No, The Dandy Warhols aren't from England, rather frontman Courtney Taylor suggests their sound is more like the Byrds produced in the '90s by somebody tripping their balls off.

Yes, the Portland-based quartet had problems with their first Capitol Records release, The Dandy Warhols Come Down, and had to fight to justify their arrogance.

And Taylor's past is tainted with the pain of having to end a serious relationship because of heroin.

But the mixing of these rungs on the ladder of success have raised the Dandys to a new level. Critical acclaim for the record, heavy rotation on radio stations across the country, hosting an MTV 120 minutes episode and their first major tour are recent additions to the Dandys bragging roster.

Since their 1992 genesis, The Dandy Warhols have released several singles and their debut album, Dandy's Rule OK, on indie label Tim/Kerr in Portland. They enjoyed some moderate success and even national exposure, but when the hype turned to reality with Capitol Records, the band is the first to admit their mistakes. As put in their arrogant-yet-humbling bio,"When it came time to do the big record it all fell apart. The songs weren't quite ready. The studio wasn't quite right. Courtney and (drummer) Eric started fighting, and when Capitol heard the tracks they said 'there's no songs!'." But the band persisted and produced the 14 track Come Down, proving their worth amongst growing speculation.

The first single, "Not if you were the Last Junkie on Earth", while dripping with catchy, self-described '60s harmonies, allowed the band to capitalize on both the heroin media hype and a thorn in Taylor's past. The song, arguing heroin as passe, was inspired by a woman with whom Taylor was in love, but had to leave because of her addition.

"I was devastated, I was hurt. Everybody dies. Everybody that gets that far into it, to when they are shooting dope all day every day, losing everything, stealing shit, then they die, the O.D. So when she dies, I want to have not seen her for two or three years, I don't want it to hurt atall."

Taylor has hit it big with several other songs on Come Down, including "Boys Better" and "Minnasoter," the two candidates for the Dandy's next single. He said more people point to "Good Morning," a haunting track buried in the middle of the album, as their favorite over any other single. And as most of the offerings are drenched in Dandy's style harmonies and well written melodies, the culprit for all their British comparison press is obvious.

"When we started out a few years ago, grunge was the thing, and if you had melodies and harmonies, then you were obviously British," explained drummer and harmonizer Eric Hedord. Taylor admitted they probably sound British to someone with a musical taste ranging from Fugazi to Candlebox, but suggested the band offered an American west coast sound, sighting moreBeach Boys style than Beatles influenced harmonies.

"I don't sing with an English accent, and we're not from San Francisco," jabbed Taylor, poking fun at some recent English-accent toting acts from the Bay area.

The Dandy Warhols are continuing their 10 week tour, currently slated to wind up in New Orleans on September 13th.The have officially entered the cyber world at www.dandywarhols.com, where you can read their tour diary, peek at a few candid photos or drop them an email and let Courtney know how much you love his American accent.

MIKE PFEIFER