This powerfulsSan Francisco grunge band, despite having had only one EP of their own, is quickly taking the music world by storm. They've appeared on several compilations, including "Every Band Has a Shonen Knife Who Loves Them" and the soon-to-be-released benefit album, "My Parents Rioted in L.A. And All I Got Was This Stupid Tape," produced by yours truly.

U.V. Eye's demo tape starts off with a wrenching rendition of their song, "What Am I Going To Do With My Life?", an excellent track to show off singer Jeff Charroux's manic vocal style. The live version of "Dysfunctional Families" is good in this respect also, even more so perhaps because you can understand the sarcastic lyrics: "There's a brand new term that displaces the blame ... my parents split up and I was never the same ... I hid all my pain in a Wonder-bread life ... became a failure 'cuz my family dido't work right."

By far, the catchiest song on the tape is "Gidget (C.B. Good Buddy Industrial Mix)", their cover of the theme song to everybody's favorite '60s sitcom, a track that rivals Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains in terms of pure power. The distorted tones and simple backup rhythms are quickly rounded out by two versions, live and studio, of "Water It Down," their most pop-like song and the one most likely to be heard on a radio station, even one claiming to be "Alternative."

You won't find them on MTV, and you're not likely to find them in many tape stores in the area, but rest assured, when their first full-length album comes out, Ultra Violet Eye will be a musical force to be reckoned with. n