Comedy parodies kids' party bands

If Howard Stern decided to make his own version of "Flight of the Conchords," he'd probably come up with something close to "Z Rock," IFC's new late-night comedy series. Like those gentle, super-verbal New Zealand folk singers on HBO, the three members of Z02 are a bona fide musical act: a neo-hair-metal band from Brooklyn that has toured with Kiss and Poison. They're down with the male-id aesthetic; lead singer Paulie Z has actually sung on many of Stern's song parodies.

And they're more than willing to poke fun at themselves for the sake of some inspired notoriety - in this case, portraying bandmates whose daylighting gig puts a serious dent in their rocker cred.

For the purposes of IFC, these guys earn their rent money as the Z Brothers, one of the hottest bands on New York's overwrought kids' birthday party circuit. They wear authentic duds, but trade their electric guitar, bass, and drums for two acoustic guitars and a pair of bongos, the better to play "Wheels on the Bus" in the apartments and suburban mini-mansions of the nouveau riche.

It's a funny conceit on the face of it, and might be even funnier if we got to see more of the Z Brothers' act. (There are moments when this show feels more like a backhanded showcase for Z02. Which it probably is.) What we do see is memorably absurd; their signature birthday song implores kids to take a candle-laden cake and "blow it hard."

Still, the refrain is in keeping with the tone of the show, which is decidedly R-rated. This is a world of nymphomaniac rich wives, propositions of all forms, running jokes about hair in various places, and plenty of frontal nudity. Don't let the real kids anywhere near the set if you watch the encores Tuesday night at 8:30, unless you're ready to unleash a lot of awkward explanations.

The show is loaded with juvenile stuff, but like Stern's shtick, it's also funny, as is the parade of cameos. For a band that purports to struggle in real life, Z02 has a lot of powerful friends: In the first episode, Sebastian Bach turns up at a birthday party and Joan Rivers - who will play a recurring role - comes to one of the band's nighttime gigs. And in the sixth episode, guitarist Dave Navarro, who has honed his TV talents on the "Rockstar" reality series, does a hilarious turn as a version of himself: an obsessive gardener and porn auteur who directs Z02's first video.

The regular cast has some fine moments, too. Lynne Koplitz is especially funny as Z02's absurdly dedicated manager, who takes emergency calls from the band during her yoga and pilates classes. (As in HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm," another clear influence, a lot of the humor in this show stems from the silent reaction shots.)

As for the bandmates themselves, they try hard, and with a season or so under their belt, they'll probably get better at the easier-than-they-look rhythms of quasi-improv. They come across credibly as wannabes who cling to the '80s mold and can't resist the temptations of the minor rock star life. Their dialogue could use a little more snap, but even Larry David got better over time.

Comedy is hard, even harder than conquering the cutthroat music industry. And if this show doesn't catapult Z02 into the big time, perhaps the guys could forge a new career in the increasingly-crowded field of kiddie artists. It's actually a lucrative gig for somebody who wants it. If They Might Be Giants has withstood the reinvention, maybe Motley Crue won't be far behind.

Joanna Weiss can be reached at weiss@globe.com. For more on TV, go to www.boston.com/viewerdiscretion.