The three members of Chip DiMonick are in drummer Carmen Capozzi's basement, with a boxer-terrier -- who will factor in later in the story -- jumping to their faces for a show of affection. Their rehearsal studio is 10 feet away, an area no bigger than a teenager's bedroom.

Frontman Chip DiMonick brushes away the black hair from his shadowed eyes and explains what inspired the music on the new record, "Not Yet Rated."

"It's feeling. It's showing the world that, 'Yeah, we have a style, but we're not going to be pigeonholed by that style.' We feel that we're at the peak of our creative freedom. If we want to write a song about doing it [in a certain sexual position], then we'll write it. If we're going to write a sentimental song about being in love with someone who has issues, we're going to write it."

	Carmen Capozzi, left, on drums, Chip DiMonick on vocals and guitar and J.P. on bass are the power behind the Chip DiMonick sound. Click photo for larger image. Chip DiMonick: Where: 31st Street Pub, Strip. When: 10:00 p.m. Admission: $5. 412-391-8334 Listen In: Hear excerpts from songs by Chip DiMonick: "Soccer Mom With a Secret" "Sweet Revenge" "Come On Eileen"

Their sound has been characterized as a throwback to the '80s glam metal popularized by Motley Crue, Poison and Ratt. Though they admire and are influenced by those bands, they're just as affected by an array of artists from different eras, ranging from Alice Cooper to Harry Connick Jr.

"You can sort of combine elements of the '70, '80s and the '90s based upon what you grew up with and what you're influenced by and just try to combine them to make what you put out now. That's pretty much what we're doing," says bassist J.P., who does not provide a last name so as to separate his artistic life from his ordinary one. Capozzi, DiMonick and J.P. all declined to disclose their ages or their jobs. The latter information would have been nice to know considering the album cost more than $6,000.

On "Not Yet Rated," they cover Dexy's Midnight Runners' "Come on Eileen," which fits in well with much of their other material because most of the lyrical content is sexually suggestive -- dealing with sex and parties, both of which Capozzi said is what, "makes my world go round."

They say it's all tongue-in-cheek, a simple collection of enjoyable songs for the people who buy their album.

"When I first met Chip," C.C. says, "the thing that I was attracted to was the fact that it felt good. That's the biggest thing that people miss with these original acts. They miss the feel-good part of it. They're writing for themselves, and to show off. But we're writing to feel good, in the heart. Right?"

"Or other body parts," DiMonick replies, to much laughter.

Even though it may be good, not-so-clean fun, it would be remiss to overlook the creative process used to pen the new tracks.

"One of the interesting things is that, whether the song started with me or C.C. or J, our songs started really with one lyric that sticks in our heads," DiMonick said. "We turn that into a story, and then we turn it into a song. For example, C.C. came up with the lyric 'Call me in the middle of the night/Worked out cover songs just right/Budweiser Breath put me to death,' and he said this could be about someone who is a wannabe rockstar when they drink and fall asleep and dream that they are that rock star.

"Just that one lyric that stuck with him, he came up with a story behind it, and we crafted it into a song. Most of our songs do start that way."

There are a lot of entertaining, albeit crass, stories on the album. "Dogs, Dogs, Dogs" declares an intention to have sex anytime and anywhere just like Capozzi's dog would. "Porn Star in a Past Life" expresses admiration for a girl with a valued set of skills. The most intriguing tale is "Soccer Mom with a Secret," their take on what Simon & Garfunkel glorified with "Mrs. Robinson." While the '60s group honored the sexual mentor of a young man -- what Anne Bancroft was to Dustin Hoffman in "The Graduate" -- Chip DiMonick complimented her for a starring role in an internet porno. Times have apparently changed.

Whatever the story may be, the three bandmates judge the poignancy of their lyrics by the reaction it gets from people who hear them perform.

"For us, we always have people coming up to us after the shows and say, 'Oh man. Those are out-there lyrics.' It is a bit of a surprise," DiMonick said.

While they want the music to enrapture listeners, they also want to entertain people visually. That might explain why DiMonick wears heavy makeup and paints his fingernails. Showmanship is one thing they took from the fallen genre of hair metal.

"Now, there's no stigma attached to being influenced by Motley Crue," DiMonick said. "That's not to say we're walking around with poodle perms and writing an album full of cheesy ballads. But there's no shame in being influenced by that ... as long as you're not duplicating it.

"It's back to the roots of what rock 'n' roll is all about, which is being larger than life, and being a form of entertainment. Not just to the ears, but to the eyes, too, for the whole rock experience."