Robby and Ricky Heisner, the singer-songwriters who are the core of the group Van Gogh, are reeling and rocking from New Jersey to California. As the country's best known -- perhaps only -- rock band led by performers who use wheelchairs, Van Gogh is gathering a reputation among audiences of all types for well-crafted, very enjoyable music.

The Atlanta-based brothers, both affected by Becker muscular dystrophy, are a staple on the disabilities expos circuit and in various venues in their home state. The band, formed in 1992, has just released its third album, "Three," and started a 1998 tour that promises to surpass the dozens of appearances they made across the country in 1997.

As serious musicians, the Heisners carefully negotiate the line between drawing attention away from their wheelchairs and toward their music, and using the wheelchairs as a marketing advantage. They want to be regarded as good musicians, not musicians in wheelchairs, and they're leery of appearing in showcases for performers with disabilities, where other acts are often amateurs. At the other extreme, some fans think their wheelchairs are props used only in performance.

QUALITY AND GIMMICKS

"We'll hold our music up to anybody's," says Ricky, 37, who writes the lyrics for Van Gogh's songs. "It's important to do what you do with excellence, integrity and the highest quality. By showing quality and achievement, we also may do positive things for people with disabilities and give others an example of what can be done."

At the same time, 34-year-old Robby, who writes the music, says, "I see our wheelchairs as Kiss's makeup, or Elton John's costumes and glasses, or the Beatles' suits and haircuts. They did it to stand out. I've got a natural gimmick and I don't have a problem using it.

"It's an asset," adds Robby, who also does most of the band's promotion and business negotiation. "We see a niche. If we weren't in the wheelchairs, we're just another band."

The wheelchair "gimmick" helps Van Gogh draw needed attention. Small clubs where most musicians get their start are generally not accessible to performers in wheelchairs. The Heisners often have to deal with people who are afraid to book them because "they think we're going to die next week."

It's primarily in the disability community that Van Gogh is building a following. The Heisners were invited by Abilities Expo to perform and appear at each of its five expos in 1997 and again in 1998. Wheelchair manufacturer InvaCare and its publication, One Step Ahead, cover their expenses. At these shows, they perform several times a day, the two brothers singing to taped instrumental versions of their songs. They sign posters, sell Van Gogh merchandise and make contacts that lead to other gigs.

At expos and at live concerts featuring the whole band, Van Gogh has other "gimmicks" besides the wheelchairs. The most recognizable is their hats -- a bowler for Ricky and a top hat for Robby -- custom-made with cloth sunflowers on the brims. The sunflower theme comes from the best-known painting of Vincent Van Gogh, the artist after which the Heisners named the group.

Asked why his hat has more flowers than his brother's, Robby quips, "I have more soil in my scalp."

A STYLE OF THEIR OWN

With their dark granny glasses, black coats, and black-and-white-checked wheelchairs with yellow trim, they're distinctive in appearance as well as sound. They roll, glide, spin and pivot to the music, occasionally taking a ride out into the audience and back.

"I'm confined by the size of the stage, not by the chair," Robby says.

Live concerts involve a complex light show. Sometimes the band performs with E-motion, a wheelchair dance group of which Gary Shetler, who plays guitar in Van Gogh, is a member.

Van Gogh's sound is also distinctive. It's hard to hear them without thinking Beatles. The influence of the Fab Four and other British classic rockers such as Elton John, Moody Blues and Pink Floyd is unmistakable. With tight harmonies, memorable melodies, psychedelic instrumental explorations and a beat that varies from mellow to bluesy to jamming, the music is both inviting and challenging.

"We like the melodic, harmonic sound. It doesn't sound like everyone else," Robby says. Each brother sings lead on certain songs.

They combine their highly accessible music with self-deprecating jokes; Robby introduces Ricky as his "ventriloquist doll" and muses on the size of his nostril in the blown-up poster on their set. The technique draws fans of all ages.

Despite their popularity in disability circles, Van Gogh's songs are notoriously free of references to disability. Ricky points out, "We don't write message songs. Our message is in our actions. The fact that we do it well says more than if we gave a seminar."

He adds, "I write about what comes out of me. I write about life, death, love, faith, loss, hope. The chair is the least interesting thing about me."

The Heisners' song-writing collaboration is open and smooth. A song may originate with a lyric, an idea, a melody or a beat. In composing, Robby uses a MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) with a computer and synthesizer. On it he can play all instrumental parts of a new song and make a demo to share with the band.

OBSERVATIONS AND MESSAGES

Van Gogh's songs can be flip: "She says she needs to find herself but wonders, if she's someone else, how she would even know herself if she should ever meet." ("Mrs. Pinkerton")

Whimsical: "Who'll talk to Harvey now that Elwood's gone?" ("Zuzu's Petals," a tribute to the late James Stewart)

Pensive: "Standing in the pouring rain and numbing deja vu, traces like emotional tattoos." ("Traces")

Tender: "I'll hold your hand when it's comfort you need. I'll understand if you ask me to leave." ("I'll Sit Beside You")

Two exceptions to their rule against message songs are "Unbound," an anti-prejudice song written for a Special Arts organization, and "Rise," which was inspired by the athletes at the 1996 Paralympics.

The Heisner brothers are aware that muscular dystrophy puts limits on their careers. They've already had to give up playing instruments because of hand and arm weakness. Excess heat and stress can bring on breathing difficulties.

But music supplies them tenfold with the freedom they may have lost. Ricky says, "If I were told, 'I could make you walk but you've got to give up the music,' I wouldn't go for it."

WHAT'S COMING UP

The Heisners, shown here signing posters at an Abilities Expo, have become "roll models" for younger people with disabilities.

For now, Van Gogh is enjoying all the opportunities that are rolling in. They travel with the assistance of Robby's girlfriend, Chel Raven, who handles sound and equipment, and Ricky's girlfriend, Patty LaPan, who handles merchandise.

In addition to their concert schedule, Van Gogh has composed the music for mountain climber Mark Wellman's new "extreme sports" video, "Beyond the Barriers." The duo composed the theme song for the syndicated radio show "On a Roll." Last year, they signed on to endorse the Action Storm wheelchair and appeared in ads and posters for the manufacturer. The 1997 ad won an EDI (Equality, Dignity and Independence) award from the National Easter Seal Society.

New in 1998 is an endorsement for Ricon Corp., manufacturer of wheelchair lifts for vans. Van Gogh is exploring the possibility of a college tour or appearances at state fairs. And the search goes on for an agent, a recording contract and more gigs.

While the Heisners want to be embraced by the largest audience possible, they take particular pride in being regarded as role models for people with disabilities.

Robby often wonders, "Will we ever reap the rewards from the trail we're blazing?"

His brother adds, "If we never get popular, we've made a difference in people's lives."