Smash Mouth cycles back into vogue

Far more than two decades ago, the Beatles began a song about the origin of a fictional band with the words, “It was 20 years ago today.”

Paul De Lisle, the founding bassist of Smash Mouth, has had a similar sentiment reverberating in his mind of late. In his case, though, the phrase would be followed by an incredulous question mark — and maybe an exclamation point or two.

“We just kind of kept going,” said De Lisle, whose San Jose-based band formed in late 1994. “All of a sudden, we’re like, ‘Hey, wait a minute. All of a sudden, we’re an oldies act!’ ‘Cause we never stopped. It’s kind of fun. It’s like, ‘Hey, wait, now that guy has a kid.’”

De Lisle himself has a kid now — 5-year-old daughter Dorothy, who is fast becoming a Smash Mouth fan — and so do a great many of the people in his audience. In recent years, Smash Mouth has toured with Sugar Ray, Blues Traveler and other ‘90s stalwarts, and this weekend, it will make its latest stop at Mozambique in Laguna Beach.

In short, the “20-year cycle of resuscitation,” as New York Times journalist Carl Wilson recently called it, has struck for the era of Lollapalooza and “Forrest Gump.” While nostalgia can peak early or last indefinitely, it’s a safe bet that two decades after a cultural movement strikes, it will be strongly in the market for people ready to relive it.

The 1970s brought a 1950s revival with “Happy Days” and “American Graffiti.” The 1960s roared back in the 1980s with “The Big Chill” and tunes like “Summer of ’69.” The “Brady Bunch” movies and “That ‘70s Show”? Right, the 1990s.

Now, with films like “Ghost” and “Sister Act” turned into live musicals and the annual Summerland Tour rounding up acts from Marcy Playground to Everclear, it’s the ‘90s’ turn. And De Lisle and his bandmates haven’t been shy about addressing how cultural time passes: On their most recent album, the 2012 “Magic,” they even included a song about ephemeral trends. (The song’s title: “Justin Bieber.”)

“It all sort of goes in cycles,” said John Borack, a pop music author and critic who lives in Fountain Valley. “I was shocked when I first heard K-Earth 101 playing Blondie and J. Geils Band and Salt-N-Pepa. And I thought, ‘K-Earth isn’t supposed to be playing ‘80s songs.’ Now, they’re playing ‘90s songs.”

For Borack, whose books include “Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Power Pop Guide,” Smash Mouth’s heyday evokes memories of a deeper kind. In the decade and a half since the ‘90s ended, he said, guitar-based rock has faded in prominence, with Top 40 radio more likely to serve up hip-hop, ballads or synthesized pop than a garage-style raver like “Walkin’ on the Sun.”

Still, when K.C. Mancebo, the former spokeswoman and talent buyer for the Blue Water Music Festival, sought Smash Mouth for this year’s lineup, she didn’t necessarily have nostalgia in mind. A fan of the band from its early years, she considers its sound perfectly suited to a warm day near the beach, and at least one critic agrees. AllMusic, reviewing “Magic,” wrote that the band has “a knack for creating a soundtrack for an endless summer.”

“I was envisioning, ‘What is it going to feel like?’” Mancebo said. “And I just thought of them. It was very organic.”

Smash Mouth, which scored its biggest hit with the 1999 “All Star,” was set to join more than 30 other acts at Blue Water. When the festival ran into a sponsorship snag, though, some of the performers left the lineup — including Smash Mouth, which moved its gig to Mozambique. The restaurant’s owner, Ivan Spiers, had been a key sponsor of Blue Water before withdrawing some of his backing.

For fans who snag tickets to the Mozambique show, the smaller venue may just mean a chance to see the band up closer. And De Lisle, who recalls the early days fondly, still feels blessed to get to strap on his bass.

“When we got signed and got famous, I was really shocked,” he said. “I’ve always been, like, a player. This has been my hobby, like surfing or skateboarding. I always had my amp in my station wagon. It was just totally my hobby, and Smash Mouth was just the best band I was in.”

Twenty years, apparently, can attest to that.

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If You Go

What: Smash Mouth

Where: Mozambique, 1740 S. Coast Hwy., Laguna Beach

When: 10 p.m. Saturday (doors open at 7 p.m.)

Cost: $35 in advance, $45 at the door (must be 18 and older)

Information: (949) 715-7777 or https://www.mozambiqueoc.com