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By Dan Leone

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VIEWED THROUGH THE hellzapoppin' filter of the third Baypop festival, northern California looks like a veritable gold mine of unrepentant, Nuggets-revering, fuzz-loving, pop freakazoids of the first order. True, with some exceptions, many of the combos playing the festival can be seen any given night of the week at area clubs – nonetheless consider this your one-stop spot for pop of many flavors: garage, folk, rock, psychedelic, and sugar sweet. On Nov. 16 at the Great American Music Hall, gentle pophounds will genuflect before venerable, '60s-era garage troglodytes Electric Prunes ("I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night") and Chocolate Watchband ("I Ain't No Miracle Worker"), and at the Parkside, fans will bleed happily from the ears at the frantic rock of the Sermon (Nov. 14) and SLA (Nov. 15). Dyed-in-the-wool melody makers such as Chris Von Sneidern and Allen Clapp of the Orange Peels represent '90s power pop; Oakland's Cuts flaunt their arch glam roots; and the Spinning Jennies happily wallow in a punchy, candy-coated world of '60s-style psych. Count on Sacramento's Baby Grand and San Francisco's Junior Panthers (featuring Bay Guardian staffer Raul Sanchez) to bring the wistful harmonies and Rickenbacker jangle. And don't forget to get menaced by the latest masked garage rockers, the Ghosts – death is a laughing matter for these S.F. ghouls, and lead singer Grim Horror-Again and company have even less concern for your sanity once Heat Deader's screaming Farfisa is done with you. On opening night (Tues/12, Cafe du Nord), Bay Guardian columnist John O'Neill takes popsters by the hand and holds forth on all things hooky. $8-$22. For a complete schedule go to www.baypop.com. (Kimberly Chun)