Published on Jan 20, 2000
Ska bands are often labeled as sounding like [fill in the blank]
band and it is rare that they are able to establish their own
sound. One band trying to accomplish said action is the Orange
County Supertones, a six-piece Christian ska band. Although the
band members are shown on the cover of their latest CD, Chase The
Sun, in dark suits and ties, there are other pictures of the band
having fun.
And that’s the spirit the band was able to capture in the
studio: fun.
Sure, the songs all have an evangelical tone, like in my
favorite “Away From You,” when vocalist Matt Morginsky ponders,
“Lord, I just don’t understand/ this strange creature you call man/
Who thinks he lives by his own hand/ but I know/ There’s no life
away from you.” That track in particular effortlessly combines
Morginsky’s comfortable vocal style with a strong rhythm section in
bassist Tony Terusa and drummer Jason Carson.
Another strong track is the disc opener “One Voice.” Beginning
with an extremely catchy trombone and trumpet reinforcement of the
guitar riff, Morginsky is once again at the forefront of the track
with these lyrics: “And if we died to our selves/ to come alive as
God’s flesh/ That makes us family.”
“In Between” begins with a guitar anthem chord progression
before horn section Darren Mettler (trumpet) and Daniel Spencer
(trombone) come in with an interesting melody line. Terusa’s bass
groove is subtle but toggles to a stronger presence when guitarist
Brian Johnson chimes in with his distorted anthem chord progression
in mid-song.
Maybe this CD arrived at the precise moment that I was craving a
new sound. Maybe it arrived when I was burned out on listening to
Pantera and Dream Theater wannabes interspersed with the latest
slew of crappy live albums (who shall remain nameless – but if you
read this site regularly, you know who I’m talking about). Quite
possibly, it arrived as I wished for an end to the death metal crap
that had been finding its way to my CD player.
Whatever the case may be, and I haven’t quite resolved it in my
mind, Orange County Supertones are, despite any religious idealogy
differences, a strong and interesting band. The band’s spiritual
message is delivered.