols won’t falter due to personal vendettas or stop because of a few members coming or going. Teen Idols are here to stay.

Reporter Jared DuBach can be reached at [email protected]