Eddie Angel totally remembers his first July Jamm show. Dressed in a Mexican wrestling mask and black turtleneck, the Los Straitjackets guitarist sweltered with the late afternoon sun beating down and the pavement at 12th and N streets reflecting the heat upward.

“I thought I was going to pass out,” Angel said. “That was 10 years ago, and it still sticks in my mind. I’ll always have that distinct memory of Lincoln, Nebraska.”

Los Straitjackets has “smartened up.” When the band returns to close out the final July Jamm on Saturday night, members will be wearing black T-shirts rather than the turtlenecks that made them broil a decade ago. But they’ll still be wearing their trademark Mexican wrestling masks, even though they’re not as unique as they once were.

Hollywood’s even gotten into the Mexican wrestling act of late, with Jack Black in mask and tights in this summer’s “Nacho Libre.”

“Imitation is the highest form of flattery, I guess,” Angel said from his Nashville home. “We were just ahead of the groove with that. Wrestling masks are everywhere now.”

While the masks served as an initial drawing card, it is the surf-rooted, guitar instrumental music and Los Straitjackets’ entertaining performances that have kept the band going and helped it to create an international fan base.

“Even though we’ve got the gimmick, we’ve got good songs and a fun show,” Angel said. “Otherwise we wouldn’t have been able to last 10 years.

Angel, drummer Jimmy Lester and guitarist Danny Amis started their first instrumental band, called The Straitjackets, in 1988. But that group didn’t take off. Then, in 1994, they added a bassist and gave it a second try, with a new name and the masks.

“When we started doing this, I didn’t ever think we’d make a go of it,” Angel said. “I thought it would just be for fun. I thought we’d play once a month in Nashville, just a garage band. Then ‘Pulp Fiction’ came out and we were able to capitalize on that. We were four guys who were willing to get in a van and spend the next three years touring. We built up the fan base and developed everything little by little.”

Los Straitjackets now has a solid repertoire of about 60 songs they can play at any show. There are a handful of tunes, like “Itchy Chicken” and “Sing, Sing, Sing,” that they do every time. Then they put other songs around them, all designed to create some serious rock ’n’ roll fun.

“We’re all fans of rock ’n’ roll. But we’re fans of traditional rock ’n’ roll,” Angel said. “Rock ’n’ roll started out being simple songs that are fun. Somewhere along the line, it got real serious. We’re trying deliberately to be the antidote to that. Our favorite song, for instance, would be ‘Surfin’ Bird.’ That’s our idea of a great rock ’n’ roll song rather than somebody singing about their problems.”

The band tours less now than in the past — about a third of the year — and devote their efforts to other projects. They’ve got a pair of new recordings ready for release.

One called “Twist Party!!!” that takes off on the dance crazes of the ’60s will come out later this year. The second, set for release in 2007, is a collection of vintage Mexican rock ’n’ roll recorded with Big Sandy of Big Sandy and His Fly-Rite Boys and Cesar Rosas of Los Lobos.

“It’s cool stuff.” Angel said. “We do songs like ‘Wild Thing’ in Spanish.”

There’s an ongoing effort to get Los Straitjackets songs in movies and television shows. They’ve led a couple music-based cruises and tours. They’re even thinking about starting a guitar camp for kids.

That variety has kept things fresh for the veteran musicians who make up Los Straitjackets. But the real enjoyment still comes from the music.

“It’s stayed fun for me because we’re playing music we enjoy,” Angel said. “We’ve never had to play music we didn’t like. There are times when it feels like work, like when you only get to sleep two hours, then have to get a plane and play a show that night. But it’s still fun.”

Reach L. Kent Wolgamott at 473-7244 or at kwolgamott@journalstar.com.