There is a band in St. Joe that regularly plays to hundreds of people and breaks attendance records at local bars. And they’ve done it by playing... the Bangles and Paula Abdul? Seriously?

Yeah, that’s Blue Oyster Culture Club for ya. The ‘80s tribute band has become one of St. Joe’s most popular bands by satisfying a craving for the music of the “Me” decade with the cheesy wardrobe to match. You’ll get a chance to see them when they perform at 9 p.m. Aug. 9 at the First Ward House for $5.

But you wouldn’t have thought that this was the direction the band would go if you knew how it started. All of the members came from different local groups. Bassist/vocalist Chris Clark and keyboard player Corey Riley were bandmates in the alt-country group Crash of 29. Guitarist Todd Cooper and drummer Bill Blizzard were in long-standing St. Joe metal band Full Power. All four guys knew each other and found a mutual friend in Chris Schmidt of the metal group IT, who stepped in to play guitar and saxophone.

The band’s first performance was a Halloween show in Oct. 2006 in which the quintet played songs by metal groups Type O Negative and the Misfits. They followed that performance months later by performing songs of two more metal groups, White Zombie and Prong.

The band decided to switch things up for its third performance by playing songs from popular John Hughes’ movies of the 1980s like “The Breakfast Club” and “Sixteen Candles.”

Even though the band did two ‘80s-esque shows, the whole idea was kind of a joke. The funny thing was, people started to show up.

“We did the second one, and it was insane how good it went,” Clark says.

And from that point on, after seeing a crowd turn out that ranged from 20-year-olds who loved VH1’s “I Love the 80s” shows to 30- and 40-somethings who actually lived through the decade, B.O.C.C. found its niche.

“A lot of it is that... the response is too ridiculous to ignore,” Schmidt says.

Now, when the guys get together they each bring a list of two or three ‘80s songs they’d like to play. For the most part, every song they choose to perform is one every member likes — well, almost everyone.

“I am not a Prince fan, and it took some convincing to get me to do it,” Schmidt says when the idea came up to cover “Purple Rain.” “I definitely don’t have a problem with it now, but initially I was like, ‘Really? Prince?’”

Prince is only part of it. At a B.O.C.C. show, you’ll hear everything from Men Without Hats and Berlin to Cutting Crew and a-ha. If it’s music you heard in the ‘80s, it’s fair game.

“We’re not afraid of doing stuff you typically wouldn’t see a band do,” Blizzard says.

As the band continued to play ‘80s covers, members decided they should have the wardrobe to match. So they raided their closets and bought up ‘80s garb from the Salvation Army and D.A.V. on the South Belt, donning Members Only jackets, track shorts and “Miami Vice” inspired outfits.

“We just try to find the goofiest thing we can think of when it comes to ‘80s fashion,” Schmidt says.

The band admits that the “what will they wear next?” aspect is part of what keeps people coming to the shows. But it also gives the audience an excuse to get into character themselves, like B.O.C.C. fan Bobbi Jo Hughes, a stylist at Bliss Salon.

“They know I’ll never miss a show... and you get to wear your favorite ‘80s gear to it,” Hughes says. “I just strictly dress up for B.O.C.C.”

While not everyone dresses up for B.O.C.C., there are plenty who come out to see them. The band holds the attendance record for a show they played at The Rendezvous. When B.O.C.C. co-headlined with local old-school hip-hop tribute band Dolewite at the American Legion over Thanksgiving weekend in 2007, an estimated 600 to 700 people attended.

Chad Pinzino, owner and operator of First Ward House, says B.O.C.C. brings in one of the biggest crowds the bar has had all year for a pretty simple reason.

“They play fun music and stuff that people enjoy,” Pinzino says. “You can tell they’re having a good time performing, so the people that are watching them are going to be having a good time also.”

The band may bring out the locals, but it isn’t because they are playing all the time. B.O.C.C. makes sure to play a minimal amount of shows a year, which Clark says makes a B.O.C.C. show distinctive.

“If you play too much, it kind of loses the uniqueness of it,” Clark says. “We try to make it more of an event where you get dressed up and go hang out with your friends.”

As long as people still are nostalgic for everything ‘80s, B.O.C.C.’s tunes and corny antics will keep having an indefinite shelf life, and for Schmidt, Mr. “I don’t want to cover a Prince song,” that’s fine by him.

“I would like to do it for another 10 years if people would keep listening,” he says. “As long as people still say, ‘Hey, that was really neat. That was a good idea. I really enjoyed myself at such-an-such show, we’ll keep coming up with goofy ‘80s covers to play.”

The upcoming Blue Oyster Culture Club show at 9 p.m. Aug. 9 at the First Ward House is being presented by St. Joe Live. If seeing B.O.C.C. wasn’t rad enough, St. Joe Live Street Team members will be there handing out free St. Joe Live merchandise and giving away St. Joe Live T-shirts. We expect it will be totally gnarly.